Kandy carries a weight the other cities don’t quite match - the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic at its centre, the lake beneath the hills, the Kandyan dance tradition and the Esala Perahera in July and August, when the streets fill with elephants, drummers and fire. The Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya are among Asia’s finest.
Polonnaruwa
The medieval capital - better preserved than Anuradhapura and easier to navigate
Polonnaruwa was the island’s capital from the 10th to 13th century, and what remains is unusually compact and legible. The Royal Palace complex, the Sacred Quadrangle and the Gal Vihara, where a 15-metre reclining Buddha and a 7-metre standing Buddha were carved from the same granite rock face, are extraordinary by any standard.
