Day Trips from Colombo on a Budget: What They Cost
A day trip from Colombo can cost you a train ticket and lunch, or a hired car, a guide and a stack of entrance fees. The difference comes down to two choices: whether you go by rail or by road, and whether the main sight charges foreigners admission. Here are the four day trips that work from the city, with what you will actually spend.
Galle Fort: the best value
Getting there: the coastal train from Colombo Fort takes about 2 to 2.5 hours and costs roughly LKR 300 to 800 unreserved; expressway buses take around 1.5 hours. Timetables are on Sri Lanka Railways .
What you pay there: almost nothing. The Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and walking its 17th-century ramparts, past the lighthouse and out to Flag Rock at sunset, is free. A guided walk with a local historian runs roughly LKR 4,000 to 8,000 if you want the stories behind the bastions; you can compare Galle Fort walking tours .
The verdict: this is the cheapest good day out from Colombo. Return train fares and a rampart walk come to well under LKR 2,000, and the sea views from the train are free too.
Negombo: close and cheap
Getting there: 35 km north, about 45 minutes by road on the airport expressway.
What you pay there: walking the Lellama fish market in the morning, when the catch comes in, costs nothing, and St Mary’s Church is the landmark of the town nicknamed “Little Rome”. A boat along the old Dutch Canal into the mangrove lagoon is the one real expense; agree the price and the length of the trip before you board. Negombo works well as a first or last day near the airport.
Bentota: river and gardens
Getting there: 65 km south, around an hour on the Southern Expressway, or by the coastal train.
What you pay there: a boat on the Madu Ganga through the mangrove tunnels, plus a visit to Brief Garden, the landscaped estate of Bevis Bawa; check its opening times and fee locally. Agree boat prices in advance, since they vary with boat size and route.
Kandy: a long, pricier day
Getting there: about 3.5 hours each way by road. The railway into Kandy is under repair after Cyclone Ditwah, so check the train status before you plan on it.
What you pay there: the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic charges foreigners LKR 3,000 (LKR 2,500 for SAARC nationals), which also covers the Dalada Museum, the World Buddhist Museum, the Tusker Museum and the Royal Elephant Stable. Dress code and ritual times are on the temple’s site . The Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya cost foreign adults about LKR 3,000, and the 3.2 km walk around Kandy Lake is free.
With seven hours on the road and two LKR 3,000 tickets, Kandy is the costliest day trip here. Stay a night if you can, so the drive is spread over two days. If you go anyway, you can look up Kandy day tours from Colombo .
Splitting a car
A car or van with a driver costs roughly $60 to 90 a day. Split four ways, that is about $15 to 23 each, which makes Bentota or Kandy more reasonable for a group than separate transport.
Tips
- Sigiriya and Yala are 4 to 6 hours each way; paying for a “day trip” there buys you mostly time in a car.
- Carry small notes for boat rides, shoe counters and snacks.
Read more: the 3-day Colombo itinerary for fitting a day trip around two days in the city.