Kandy is the first big stop for a lot of visitors to Sri Lanka, and the drive from the airport is one of the easier ones in the country. With a car and a driver, plan on two and a half to three and a half hours. Unlike most routes out of the airport, the train is also a genuinely good option here, as long as you are starting from Colombo.
This page covers the price, the two roads drivers use, the train and the bus, and a few things specific to arriving in Kandy that are worth knowing before you book.
Katunayake to Kandy is the same trip
Bandaranaike International Airport sits at Katunayake, a town north of Colombo, so you will see this journey written several ways: Colombo Airport to Kandy, CMB to Kandy, or Katunayake to Kandy. They all mean the same drive.
It matters because the airport is not in Colombo city. If you are starting from a hotel in Colombo rather than from arrivals, the drive is longer and usually costs more, so say which one you mean when you ask for a price.
The short answer
- Distance: roughly 115 to 125 kilometres, depending on the road
- By car: about 2.5 to 3.5 hours, up to 4 in traffic
- Budget: around LKR 17,000 to LKR 24,000 for a car
- By train: direct from Colombo Fort, roughly 2.5 to 3 hours
- By bus: cheap, but usually a change in Colombo from the airport
There are two ways to drive it
This is the question most people do not know to ask, and it changes the trip.
The old Colombo to Kandy road
The traditional route is the main Colombo to Kandy road, the A1. It runs through towns like Kegalle, then climbs into the hills at the Kadugannawa pass before dropping down towards Kandy.
It is the more interesting drive. You see village life, roadside fruit stalls and the change from lowland to hill country. It is also slower, with more towns and more traffic, and it can take close to four hours.
The faster route through Kurunegala
Many drivers now use the open section of the Central Expressway towards Kurunegala, then take the road from Kurunegala to Kandy. It is usually quicker, and travellers often report it saving an hour or so.
Neither is wrong. Ask your driver which road they plan to use, and tell them if you have a preference. If you want to stop at Pinnawala, which is covered below, that decides it for you.
How long it really takes
Map apps can show under two hours. Treat that as a best case at three in the morning.
In practice, plan on two and a half to three and a half hours. The slow part is usually not the countryside. It is the last stretch into Kandy itself. Kandy sits in a bowl of hills around its lake, with a small centre and a lot of traffic trying to get through it, especially in the late afternoon.
If you land in the morning, you can be in Kandy by early afternoon. If you land around midday, expect to arrive in the evening rush.
What it costs
For a car from the airport to Kandy, budget around LKR 17,000 to LKR 24,000. A van for a larger group or a lot of luggage costs more. The figure is deliberately on the safe side, because prices change and tolls sometimes get added on the day.
A few things move the price:
Which road. The expressway route uses tolled roads. Ask whether tolls are included in the quote.
Where the driver is based. A driver who lives near the airport has to drive back empty. A Kandy based driver heading home anyway may quote less for the same trip.
Stops. A stop at Pinnawala or the botanical gardens adds time, and some quotes add a charge for extra kilometres.
The time of year. Kandy gets very busy during its big festival, the Esala Perahera, which is covered further down. Expect prices and traffic to rise around those dates.
We do not have enough completed trips on this route yet to publish our own numbers. When we do, they will go here.
The train: a real option for Kandy
On most routes from the airport, the train is not worth the effort. Kandy is the exception.
Trains run directly from Colombo Fort to Kandy, and the journey takes roughly two and a half to three hours. It is cheap, the carriages climb through green hill country, and Kandy station is close to the centre, so you arrive in town rather than on the edge of it.
The catch is the airport. There is no train from the airport to Kandy, so you first have to get to Colombo Fort, then change. With big bags, straight after a long flight, that is a lot of stages.
The train makes the most sense if:
- You are spending your first night in Colombo, and leaving for Kandy the next day
- You are travelling light
- You book a reserved seat in advance, because popular trains fill up
A car makes more sense if you are going straight from the airport, have children or a lot of luggage, or want to stop on the way.
The bus
Buses between Colombo and Kandy are frequent and very cheap. From the airport you usually go into Colombo first, then take a Kandy bus, which makes it one of the slowest options once you add the change. Air conditioned buses are more comfortable but can still be crowded, and there is little space for large cases.
It works for backpackers with time. It is a hard first day for most people arriving on a long flight.
Stops worth making on the way
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
Pinnawala is near Kegalle, which puts it close to the old Colombo to Kandy road but away from the faster route through Kurunegala.
So if you want to stop, tell your driver when you ask for prices, not in the car. It changes which road they take, how long the day is, and possibly the price.
Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens
The botanical gardens at Peradeniya sit just outside Kandy, on the way in. They make an easy stop at the end of the drive, or a separate half day once you are settled.
A tea stop
On a three hour drive, a short break for tea and a toilet is normal. Your driver will know a place. It is worth building in, especially after a long flight.
Kandy during the Esala Perahera
Once a year, usually in July or August, Kandy holds the Esala Perahera, a festival of night processions that is one of the biggest events in the country. The exact dates change every year with the lunar calendar, so check the official dates before you travel.
It is spectacular, and it transforms the town. During festival nights, roads into Kandy become very congested from the afternoon, police set up special traffic plans, hotels fill up and prices rise.
If your trip overlaps the festival:
- Book your transport and hotel early
- Aim to arrive in the morning, well before the afternoon build up
- Consider the train from Colombo, which avoids the road congestion altogether, but book a reserved seat well ahead
Arriving in Kandy: where to be dropped
Kandy is small in the middle and hilly around the edges. A lot of hotels and guesthouses sit on steep, narrow roads up the hillsides, some of which are tight for large vans.
Give your driver the exact name of your hotel and a map pin if you have one. If you have booked somewhere up a hill and are travelling in a van, it is worth asking the hotel whether a large vehicle can reach the door.
Inside Kandy, tuk tuks are the easy way to get around once you have dropped your bags.
Going on from Kandy
For many travellers, Kandy is where the famous hill country train begins. The line from Kandy up towards Nuwara Eliya and Ella is one of the best known train rides in the country.
Some travellers who have a driver for their whole trip take that train themselves and arrange for the driver to meet them further along the line with the luggage. If you would like to do that, agree it with your driver before you set off, so they can plan the road and the timing.
If you are visiting several places, a driver who stays with you for a few days is often better value than separate one way trips. Our car hire with driver guide explains how that works, including what is and is not included. And if the Cultural Triangle is next, see our guide to Colombo to Sigiriya.
Booking it through Let’s Ride
You can post this trip for free and let vehicle owners offer their price. When you post it, include:
- Pickup: Bandaranaike International Airport, or your Colombo hotel
- Drop off: the exact name of your hotel in Kandy
- Date, flight number and arrival time
- Number of people and bags
- Your preferred road, if you have one
- Any stops, such as Pinnawala or Peradeniya
In the special requirements box it is also worth writing: “SLTDA registered driver preferred, please include your registration number.” Registered drivers will put their number in the note with their offer, and you can check it on the official Sri Lanka Tourism directory before you accept.
You then compare the offers, look at the vehicle photos, and choose one. Posting is free, you pay the driver directly, and we never take a booking fee. For the step by step version, see how to post a trip.
Before you go
- Ask which road your driver will take
- Confirm whether tolls are included
- Mention stops before agreeing a price
- Check whether your dates overlap the Esala Perahera
- Share your flight number and your exact hotel name
- Agree how you are paying, and save your driver’s phone number