LK · North Central Province · 7.93°N 81.00°E

polonnaruwa

Stone Buddha carvings, palace ruins and cycling lanes beside an enormous old reservoir.

Best time
January–March has the best mix of dry weather and manageable heat. July–August is dry but hotter, and October–November can make a cycling day very wet.
How long
1–2 days
Getting there
Fly direct from KL to Colombo (about 3.5 hours), then it's about 5 hours by road. Sri Lanka is 2.5 hours behind KL.
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LK · North Central Provincepolonnaruwa7.93°N 81.00°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Stone Buddha carvings, palace ruins and cycling lanes beside an enormous old reservoir.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingPolonnaruwaLK, North Central Province
KLpolonnaruwa
≈ 2,350 km from KL, as the crow flies
Royal Palace, Polonnawura, Sri Lanka

Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Polonnaruwa was Sri Lanka's royal capital in the 11th and 12th centuries, and its ruins are some of the best preserved on the island. Palace walls, bathing pools and shrines are still clearly laid out, linked by shady cycling paths beside a vast old reservoir.

Makan

  1. Rice and curryFreshly cooked vegetable dishes and dhal, the midday refuel.Map ↗
  2. Lake fish curryFish from the reservoir, fried or curried at simple places near the water.Map ↗
  3. HoppersCrisp-edged rice pancakes, plain or with an egg.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. The QuadrangleA walled terrace of shrines, including the circular Vatadage with its carved moonstones and seated Buddhas.Map ↗
  2. Gal ViharaFour Buddhas carved from one granite face, including a 14-metre reclining figure.Map ↗
  3. Royal PalaceThe thick brick walls of King Parakramabahu's palace, once said to stand seven storeys high, and his stone council chamber.Map ↗
  4. Parakrama SamudraA 12th-century reservoir so big it's called a sea, with birds and fishermen along the embankment.Map ↗

Good to know

  • The ruins run north from the museum for several kilometres, so a bicycle or tuk-tuk is the way to do it; Gal Vihara is near the far end.
  • Shoes come off at the shrines and the stone gets very hot by midday, so socks help.
  • Kaduruwela, the new town, has Muslim-run rice-and-curry shops.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.