Anuradhapura – quick travel guide

Many historic sites and ruins inside a big green bicycle-able park with lots of nature and wildlife.

Anuradhapura is the most iconic city in the Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle, and also its first capital before being destroyed by the Cholas in 993 AD. And lucky for you, all the main tourist sights are situated close together (within the “Sacred City”) and easily reached with a bicycle.

There’s also restaurants with GREAT FOOD, and some lakes and other things to see outside of the sacred city. In case you were looking for city comforts or specific conveniences, you can also find it here. Plenty of stores for electronics, clothing, upscale grocery stores, etc.

2 days is the perfect amount of time. You technically could do it all in one daytrip (5-hours of biking), but we felt it was best to have an extra day so there’s no rush, and also you have more time to try different restaurants.

Where to stay:

• Kunbichchan Kulama Wewa lake:
  • Staying by the lake is probably where I would recommend. Because you’re near the busy part of the city center, and not far from the tourist stuff.
  • Northwest side of the lake is closer to the “city” part. Lots of shops and stores.
  • Northeast side has the easy access to the lake, which has a nice jogging area or just open air to stand by the lake and enjoy the views.
  • East side has many nice restaurants.
  • South end, I would assume is nice as well but we didn’t check it out.

But again…although the city is not small, you will probably stay near the central area and not go very far outside of it. Generally the city has a very green vibe. Like a city built in the jungle.

Hostels & Hotels:

• Lievi’s Tourist Accommodation:
  • We didn’t research options too much but we stayed here and were very happy with it.
  • Cheap price, nice enough rooms, solid working WIFI, air conditioning, nice size bathroom, rooms are properly sealed up from mosquitos. Nice courtyard and community areas with many tables to sit and work outside if you wish. In December/January, we found ourselves indoors pretty often hiding from the mosquitos.
  • They also rented out bikes and were very friendly in giving helpful advice. The bikes were perfect for riding out around town to tourist things, visiting restaurants, and coming home…all without having to call a tuktuk. Nice way to enjoy Anuradhapura, being more with nature, and saving money.

Neighborhoods, walking areas, public squares:

• The only busy walking area I saw with a lot of people, was pretty much the main street (Maithripala Senanayake Mawatha) northwest of that that lake. You may have seen it if you came to town by bus.
• On that street, you can find many different types of stores and shops.
• The other walking areas are the tourist sites.

Activities to do:

• Buildings & architecture:
  • Sacred City:
    • This is the thing you’re in Anuradhapura to see. A UNESCO world heritage site of Sri Lanka’s first capital city before it was destroyed by the Cholas back in 993 AD. Today, it looks like a big green nature park with many archaelogical ruins…some structures more preserved than others.
    • It costs $25 USD (or daily exchange rate equivalent in LKR) for a day ticket. And there’s multiple checkpoints from which you can cross in and out of the sacred city. Indeed I feel the price is a bit high for foreigners but I don’t regret paying it.
    • Don’t forget that you’re visiting some temples, so wear appropriate clothing (shoulders and knees are covered).
    • First thing you must known is it’s a big park. Too big for walking. So you’ll either need a bicycle, motorbike, or tuktuk. Anybody trying to walk will probably end up having to accept one of those tour guides at the checkpoint. They have their own bikes or tuktuk.
    • We rented bikes from our hotel and it was honestly a great thing. Biking through a big park, enjoying the nature, having freedom to stop and take pictures when we wanted. To view different angles of the sites, or grab photos of all the wildlife (birds, monkeys, lizards, etc). Having a tuktuk or motorbike would have been noisy and ruin the peaceful vibe. The park is too big to walk but a great size for a bike. We biked slowly and stopped and took photos, and still covered nearly the entirely Sacred City within 2.5 hours.
    • The route I took and recommend for everyone is entering from the ticket counter just by the north side of the Archaeological Museum.
      • Then ride north to Thuparama Vihara (Buddhist temple w/ white dome). Looks super cool even on rainy day as the floor becomes reflective.
      • Continue north, then turn left at t-section (Bamboo Juice Bar) and onto Lankarama Road which turns north and west and north again, then merge into Watawandana Road as it takes you around the north side and you hit a corner between the Anuradhapura Moonstone and Rathna Prasayada Guardian Stone (both worth seeing IMO).
      • Follow the Watawandana Road south and then east to the Abayagiriya Raja Maha Viharaya (brown dome temple). You may notice monkeys climbing the dome sides.
      • Continue east until you reach the Twin Ponds. Take some photos.
      • Now go south on any of the 2 long roads you see, down to Jethawanaramaya (another brown dome temple). And you’re done to exit!
    • There are a lot of green landscapes and wild animals to see. We stopped a lot to take photos of monkeys and birds across the moss-covered ruins. Enjoyed views of water. Loved the authentic wildlife nature park feeling.
    • I really loved my bicycle here…but also if I was to do it again, I would hire a guide to explain more history of this wonderful place. Most of it is in ruins and you won’t see anything but some bare standing columns and fragments of the beauty that once was. The “Royal Palace” for example was just a big empty platform. Perhaps with historical explanation and context, I could appreciate more. Regardless, it was $25 well spent for me. I loved my photos.
  • Ruwanweli Maha Seya pagoda – nice big thing to see. From the front and from the back side. But I don’t have to tell you to as you’ll pass it several times while going around town and through the Sacred City.
  • Isurumuni Royal Temple
    • It was nice and pleasant, sure. The bottom looks like typical temple stuff but the buildings have a different shape than what you’re used to seeing. You’re able to climb up the temple and get a view of the surrounding area. But all this is already typical or perhaps not as nice as what you’d see in the Sacred City.
    • The real highlight for us was the little lake outside which had a crocodile warning sign. Then we saw some crocodiles, wooohooo!! The first we’ve seen in our entire Sri Lanka trip.
    • Also the tall rocks in the back somewhere had a bunch of screeching bats hanging in there.
    • All in all, I’d say you can skip this place unless you have time and it’s on your way.
  • Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi (temple & oldest tree) – a site famous for having the oldest documented tree that was planted by humans. I personally found it to be not so visually interesting and could have skipped it. Just know that the upper area is closed 12-2pm each day so better to visit it outside of those times. Perhaps I might enjoy this more with a guide.
• Parks, gardens, green spaces:
  • Don’t worry, the Sacred City will fulfill any need for green space.
• Beaches, bridges, water-points:
  • Kunbichchan Kulama Wewa lake – I enjoyed this one.
  • You’ll pass many as you go through the Sacred City. Don’t feel pressured to hunt one out.
• Arts & museums:
• Markets, shopping:
  • You can do lots of shopping on the main street. Many clothing stores, electronics, whatever random thing you want, also nicer quality grocery stores.
• Viewpoints, landmarks, sunsets, hikes:
  • Mihintale – I didn’t go but some random security guard told us he also drove tuktuks and offered to take us there for a popular sunset hike. He showed a photo of some rock with people on it.
• Tours:
  • Most tours are probably for the Sacred City. The guide we saw right by the checkpoint ticket counter was offering his service for 4000 LKR total (for me and my friend) and he had 2 motorbikes for us. Seemed like a good idea but my friend didn’t want to try it. She wasn’t in the mood for history class.

Restaurants & Cafes:

• Palhena Restaurant – don’t mind the reviews complaining about this being too catered for tourists (high prices, average taste, small portions, etc). We went here and LOVED it. After covering the south, center, and northeast…Anuradhapura being our second to last city of a 40-day Sri Lanka trip…this restaurant easily had the best mixed kottu I ever tried. No exaggeration. The kind that you might actually miss! And I say this as a person who isn’t in love with Sri Lankan cuisine.
• Bro Restaurant – really good food! Everything they make is good. But I especially loved my friend’s fried cuttlefish with the crispy fried greens! It’s so deliciously good. I’m sure the fried chicken would be great as well.
• Banana Cafe – if you like rolled ice cream. Also a nice cooled indoor place to chill and hide from mosquitos. 🙂

Bars, clubs, and nightlife:

• I’d say this isn’t the town for that.

Miscellaneous tips:

• General travel tips for Sri Lanka.
• Mosquitos – are brutal here. Especially when you try to eat dinner outside at early evening hours. Have mosquito spray on you at all times or suffer!

Itinerary:

• DAY 1 – visit anything you want that’s not in the Sacred City. Like the Isurumuni temple or Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi (temple & oldest tree), and then lake for sunset, then dinner somewhere around the lake. You can see some shops on the way home. Rest for a full day the next day.
• DAY 2 (full day) – visit the Sacred City, with the sites I mentioned in my route.

Nearby towns:

• Sigiriya
• Dambulla –
• Polonnaruwa
• Trincomalee
• Jaffna
• Negombo
• Colombo

Unfiltered notes: