How to get to Sri Lanka

How to get to Sri Lanka

Island and state Sri Lanka is located in the waters of the Indian Ocean at the southern tip of the Hindustan Peninsula. Sri Lanka is separated from the mainland by a strait of 100 kilometers.

It is believed that Sri Lanka was once connected by a thin isthmus to the mainland, but as a result of earthquakes it was destroyed. Today, Sri Lanka can be reached either by plane or by private ship. Unfortunately, there is no regular ferry service to India yet.

From Russia to Sri Lanka fly about 8 hours without transfers. Most of the flights are operated to the main international airport of Sri Lanka-Bandaranaike airport (Colombo airport). Site www.airport.lk/. Learn more about Colombo airport here.

Today, only two airlines operate direct flights there: SriLankan Airlines and Aeroflot in high season. However, many convenient flights with transfers are offered by at least the following foreign airlines:

• Qatar Airlines
• Turkish Airlines
• Etihad Airlines
• Emirates
• Air Arabia

Find and book flights to the main airport of Sri Lanka-Colombo, you can use the search form. The search is very flexible, and allows you to find flights on different dates, with or without transfers, both ways or one, etc.:

ЦЕНА	ПЕРЕСАДКИ	АВИАКОМПАНИЯ	ДАТА ВЫЛЕТА	ДАТА ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЯ
Купить от 45278 ₽	1 пересадка		18.06.2026	16.07.2026
Купить от 54858 ₽	1 пересадка		09.07.2026	16.07.2026
Купить от 54684 ₽	1 пересадка		09.08.2026	08.09.2026
Купить от 51095 ₽	2 пересадки		25.09.2026	08.10.2026
Купить от 52732 ₽	1 пересадка		07.10.2026	22.10.2026
Купить от 51416 ₽	2 пересадки		30.11.2026	21.12.2026

Sometimes you can find inexpensive flights through Europe, but this is rather rare.

The advantage of a transfer flight is lower flight prices. In addition, it is much easier to choose a flight suitable for the date and time of departure from these airlines than with direct flights. Often these airlines arrange sales and you can buy tickets at a very attractive price.

Some of the Listed airlines offer flights to Sri Lanka with transfers from major regions of Russia. Some of them fly directly to the main transfer airport, some with an additional transfer in Moscow. Surprisingly, sometimes airline shares sell flights from regions with a transfer in Moscow even cheaper than a flight from Moscow.

Another airport that began to receive international flights in Sri Lanka is Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (aka Hambantota International Airport, website www.airport.lk/mria/). This airport is located in the south of the country, and it is assumed that through it it is convenient to get to the southern resorts of Sri Lanka. However, the flight to this airport does not add real convenience and savings yet. The cost of flying to it is disproportionately high, and so far it is much cheaper to fly to Colombo airport, and from there to get to the Southern Beaches by taxi (not to mention buses) than flying there. There is also practically no gain in time. Perhaps the situation will change over time, but so far it is not worth considering it seriously as an airport of arrival.

How to get to resorts in Sri Lanka

After you have landed at Colombo airport, you will now face the task of getting to the resort or holiday destination you need. We have already considered this issue in sufficient detail here, as well as in detail in the "How to get" sections about each resort. Therefore, here we will dwell only briefly.

You can get from Colombo airport to your desired place in Sri Lanka by taxi, tuk-tuk or bus. In rare cases and with sufficient finances, you can fly by plane, or by train with landing on it to Colombo at the main railway station of the country - Colombo Fort.

If you decide to use the most economical way – buses, then you should keep in mind that buses do not run at night in Sri Lanka, and if you arrive in the afternoon, there is a chance that you will not have time to get to distant resorts by bus. In this case, it is reasonable to spend the night and rest after the flight in Negombo or Colombo, and in the morning move on. Negombo is preferable, as it is closer to the airport, accommodation there is Cheaper Than in Colombo, and the situation as a whole is more Resort. On the other hand, Transport is more developed in Colombo and from there it will be easier to get anywhere in the country.

Caution should be exercised in the use of aviation for further movement in Sri Lanka. Almost any place on the island can be reached by taxi for reasonable money within a maximum of 3-4 hours. Therefore, the use of aircraft that are more expensive than taxis, rarely fly, and then still need to get from the final airport to the hotel by taxi, is not very justified both in terms of saving time and finances.

If you want to continue further to the resort by train, you will first have to take a taxi or bus to the railway station in Colombo Colombo Fort. Trains run quite often, including Night ones. Train schedules can be found here: https://eservices.railway.gov.lk, http://colombofort.com. It is not necessary to buy tickets in advance, but if you want to get good seats, it is better to book tickets through travel companies. There is no online sale of railway tickets in Sri Lanka yet.