Kandy is the second largest city in Sri Lanka, situated in the central province. It takes 3 hours to reach Kandy from the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo. Kandy is recognised as the city of romance due its beautiful and soothing environment. The city is surrounded by mountains, and in the middle of the city, there’s a lake called “Bogambara Lake” that enhances the attraction of the city. The lake was built by the king Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, the last king of Kandyan kingdom, in 1807. I enjoy walking the lake circumference with my friends and family, eating ice cream or roasted nuts. It takes about an hour to complete the walk. There are benches on the bank of the lake, so you can rest if you feel tired. 

There are famous buddhist religious sites in the city, therefore Kandy is also recognised as a religious city. Kandy is famous among tourists for three main reasons. Those are “The temple of the tooth relic of the Lord Buddha”/ “Dalada Maligawa”, The Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya and the Esala Perahera.  In addition to those three, there are other places such as Gatambe Temple, Bahirawakanda, Diyakapana thota temple which are attracted by devotees. Bahirawakanda Buddha statue situated at the top of Bahirawakanda hill,  the statue is 27m in height, so it can be seen from anywhere in Kandy city. 

If you can visit Kandy it is better to spend 2 or 3 days in Kandy. You can get around in Kandy by walking, by Tuk Tuk, or by buses. Kandy city is really beautiful with old colonial buildings. It is worth walking the streets watching the beauty of the city while drinking a fresh King coconut. Start at the Temple of the tooth relic, in front of the entrance of the Temple of tooth relic  you can see the famous Queens Hotel, and go through the streets. 

There are many places to eat. For a asian and Sri Lankan lunch, dinner, brunch & drinks in the middle of the city you can go to Bakehouse at Dalada veediya. Ceylon tea Cabin is good for tea & coffee. Balaji dosai is indian restaurant. You can have breakfast,lunch,dinner, brunch & drinks for cheap. It is near The Temple of Tooth relic. If you go to The Royal Botanical Gardens during lunch time you can go to the restaurant of Peradeniya Rest House for lunch. That is one of our favorite places to have lunch. Another good restaurant for Sri Lankan cuisines is the Kandyan art residency which is located along the main road to Colombo, 3 km away from the Royal Botanical Gardens and 5km away from the Temple of Tooth Relic. In addition to those restaurants you can find “Hela Bojun” stalls in some places around Peradeniya. They are cheap and only Sri Lankan traditional recipes.  These are a few of our favorite places.There are so many other places to have your meals in Kandy.     

Outside the city of Kandy there are numerous Kandyan era  temples you can visit as well. “Gadaladeniya”, “Embekke”, and “Lankathilaka”  among them.  Gadaladeniya is an ancient buddhist temple situated in Pilimathalawa, about 12.5km away from Kandy. Embekke devalaya is famous for its wood carvings and it was built by King Vikramabahu (iii) in the Gampola era. Embekka Devalaya is situated in Medapalata Korale of Udunuwara in Kandy district. Lankathilaka viharaya is considered as the most magnificent architectural design created during the Gampola era. It is situated on Daulagala road, a few kilometers away from the ancient buddhist temple Gadaladeniya viharaya. 

“Ambuluwawa” is a biodiversity complex and multi religious sanctuary, situated in Gampola. It was opened in 2009.  To visit Ambuluwawa you need to go along the Kandy - Nawalapitiya road passing Peradeniya and Gelioya until you reach gampola town, then take the Ambuluwawa ICC road. I will write another article about these places outside the city of Kandy. 

If i don’t mention the best places to shop in Kandy, this will be an incomplete article. Kandy City Centre (KCC), Kandy Market hall, Jayamali Batik studio,  LUV SL Kandy, Selyn, Avenue are among the best places to buy clothes and souvenirs. In addition to those places along  the streets there are many stores. Roaming the streets, enjoy the beauty of the city, eat when you want and buy anything you like. It is worth visiting this beloved city.