Location: Kandy
Top Things to do in Kandy
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10 Museums in Kandy That You Shouldn't Miss
Kandy (Sinhalese: මහනුවර Mahanuwara, pronounced [mahanuʋərə]; Tamil: கண்டி, pronounced [ˈkaɳɖi]) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and is also the capital of the Central Province. Kandy is the home of The Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988.
Restaurants in Kandy
1. World Buddhist Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 258 reviews
Sri Dalada Maligawa Established the "World Buddhist Museum" which constitutes the Most adorable exercise in the context of World Buddhism. Awarded 2x Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor. NOTE : Entry fee is free of charge only for the visitors who purchased the Temple Ticket. If you are visit the Museum from outside you need to purchase the ticket (Rs. 500).
Reviewed By 83aayeshap - Colombo, Sri Lanka
Detailed, organized and spacious place. There is an entrance fee. Don’t miss out if you are in Kandy, especially if you are visiting “Maligawa”.
2. Kandy Brasswear Village
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15 reviews
Reviewed By MaryH3217
This visit was arranged through our hotel in Kandy and was really worth it. Mr Upali and his wife are skilled craftspeople keeping their craft alive. They are also lovely people and a delight to spend an hour with.
3. Sri Dalada Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 53 reviews
Reviewed By 148sureshd - Kandy, Sri Lanka
The museum has a valuable collection of ancient artifacts, jewelry, and documents related to the worship of sacred tooth relic and the incumbents and custodians of the temple.
4. Ceylon Tea Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 606 reviews
Reviewed By CSLouter - Amman, Jordan
This quiet museum is a hidden gem!! Absolutely underrated by guide books! It was fascinating to see traditional tea making equipment, and learn the history. Our entrance fee included a complementary guide who was professional and spoke excellent English. We finished with a delicious cup of tea in the café overlooking great views, and buying different types of tea from the shop for our friends and family.
5. Gunatilake Batiks
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 32 reviews
We Gunatilake Batiks express the true identity our of country’s Heritage and glory by using the Ancient Art of Batiks. Ideal place to buy batik Souvenirs & gather knowledge on batik handicrafts. Batik products are available from USD $ 3 up to exclusive range as well. Opportunity to experience Hand Made High Quality Batik Crafts & Batik Dresses. Free tour at Batik production center with full demonstration is provided to all visitors between 8.00am to 5.00pm [Showroom is open till 6.00pm] We uphold one of the biggest single Batiks Collection of the Island with Vast Variation of Traditional & fashionable clothing for casual wear, Batik Materials, Wall decors, Wall Pictures, Household items & accessories.
Reviewed By SyedA3187
I and my wife were on a 13 days vacation in Sri Lanka. Our visit to this shop was very good.We found the staff very courteous and patient. My wife takes a lot of time while shopping and it is embarrassing to be with her while she is bargaining. At the end of the day she ended up spending a fortune on shopping - gifts for family and friends. Hats off to the patience of the staff and the prices she finally managed to get.At the hotel I saw the purchases and liked them. After our Kandy sojourn we started off for Colombo the next day. We reached Mount Lavinia Hotel, Colombo late in the evening. At the hotel she discovered that she had lost one of her rings. She searched her handbag and everything that was with us. We turned the car inside out but could not find the ring. She remembered that she had the ring till our visit to Gunatilake. I had cards of the places we had been to so I rang up all the places in Kandy and en-route. Someone picked up the phone at G Batiks and told me that the place was closed but he shall inform the owner and get back to me after the New Year Holidays (13 & 14 April). I gave him my contact details and of Mr. Primal (Atmosphere Ceylon) from whom we had rented the car. I then informed Primal of the incident. On morning of 15 April I got a call from Gunitilake Batiks that they had found the ring. I told them that I was leaving for the airport and would request Primal to collect the ring and send it to me. I had found the people of Sri Lanka to be good and friendly; however this act of Gunitilake staff speaks volumes of their sincerity and honesty. Apart from being good salesmen of Batiks they have proved to be good Human Beings and Ambassadors of their country. Today I got an email from Rukshan (owner Gunitilake Batiks) that Primal collected the ring today. I wish the very best to all. Hamid
6. Raja Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 224 reviews
Reviewed By 856sisij - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Raja The Tusker Elephant was serving for the Annual Kandy Procession long ago and had won the heart of all worshipers because of its disciplined manner and peaceful nature. Its body preserved in Raja Elephant Museum inside the sacred Temple of Tooth Relic.
7. National Museum Kandy
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 79 reviews
Reviewed By SkuceA - Matlock, United Kingdom
The museum has undergone extensive renovations since my last visit five years ago, where the collections on display were quite deteriorated and the environment not ideal. Since then however there has been great improvements in object condition, mountings and display lighting along with interesting and helpful object descriptions. The addition of a shop and additional seating are also new. Well worth the entrance fee for a beautiful and interesting collection.
8. Highway Museum Complex
9. Weavers Finch
10. Natural Gems and Gemmological Museum
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 11 reviews
All the visitors to our exclusive geological and gemological museum are invariably given an A to Z knowledge on how Sri Lanka was originated 4.6 billion years ago engulfing the wonderful minerals and gemstones outshining the ones in other parts of the world. The knowledge thus includes the genesis and deposits of gemstones after getting them washed off to the places where the bottoms of gem pits lead to. Furthermore, in our museum you will see the rarest minerals in the world which are located and found in Sri Lanka and also the oldest fossils of living beings which were originated in the Cambrian (541-485 million years) Era.
