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There are no ships to Sri Lanka, and no ferries these days to or from India.  Sadly, the only way to get to Sri Lanka, even from India, is to fly.

Above:  The view from the morning Kandy to Colombo train  Photo courtesy of Nicola David.

Once in Sri Lanka, trains are a cheap, safe and enjoyable way to get around.  Trains link the major cities and have several classes:

• 1st class sleeper.  1st class sleeping-berths are available on a few overnight trains.  The cars have lockable 2-berth compartments with separate toilet and washbasin.  bedding is provided.

• 1st class observation car.  The 1st class observation car is highly recommended.  It's available on the best daytime trains on the amazingly scenic route from Colombo to Kandy and Badulla.  The observation car is normally at the rear of the train (occasionally behind the locomotive) and has comfortable (if slightly grubby) armchairs facing a large window looking back along the track.  Seats must be reserved before departure.  Seats can be reserved within 10 days of departure, but book early as the observation car is very popular and gets booked up fast, especially during school holidays.  You can reserve from outside Sri lanka via www.reddottours.com.

• 1st class air-conditioned seats car.  Only available on one or two InterCity Express trains between Colombo & Vavunia and Colombo & Batticaloa.

• 2nd class seats, available on all trains.  These come in several versions, depending on the train:  (1) unreserved seats, where you buy a ticket, hop on and sit in any available seat, (2) reserved seats where you must make a reservation and you get an allocated seat, and (3) reserved 'sleeperette' reclining seats which are available on most overnight trains and recline to about 45 degrees for sleeping.  2nd class seats are the recommended option on trains with no 1st class.

• 3rd class seats, available on most trains.  These come in several versions, depending on the train:  unreserved seats, reserved seats, and reserved 'sleeperette' reclining seats.  3rd class is very basic and gets very crowded, and it is not generally recommended for visitors.

Train times...

Colombo - Kandy - Nuwara Eliya - Badulla

Colombo - Galle - Matara

Colombo - Polonnaruwa & Trincomalee

Colombo - Anuradhapura - Vavunia

The timetables on this page show the principal trains on the most popular routes.  There are many other trains, stations and rail routes in Sri Lanka, but note that trains no longer operate to Jaffna or Talaimannar.  You can check routes and train times at the new Sri Lanka Railways website, www.railway.gov.lk, or in the Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable.  There is also train information at www.slrfc.org/sri-lanka-railways-time-table.html or http://colombofort.com or www.reddottours.com.  If you visit Sri Lanka, feedback would be appreciated!

How to buy tickets...

It's easy to buy tickets when you get to Sri Lanka.  There is a special ticket window for tourists at Colombo Fort station.  Reservations for trains with reserved seating such as InterCity Express trains open 10-14 days in advance.  Other trains (shown as having 'unreserved' seats) don't require a reservation, you just buy a ticket on and hop on.  Seats in the 1st class observation car from Colombo to Kandy can get fully-booked from time to time, so book a few days ahead if you can, but you may well find seats available on the day of travel.  If you really want to pre-book a train before you get to Sri Lanka, and are prepared to pay a booking fee, try www.reddottours.com.

Above:  Two views of Colombo Fort Station. Photos courtesy of  Paul White.

Can you help improve this page?

If you have comments, suggestions, more information or photos that might improve this page and help fellow travellers, please e-mail me!

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This scenic train ride is the way to reach Kandy, 121 km by rail from Colombo, or the hill station at Nuwara Eliya.  The ride onwards to Badulla, into the hill country, is also wonderful, and probably the best train ride in Sri Lanka.  Travel in the 1st class observation car is recommended, and if possible on an InterCity Express train.

Colombo ► Kandy ► Nuwara Eliya ► Badulla
Km	Notes:	3	O,2,3,R *	ICE	O,2,3,R **	2,3	2,3	ICE	2,3	2,3	Sleeper
0	Colombo (Fort) depart:	-	05:55	07:00	09:30	10:35	12:40	15:35	16:35	17:45	20:00
121	Kandy arrive:	-	|	09:34	|	13:52	15:58	18:08	19:42	20:58	|
121	Kandy depart:	03:30	|	-	|	-	-	-	-	-	|
207	Nanu Oya (for Nuwara Eliya) arrive:	09:33	12:27	-	15:25	-	-	-	-	-	03:21
246	Haputale arrive:	11:49	14:07	-	17:02	-	-	-	-	-	05:05
292	Badulla arrive:	14:10	15:55	-	18:55	-	-	-	-	-	07:10

* This train is the PODI MENIKE.    ** This train is the UDARATA MENIKE.

ICE = InterCity Express, with 1st class observation car with reserved seats, 2nd & 3rd class reserved seats.

Sleeper = NIGHT MAIL, with 1st class sleepers (lockable 2-berth compartments), 2nd & 3rd class reserved sleeperettes (reclining seats), 2nd & 3rd unreserved seats, buffet car.

O = 1st class observation car with reserved seats.

2 = unreserved 2nd class seats.

3 = unreserved 3rd class seats.

R = buffet/restaurant car.

You can check train times using the official Sri Lanka Railways website, www.railway.gov.lk, but please check all times locally.

Nuwara Eliya ('City of lights') is a colonial hill station 2,000 metres above sea level, surrounded by tea plantations  It's easy to reach by train.  The station is Nanu Oya, 6 km from central Nuwara Eliya, with plenty of taxis and auto-rickshaws available.  It's also possible to walk.

Badulla ► Nuwara Eliya ► Kandy ► Colombo
Notes:	2,3,R	ICE	2,3	2,3	O,2,3,R **	ICE	2,3	O,2,3,R *	3	Sleeper
Badulla depart:	-	-	-	-	05:45	-	-	08:50	12:00	18:20
Haputale depart:	-	-	-	-	07:48	-	-	10:51	14:38	20:33
Nanu Oya (for Nuwara Eliya) depart:	-	-	-	-	09:27	-	-	12:27	16:58	22:33
Kandy arrive:	-	-	-	-	|	-	-	|	21:38	|
Kandy depart:	05:00	06:10	06:30	10:40	|	15:00	15:30	|	-	|
Colombo (Fort) arrive:	08:16	08:47	09:45	14:00	15:40	17:38	18:55	19:28	-	05:35

Fares
One-way adult fares..	3rd class reserved seat	2nd class reserved seat	1st class observation car	1st class sleeper
Colombo-Kandy by InterCity Express	Rs.150  (£1/$2)	Rs.220  (£1/$2)	Rs. 360  (£2/ $3)	Rs. 360  (£2/ $3)
Colombo-Kandy by normal train	Rs.105  (50p/$1)	Rs.190  (£1/$2)	-	-
Colombo-Badulla	Rs.270  (£2/$3)	Rs.450  (£3/$5)	Rs. 750  (£5/ $7)	Rs. 750  (£5/ $7)

Above:  Travelling by train in Sri Lanka is a great way to see the scenery...		Above:  The 1st class observation car, at the rear of the train, with window looking back along the track.

Photos above courtesy of Bill Wood of Massachusetts.  A visit to Bill Woods website, www.billwood.com, is highly recommended to see more photos of this journey.

Traveller's report...

Traveller Graeme Thorley reports "I thought the observation car to Kandy was okay although it requires you to travel backwards (in my case at least) which is not to everyone's taste. It also got incredibly hot (36°C at one point) due to the large window and there were only a limited number of seats that had a really good view. Rather irritatingly on my outbound trip two of these were occupied by people who slept for most of the trip..! The other point is that the carriage was occupied almost entirely by Westerners - this might be considered a good thing but personally I felt it left me more remote from the travelling experience.  On the train to Anaradhapura several locals stopped to chat, practise their English, exchange complaints about the delays etc. I also bumped into one of the families I had met on the train whilst sightseeing (they recognised me) and we had another chat. I find that sort of thing an important part of travelling."

Traveller Paul White reports "Don’t panic if you can’t get a ticket for the 1st class air conditioned trains to Kandy.  2nd class is more than adequate, but do try & get a window seat. The best side to sit on for scenery is the right hand side as you face forward from Colombo to Kandy, as this will give you the best views once you get past Rambukkana.  Do be brave and try the food on the trains! Many vendors will wander up and down selling cold drinks, fruit, spicy snacks and so on at reasonable prices."

Also see www.bootsnall.com for a good account of this trip...

Above:  The Colombo-Kandy 1st class observation car, at Colombo Fort station.  Photo courtesy of Graeme Thorley		Ordinary 2nd class seats on a Sri Lankan train.  Photo courtesy of Ciao Monteiro

Pre-arrange train tickets from outside Sri Lanka:

A great way to reach the cities of Galle and Matara, by train along the coast...  2nd class is the recommended option, as 3rd class gets too crowded.  The Colombo-Galle fare is only about Rs.65 (£0.50/$1) one-way in 2nd class for the 116 km.  Colombo to Matara is about Rs.90 2nd class.

Colombo ► Galle ► Matara
Km	Notes:	2,3	2,3	2,3	2,3	2,3	2,3	3	3	3
0	Colombo (Maradana) depart:	06:30	-	-	13:40	15:40	16:40	17:10	17:50	18:45
2	Colombo (Fort) depart:	06:55	08:35	10:30	14:05	15:50	16:46	17:15	18:00	19:30
116	Galle arrive:	09:48	11:18	13:02	16:46	18:07	19:13	20:34	20:38	22:55
159	Matara arrive:	11:17	12:27	14:26	18:25	19:15	20:25	-	22:07	-

There's no 1st class on this route.

2 = unreserved 2nd class seats; 

3 = unreserved 3rd class seats;

You can check train times using the official Sri Lanka Railways website, www.railway.gov.lk, but double-check train times locally. 

Matara ► Galle ► Colombo
Notes:	3	3	3	2,3	2,3	2,3	3	2,3	2,3	2,3	2,3
Matara depart:	-	-	-	04:20	05:20	05:50	-	09:30	-	13:10	14:05
Galle depart:	03:30	04:15	04:40	05:35	06:30	07:30	09:00	10:55	13:45	14:30	15:45
Colombo (Fort) arrive:	07:00	07:46	08:02	08:13	08:58	10:05	13:12	13:20	16:34	17:14	18:37
Colombo (Maradana) arrive:	07:07	07:50	08:10	08:20	09:05	10:12	13:35	-	16:40	-	18:45

 

Fares
One-way adult fares..	3rd class reserved seat	2nd class reserved seat	1st class seat
Colombo - Matara	Rs.130  (£1/$1)	Rs.230  (£1/$2)	-

2nd class is recommended on this route, as 3rd class is too crowded.  The Colombo-Trincomalee fare is only about Rs.180 (£1/$1.80) one-way 2nd class for the 296 km.

Colombo ► Trincomalee

Trincomalee ► Colombo

Km

Daily:

2,3,R

2,3,R

ICE

Sleeper

Sleeper

Daily:

ICE

2,3,R

Sleeper

Sleeper

0

Colombo (Fort) depart:

06:05

06:05

10:30

19:15

21:00

Trincomalee depart:

-

10:00

19:30

-

227

Galoya arrive:

12:00

12:00

15:16

00:20

02:54

Batticaloa depart:

07:45

|

|

20:15

260

Polonnaruwa arrive:

|

13:10

16:10

01:34

|

Polonnaruwa depart:

09:58

|

|

22:25

350

Batticaloa arrive:

|

15:00

18:25

04:00

|

Galoya depart::

10:55

12:40

21:55

23:20

296

Trincomalee arrive:

13:55

-

05:10

Colombo (Fort) arrive:

15:40

19:00

04:05

04:52

ICE = InterCity Express. On this route ICEs have 2nd & 3rd class reserved seats & buffet car, plus a first class reserved seat car.

Sleeper = 1st class sleepers (2-berth compartments), 2nd & 3rd class reserved sleeperettes (reclining seats), 2nd & 3rd unreserved seats, buffet car.

You can check train times using the official Sri Lanka Railways website, www.railway.gov.lk, but please double-check all train times locally.

Fares
One-way adult fares	3rd class reserved seat	2nd class reserved seat	1st class sleeper berth
Colombo-Trincomalee	Rs.205  (£1/$2)	Rs.370  (£2/$3)	Rs. 750  (£5/ $7)
Colombo-Batticaloa	Rs.230  (£2/$2)	Rs.420  (£3/$5)	Rs. 900  (£6/ $9)
Colombo-Batticaloa by ICE	Rs.320  (£2/$3)	Rs.500  (£3/$5)	Rs. 900  (£6/ $9)

Trains link Colombo with Anuradhapura and Vavunia.  However, since 1990 trains no longer operate as far as Jaffna or Talaimannar Pier (previously the ferry terminal for India) because of the security problems in that area.

Colombo ► Vavunia

Vavunia ► Colombo

Km

Daily:

ICE

2,3

2,3

ICE

Sleeper

Daily:

2,3

ICE

2,3

ICE

Sleeper

0

Colombo (Fort) depart:

05:45

08:45

13:45

16:20

22:00

Vavunia depart:

03:20

05:45

07:45

15:30

22:00

205

Anuradhapura arr/dep:

09:10

14:10

19:50

20:10

03:17

Anuradhapura arr/dep:

05:00

06:40

09:30

16:55

23:40

254

Vavunia arrive:

10:15

-

20:15

21:10

05:05

Colombo (Fort) arrive:

09:55

10:25

15:25

20:30

04:35

ICE = InterCity Express.  On this route ICEs have 2nd & 3rd class reserved seats & buffet car.  The 16:20 from Colombo & the 05:45 from Vavunia also have a 1st class air-conditioned car with reserved seats.

Sleeper = NIGHT MAIL, with 1st class sleepers (2-berth compartments), 2nd & 3rd class reserved sleeperettes (reclining seats), 2nd & 3rd unreserved seats, buffet.

1 = 1st class air-conditioned seats car with reserved seats;

2 = unreserved 2nd class seats; 

3 = unreserved 3rd class seats;

R = buffet/restaurant car;

You can check train times using the official Sri Lanka Railways website, www.railway.gov.lk.

Sponsored links:

Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable...

Train, bus and ferry times for Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, in fact every country in Africa, Asia, America and Australasia are shown in the famous Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable, published every two months.  It's essential for every serious overland traveller, and an inspiration for armchair travellers!  It costs £13.99 from the bureau de change section of any branch of Thomas Cook, or you can order online at www.thomascooktimetables.com.  Alternatively, you can buy the twice-yearly  Independent Traveller's edition at Amazon.co.uk also with shipping worldwide.

Guidebooks...

To get the best from Sri Lanka, you'll need a good guidebook.  For independent travellers, the best guides are probably either the Rough Guides or Lonely Planets.

Buy Rough Guide to Sri Lanka online at Amazon.co.uk

Find a hotel in Colombo, Kandy or anywhere else in Sri Lanka...

A good guidebook like the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide will point you at some good hotels in each town or city when you get there.  Alternatively, you can pre-book hotels (budget, mid-range and upmarket) in most Sri Lankan cities through www.hotelscombined.com, just use the search box below. It's not a hotel booking website, but a free search tool which checks all the main hotel booking sites for you (AsiaRooms, Asiativ.com, Opodo, Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms and many others) to find the cheapest hotel rates on the net.  Set up in 2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place to start for booking any hotel online worldwide.

		Search all major hotel booking websites at once...
Powered by Hotelscombined.com

Overland travel by train & bus around Sri Lanka is an essential part of the experience, so once there, don't cheat and fly, stay on the ground!  But a long-haul flight might be unavoidable to reach Sri Lanka in the first place.  For flights to Colombo, start with www.e-bookers.com.  Seat61 gets a small commission through this link.

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