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Polonnaruwa Day Tour from Kandy: Explore Sri Lanka's Ancient City with Aaliya Tours
4.8
9 Ratings
Polonnaruwa
Embark on a day tour from Kandy to Polonnaruwa with Aaliya Tours. Explore the ancient city and discover the archaeological treasures that showcase its former glory.
Embark on a day tour from Kandy to Polonnaruwa with Aaliya Tours. Explore the ancient city and discover the archaeological treasures that showcase its former glory.
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Polonnaruwa - Travel back in time by visiting the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site brimming with magnificent palaces, stone temples, and ancient statues. Begin at the Polonnaruwa Museum to gain insight into its rich history, then explore the Royal Palace, the iconic Buddha statues at Gal Vihara, and the remarkable…
- Polonnaruwa - Travel back in time by visiting the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site brimming with magnificent palaces, stone temples, and ancient statues. Begin at the Polonnaruwa Museum to gain insight into its rich history, then explore the Royal Palace, the iconic Buddha statues at Gal Vihara, and the remarkable Parakrama Samudra reservoir. This destination is essential for culture enthusiasts, history buffs, and photographers!
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Driver/guide
- Day tour as per itinerary
- Transport by private vehicle
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
- Bottled water
- Driver/guide
- Day tour as per itinerary
- Transport by private vehicle
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
What's Not Included
- Entrance Ticket - 30 USD
- Heritage sites guide(optional) - 25 USD
- Entrance Ticket - 30 USD
- Heritage sites guide(optional) - 25 USD
Additional Information
Discover the Ancient Wonders of Polonnaruwa with Aaliya Tours!
Embark on an enchanting day trip with Aaliya Tours to Polonnaruwa, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Sri Lanka. Travel in comfort with an air-conditioned vehicle and a skilled driver who is well-versed in local history and ensures a safe journey.
Explore renowned sites such as Gala Vihara,…
Discover the Ancient Wonders of Polonnaruwa with Aaliya Tours!
Embark on an enchanting day trip with Aaliya Tours to Polonnaruwa, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Sri Lanka. Travel in comfort with an air-conditioned vehicle and a skilled driver who is well-versed in local history and ensures a safe journey.
Explore renowned sites such as Gala Vihara, Lankatilaka Temple, Polonnaruwa Ruins, and the Archaeological Museum, where the ancient grandeur of this former kingdom awaits. After savoring a delightful lunch at a local eatery, continue your adventure to Rankot Vihara, Tivanka Image House, and Thuparama Gedige.
This cost-effective, tailored tour provides a vibrant cultural experience, bringing history to life while maintaining comfort and safety.
Reserve your spot now for a day filled with adventure and exploration in the ancient heartland of Sri Lanka!
- Dress code when you entered to the all temple, the nee and shoulder should be covered
Location
Polonnaruwa
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(9 Ratings)
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思航
May 5, 2026
Nice with some space for improvement - The service level is beyond imagination, additional to the mentioned itinerary, the guide, Irfan, stoped at some pass by points along the road, like the spice garden and a local fruit shop, he even kindly offer some snacks and water for us. Of course he has the professional and abundant knowledge.
However, the pace of the itinerary should be sped up, like we start at 7:00 am, finished the last point at 18:30, and back to the hotel at almost 22:00. Actually some spots we can speed up if needed.
Hope the schedule can be better arranged, like tell us in advance how long it takes, to help the visitors get better control of the time schedule.
服务水平极佳，会给我们沿途停留很多行程外的点、请我们吃小零食，且具备专业丰富的知识。
但是，行程有些拖后，很多沿途参观的香料店等可以更少时间。
希望之后提前告知游客时间节奏，能够更好管理行程
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adriang2007
Mar 19, 2026
Candy tour - Great tour from start to finish Mohamed Irfan our tour guide/ Driver for the day picked us up at 06:00 was fantastic from the start. Gave lots of information about his country’s history and all the things we were seeing. Even managed to find some elephants walking down the road. All in all a long but beautiful day. A++++++
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bingyo
Mar 14, 2026
Best experiences in Sigiriya, Dambulla and Polonnaruwa - A trip to Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa with Mr. Irfan was truly unforgettable. His driving skills were excellent, he knew everything about the area and never got bored going or going back. I would love to ask him to drive and guide me when I come to Kandy again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Virginie_m
Feb 20, 2026
Top - Superb site to visit on polonnoruwa!!
The driver was top and professional
Thank you I recommend
Review provided by Viator
L124ndr4
Jan 19, 2026
Above and beyond expectations - We had an absolutely amazing day with Mr Shamin! He went over and above expectations and arranged a lovely customised day for me and my mother. He shared knowledge about the local areas we visited and was very kind and accommodating. If we already hadn’t pre-booked our other tours, we would have preferred to go with Mr Shamin.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R9215kselizabethk
Feb 15, 2024
Day trip to polannaruwa from kandy - Very memorable day with the driver. Pick up on time, he took me for delicious Shri lankan breakfast, and oaud. Then drove to polannaruwa and Irfan was very patient ith me wanting to spend time sketching. His English was good and we had great conversations as he took me round the sites.i would recommend Irfan.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aggie19842014
Dec 27, 2019
An amazing ancient city - This tour is a must for anyone interested in the history of Sri Lanka. We were absolutely stunned by Polonnaruwa. The medieval ruins are beautiful and cover a surprisingly large area. Our driver took us from site to site within the ancient city, and always gave us as much time as we needed to see things. Otherwise it would have been impossible to see the ruins in one day without staying overnight somewhere nearby. It is quite far from Kandy, so having your own driver is the best way of seeing Polonnawura if you only have one day to do it. This company has proven itself to be very reliable. We also booked a Sigiriya tour with them, and were satisfied both times.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mjpitchford
Apr 16, 2026
Three great sights in one day. - This is a great tour of three world heritage sites, Dambulla, Sigiriya, and Polonnaruwa. It is a very long day, leaving at 06:00 and we got back around 19:00. If you are based in Kandy, it is worth making the effort, as all three sites are spectacular, and once you're deep in the cultural triangle you might as well see them all. Leaving early also means you get to Dambulla before the crowds.
We had a guide and a driver, and our guide pointed out many other interesting aspects of life in Sri Lanka, past and present along the way. When we got to the sites, he explained them from outside but did not accompany us inside, so if you are expecting a detailed tour of the finer aspects of the sites, you don't get that. You can hire guides at an extra cost in all the sites.
It will get pretty hot at Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa, so bring plenty of water. At Sigiriya there is a drinking water refill station midway up the climb, so you don't have to bring large bottles. Our instructions told us to bring water and snacks, so we did, but the driver stopped along the way to get some extra drinks and bannanas. It's a bit of a nitpick, but since we were well organized we didn't need it, and it just took up an extra 15 minutes. On such a long day I would have appreciated that time back.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paul_dambra_aus
Aug 7, 2025
Step back in time - Polonnaruwa should be on your to do list if you visit Sri Lanka. It is a large single site that you can either bicycle around, walk/hike, tour bus or by car. It is mainly flat, level ground with multiple locations to see this incredible history.
I had Mr. Irfan as my driver for this activity who was courteous, flexible and knowledgeable.
Be prepared for the drive though, it is roughly 3-4 hours each way and you can easiy spend 2-3 hours looking at the site so it can be a long day, especially for younger children.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
