6 Top Things to Do in Anuradhapura: Sri Lanka’s Sacred City
The stereotypical tourist route in Sri Lanka skips Anuradhapura, but if you’re travelling to Sri Lanka to soak up its vibrant culture and fascinating history, well, this is a spot you’ll love.
Anuradhapura’s ancient sites are UNESCO registered and there are loads of them altogether in a small area. Staggeringly huge pagodas sit in Sri Lanka’s sacred city amongst endless green rice fields and palm trees, and it’s pretty special.
Spend a day exploring the historic spots, stop for a rice and curry lunch at our favourite place, and end the day with an arrack and coke at the local not-so-Irish Irish pub.
Anuradhapura is absolutely worth a stop on your Sri Lankan adventure, and this guide will give you all the tips to get the most out of your time here.
Oh, and don’t miss Mihintale up the road either, but more on that later.
Disclaimer: This blog post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click and purchase through a link, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. And if you do choose to do this, THANK YOU so much for supporting us! It means that we can continue to create content for you guys. Full disclaimer here.
Things to Do in Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura is famous as Sri Lanka’s sacred city full of ancient stupas dating back to the 3rd century BC! So, if you’re heading to Anuradhapura, this is the main event.
I recommend marking the locations of the main stupas and dagobas to visit, rent yourself a bike, and then just stop off anywhere and everywhere that looks interesting.
You’ll find small ruins, ponds, rice fields, road-side coffee stands, etc. as you go. Wander barefoot through historic Buddhist sites, but watch out for the monkeys!
Top Spots to Visit
1. Jetavanaramaya Stupa
This massive stupa used to be the largest in the world but then fell into disrepair when Anuradhapura was invaded and abandoned.
When being rebuilt in the 12th century, its great height wasn’t maintained, but regardless, the stupa is huge and imposing and fascinating sight to wander round.
2. Abhayagiri Dagoba
Dating back to the first century BC, this stupa is also one of the world’s largest ancient structures. It used to be surrounded by an entire monastic complex with the stupa itself being the focal point.
Nowadays, it is a bare-brick structure, and while the monument is impressive for its size, it’s the nearby ‘Moonstone’ which really steals the show.
3. Sandakada Pahana (AKA Moonstone)
The giant stupas and their surroundings don’t seem to have too much decoration still intact, however, Sandakada Pahana is the exception.
It is a semicircle decorative stone at the bottom of a set of stairs or entranceways that has carvings of animals, plants etc. that follow the curve of the semicircle.
It is a stylistic feature of ancient Sri Lankan architecture, and Anuradhapura has a great example of it! There are also some statues and a decorated banister.
4. Kuttam Pokuna
This is where I took one of my all-time favourite photos! Kuttam Pokuna is a set of two ponds sat next to each other, though they are man-made. Around this area there are a lot of monkeys so watch out for your stuff.
And as I went to take a photo of the pools, a monkey launched himself through the air right in the centre of my shot! Literally perfect timing!
5. Ruwanwelisaya Stupa
The most impressive site in Anuradhapura (in our opinion), this is another huge stupa standing at over 100 metres tall.
It has a white exterior instead of the bare-brick of Jetavanaramaya and Abhayagiri. But the atmosphere here is amazing.
It is a complex visited by many locals and pilgrims, and it feels like I would imagine the others would have all felt back in their prime. This stupa is living and functioning and vibrant.
I would recommend visiting Ruwanwelisaya towards the end of the day so that you work your way up to the main event!
Savvy Traveller Pro Tips 🇱🇰
After exploring Sri Lanka for two months, these are our favourite booking tools that we couldn’t travel without!
6. Thuparamaya
Thuparamaya is understood to be the earliest stupa to be built in Sri Lanka, coinciding with the introduction of Buddhism to the island in the 3rd century BC.
The stupa is in the traditional bell-shape with a white-washed exterior. It is relatively small and has been rebuilt several times after destruction attempts, but its significance is enough reason to visit this small site!
How to Get to Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura is pretty well-connected by bus and train to the major cities across the centre and south of Sri Lanka.
Psst… Booking.com Has a 15% Off Sale!
Planning a last-minute trip? Well, you might have timed it just right!
Booking.com is running a 15% off promotion for many stays before 7th Jan.
The discounted properties have the green ‘Late Escape Deal’ badge!
🛏️ Grab a Bargain! 🛏️
Where to Stay in Anuradhapura
Sapumal Lodge (£)
We stayed at Sapumal Lodge back in 2024 and they let us use bicycles for free to explore the stupas. Accommodation is simple, clean and definitely on the budget end of the scale.
🛏️ Plan your stay 🛏️
Sunhill Lake Tourist Rest (£)
📍445 Maithripala Senanayake Mawatha
With large rooms overlooking the lake, Sunhill Lake Tourist Rest is another great option in a central location.
🛏️ Reserve your room 🛏️
What Is the Best Way to Get Around Anuradhapura?
We were given bikes to use by our accommodation for free, and it was such a fun way to get between the stupas.
Walking wouldn’t really work because you do have to travel quite a distance and you’d end up spending most of your time just getting from A to B instead of seeing the stupas. You could also hire a driver for the day or book on to a tour.
If you want to learn more about the history of the old city, booking on to a tour would be you best bet because there isn’t too much info at the stupas or ruins.
This one that we found on Get Your Guide looks great!
How Do I Get a Ticket?
Anuradhapura’s old city is a large open area without barriers and you won’t be able to buy a ticket at the individual stupas, so you have to go to the ticket office first to buy your ticket and then you can go explore. With the ticket, they give you a map of area. Oh, and FYI there is also a good toilet at the ticket office!
How Much Do Tickets Cost?
So, Sri Lanka particularly in recent years is notorious for expensive ticket prices for tourists, and unfortunately, Anuradhapura is no exception.
Tickets are around the $30 mark per person but can be paid by card at the ticket office.
So, Is Anuradhapura Worth Visiting?
110%! Absolutely! If you are interested in history and culture and religion and architecture when you travel, Anuradhapura is definitely worth visiting.
Yes, the ticket price is pretty hefty, but the price is for a full-day’s activities (as long as you start early), and the whole old city is really impressive.
Also, if you’re looking for a unique spot a little off the beaten path with fewer tourists, Anuradhapura is great!
How Long Do You Need to See Everything?
If you want to see everything, well, you definitely need longer than a day. We spent one full day and didn’t manage to hit all the spots that I had marked beforehand.
But after one day of seeing all the stupas, while beautiful, we felt like we had seen plenty of them. If you are really into history, architecture, religion, and really want to dive deep in to everything this area has to offer, you could easily spend three days here. If you’ve only got the day like us, I recommend starting early.
What Else Is There to Do in Anuradhapura?
Nearby, is Mihintale, a small town that is recognised as the very place where Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka.
The site is beautiful, much smaller than Anuradhapura, but also very different. Full blog post is coming soon!
Also, Wilpattu National Park is very close to Anuradhapura. Sri Lanka’s largest national park is actually much less busy than the likes of Udawalawe and Yala, so if you’re looking to go on safari with less other tourists and trucks, this is the spot!
Things to Know Before You Go
There are a lot of monkeys in and around Anuradhapura, so steer clear. The ones we encountered were not aggressive like those in Sigiriya, but yeah, keep your distance because you never know.
You will have to remove your shoes when you enter each religious site, and there may be a small fee for them to store your shoes, so keep some small notes handy.
Also, the floor can get bloody hot, so maybe bring a pair of old socks you don’t mind getting dirty.
And be dead careful where you put your feet. You’ll have to walk on gravelly bits, and treading on a small rock that you weren’t expecting can be pretty painful. Your feet will get used to it after you’ve visited a few stupas!
Be prepared for ticket checks/police checkpoints as you travel around the area. They just want to check that you aren’t being naughty and exploring without a ticket.
Where to Eat & Drink
Bamboo Restaurant & Juice Bar serves delicious lunch time rice and curry and, as the name suggests, fresh juices. The guy that runs the place is really friendly, the food is great, and there are plenty of veg options.
Seedevi Family Restaurant is a more upmarket place but has really tasty food. Make sure you try the devilled mushrooms!
The Irish Pub doesn’t have any Irish feel about it, but it is a nice and small, local bar to grab a drink. Go for the local arrack and coke or a Lion beer.
What’s Next?
From Anuradhapura, you could head north and away from the tourists to Jaffna, or over to the east coast to Trincomalee for stunning beaches.
Otherwise venture south and inland to get to Dambulla Caves, Pidurangala Rock and Sigiriya Rock. If you head back to Colombo, you can then get to the popular southern beaches.
Found this post helpful?
If you would like to support us, buy us a coffee by clicking the button below.
No pressure!
We really do like coffee, though 😉
Like it? Save it!
