Get in
[edit]By bus
[edit]- 1 Kurunegala Bus Station.
Kurunegala is reachable from any city or town around it, and larger ones further way. There are hourly direct connections to the airport. Buses serve even the tiniest village nearby.
By train
[edit]- 2 Kurunegala railway station.
From Colombo daily between 1:50AM to 5:36PM, twelve times, one and half hours. To Anuradhapura daily between 11:59AM to 10:26PM, six times, two or two and half hours.
Get around
[edit]
Map of Kurunegala
By tuktuk
[edit]The local three-wheelers (tuk-tuk) are an amazingly cheap and exciting way of seeing the city, and they run well into the night. Negotiate the fee with the driver before you hop in as they do not have meters.
On foot
[edit]Walking is also recommended as the centre is not that large.
See
[edit]- 1 Algama Kanda Ancient Cave Temple (අල්ගම කන්ද පුරාණ ලෙන් විහාරය), Kande Temple Rd (25 km SW of Kurunegala in the village of Algama).
- 2 Bathalagoda Tank (Bathalagoda Wewa), Ibbagamuwa Central College (13 km east of Kurunegala, at a serene and tranquil site in the village known as Batalagoda). Built in pre-Christian times for the water supply of an ancient city which for many centuries has been merely referred to as ‘Parana Nuwara’ since its original name was never known.
- 3 Central Market (At the centre).
- 4 Ibbagala Raja Maha Viharaya (ඉබ්බාගල රජමහා විහාරය) (Ibba-gala (Tortoise Rock), halfway on to the Buddha statue on the top of Ethagala Rock (Eastern part of the Town)). A cave temple.
- 5 Kurunegala Rock. The hill overlooking the city with the white Buddha ontop.
- 6 Kurunegala Clock Tower (At the centre of the city.). Built in 1922.
- The Kurunegala Jumma Masjid.
- Ras Vehera (Sesuruwa) Temple and Buddha Statue (රැස්වෙහෙර සස්සේරුව විහාර සංකීර්ණය), Reswehera Rd (on the Madagalla Road 65 km, North).
Do
[edit]- 1 Dolukanda Cave and Mountain (From Kurunegala Bus Station the Bus #558 goes by its eastern side every 30 min or so. Get off 3 km after Kiribamuna village, from where it is 1 km to the start of the trail. On its western side there are also buses available, but it is 5 km from the highway to the monastery (Dolukanda Rajamaha Viharaya) where the trail starts. There are apparently also infrequent buses available from Kurunegala directly to the monastery.). If you Google for the name, you will find that Kurunegala is hidding this amazing, secret gem in its backyard totally worth the hike. Looking for an IG photo shoot? This is where you have to go, and in 2025, no crowds can be expected yet. If you have the proper gear with you, at least mattress and sleeping bag, you can even stay overnight in the rock cave up there. If you want to do it as a one-day tour, start early (9–10AM) and take enough water. The hike up and down take at least two hours each, and you still want to explore the top of the rock for a while and take some pictures. The hiking trail on its eastern side is well visible and not too exhausting if you take your time. The trail on the western side is quite steep and not always well visible, so it is better to have GPS there. All trails are properly marked and available on OpenStreetMap, used by this travel guide and by many mobile Apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz.
Buy
[edit]- Laksal - Janakala kendraya, Kandy Rd
- Seylin Handlooms - Colombo Rd, Vanduragala, Kurunegala
Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]- 1 Diya Dahara Hotel, 7 North Lake Rd, ☏ +94 37 2223452, +94 37 5266662, [email protected]. Overlooking Kurunegala Lake.
- 2 Hotel Kandyan Reach, 344-350, Kandy Rd (in Kandy-Kurunegala Highway), ☏ +94 37 2224218, +94 37 2224466, +94 37 2224540-3, [email protected]. Three star hotel. Also offering wedding and conference hosting facilities.
- Hotel Senasuma, Colombo Rd, ☏ +94 37 2221396.
- Hotel Situ Medura, Mihindu Mawatha.
- 3 Kandyan Reach Hotel, 344-350 Katugastota-Kurunegala-Puttalam Hwy, ☏ +94 372 224 218. A full-service hotel with a restaurant/bar/buffet, outdoor pool, balcony rooms, and a/c. Rs 9492.
- 4 Hotel Kamrel, Route B247, ☏ +94 76 200 3005. This sleek glassy edifice stands out from the backdrop of outer Kurunegala and has a good restaurant and hot showers. Rs 8376.
- 5 Windsor Residence, 667 A 1st Lane, Polamndala Road. This homestay/B&B type of place is quite opulent and is a good place for someone seeking refinement in overnight lodging. Rs 9306.
Go next
[edit]- Kandy is 42 km from Kurunegala. The journey takes about 40 minutes by car along the Kurunegala-Kandy highway. Public/private buses to Kandy operate from the Kurunegala Central Bus Stand located in the middle of the city.
- Dambulla is reachable within an hour by car from Kurunegala, 52km away. Public and private buses also ply this route.