The 15 Best Train Journeys in Sri Lanka

1.Kandy to Ella Train Tickets – Reserved Seats

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 523 reviews · from $26Our pick

Ride Sri Lanka’s scenic blue train from Kandy to Ella with reserved second or third-class seats, tea-country views, and practical booking advice.

“So much mark up. Yes we got first class reserved tickets but the cost was 5000 rupees and we paid the equivalent of 27,000 rupees. Talk about mark up Viator, bet the local provider was only paid a fraction of the total as mark up and the rest went to viator. Won't be using this site for any other tickets ever again. Had to chase the local provider for tickets right up until the night before after booking a month in advance. Buy in person at the station instead.”

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2.Tea Factory, Train, and Nine Arch Day Tour with Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 98 reviews · 16 hours · from $140

Review of Ella’s 16-hour day tour with tea factory, train ride, Nine Arch Bridge, waterfall, Little Adam’s Peak, and zipline.

“Krish was an excellent driver - very friendly, polite and accommodating. Great tour with private transportation.”

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3.Colombo/Negombo: Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella 3-Day Trip with Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 93 reviews · 3 days · from $250

See Sigiriya, Dambulla, Kandy, Ella, the hill-country train, and Udawalawe on a fast-paced three-day Sri Lankan adventure.

“CJ has taken us to the best places. We love how he thoroughly explained the stories behind each location we visited. From climbing the stairs to the temple to the bumpy safari ride to see elephants, everything was superb! Highly recommended tour! And special thanks to you CJ! For arranging to pick my lost bag from the restaurant! Definitely a safe travel with CJ! Thank you so much and God bless you!”

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4.Ella Unfogettable Day tour & Train Ride Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · 7 hours · from $37Top rated

Review of Ella’s 7-hour tuk-tuk tour with Nine Arch Bridge, Demodara train ride, waterfalls, lunch stop, and Little Adam’s Peak.

“This trip was the really the best we had until now. Mana thanks to our extraordinary guide, Shifar. He was incredibly attentive and did everything possible to fulfill our wishes. As a creative photographer, he captured countless beautiful images and provided us with fascinating information. Traveling in his comfortable tuk-tuk, he showed us all the highlights of the area, ensuring we were completely satisfied throughout the journey. We can really recommend Shifar as best guide EVER 🍀”

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5.Ella Private Day Trip with Train Ride & Tea Factory-All Inclusive

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 61 reviews · from $190

Review of Ella’s private day trip from Bentota, with Little Adam’s Peak, Nine Arch Bridge, tea factory, train ride, lunch, and hotel pickup.

“This is a great way to see a lot of Ella in a short time. The trip was seamless, Dinesh our driver was great and we got to see a lot. The lunch which was included in the trip was excellent!”

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6.Train Tickets From Kandy to Ella

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 57 reviews · from $20

Review of the Kandy to Ella train, with tea-country views, seat classes, ticket risks, timing advice, and practical booking tips.

“Hold your nerve, tickets didn't come through until 4.00am on the day of travel. We had ordered 3rd class reserved seats and got two seats together in a block of 6(no window seat) HOWEVER.... No one else had seats in the block. We had so much room both with a window view.”

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7.All inclusive Day Trip of 8 Iconic Sights & Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 54 reviews · 1 day · from $28

Pack Ella Rock, waterfalls, tea country views, the Nine Arch Bridge and a train ride into one private day with hotel pickup.

“Thank you Nuwan for the great day! This is a great day trip option to see the top sites around Ella. I only had 5 days in Sri Lanka so it’s a fantastic option, especially being able to do the best section of the famous train journey! Nuwan is great at getting pics/vids - I have amazing ones from Adams peak and on Nine Arch bridge as the train comes past. Take the scooter option if you can, it’s so much fun :)”

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8.Day trip to ELLA & LIPTON’s SEAT with Train Ride [ALL INCLUSIVE]

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 54 reviews · from $135

Review of the Ella and Lipton’s Seat day trip from Galle, with waterfalls, tea country, tuk-tuk safari, train ride, and mountain views.

“Nice trip to Ella and othe places. Amazing views from the little Adam's peak. The trip from Welligama takes the whole day, but it's worth to see all this places.”

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9.Train Tickets from Nanuoya (NuwaraEliya) to Ella

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 37 reviews · from $20

Review of Nanuoya to Ella train tickets, with scenic tea country views, ticket advice, timing risks, class choices, and honest value notes.

“The train journey was fantastic, we had a fabulous time! The whole experience booking with Viator however was disgusting......we booked & prepaid for our 4 x 1st class tickets 3 weeks before we even travelled, just for them to cancel our tickets in the early hours on the morning of travel!! No time to plan when you're travelling with a family of 4 & luggage. Thankfully we had help with local tour guides.. .”

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10.Colombo to Kandy Train Tickets (Reserved Seats)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 28 reviews · from $18Best value

Reserve a Colombo to Kandy train seat for a scenic 2 to 3 hour ride with easy e-ticket delivery and two daily departures.

“Helpful staff, but train was over booked. Great price. They are very personal. Sri Lankans are such a friendly culture.”

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11.Ella Odyssey Train Reserved Seats Kandy to Ella

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 25 reviews · from $34

Ride Sri Lanka’s scenic Kandy to Ella railway in a reserved seat, with extra stops for waterfalls, viewpoints, mountains, and forest views.

“Nice trip by train with gorgeous views of the countryside.”

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12.First Class Scenic Train Ticket To/From Nanuoya

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 19 reviews · 5 hours · from $95

Review of Sri Lanka’s first-class Ella train ride, with tea country views, waterfalls, booking advice, route changes, and value tips.

“Me gusto mucho, sobretodo la comunicación proactiva por parte de Ceylon pass. Nos avisaron con tiempo quien nos recogería, cuando, la matrícula y donde estaban aparcados. Además nuestro conductor Fahad era muy amable y nos dio unas bebidas para el camino”

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13.Nuwara Eliya by Train

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 15 reviews · 11 hours · from $80

Ride Sri Lanka’s tea-country train from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, then visit Lake Gregory, Ramboda Falls, and Blue Field Tea Factory.

“driver was on time to pick up us from the hotel. he was very helpful, it was very good day. amazing views of the tea plantations from train.”

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14.Sri Lanka Private 2-day Tour:Train Trip, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 15 reviews · from $275

Ride Sri Lanka’s blue train through tea country, explore Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, and visit temples, gardens, waterfalls, and a tea factory.

“I got a completely different experience than almost every other review here. My guide wasn’t really a guide at all but more like a private driver. He didn’t really say a word the entire 2 days to me as he didn’t speak english well. But he was a great driver, always on time, and dropped me off and picked me up everywhere like clockwork. I accepted that I basically paid for a private chauffeur for two days which is fine. Still had a good time seeing all the sights, and as promised, they took care of all train tickets, hotel, etc.”

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15.Ella Private Day Tour with Train Ride and Visit to Nine Arch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $145

Review of a private Ella day tour from Bentota with Little Adam’s Peak, Nine Arch Bridge, tea, Rawana Falls, and a scenic train ride.

“I booked a private tour with Sindu based on the reviews. Unfortunately the night before I was informed there would be another passenger. When I queried this I was offered another guide. After my day I would have to say that Armuna is not Read more”

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