Last February, I went on a 10-day trip to Sri Lanka with my little sister, aiming to explore the country and surf as much as we could. After landing in Colombo, we knew we had to make our way towards the heart of the country, and then down the coast to find the best weather and surfing conditions.

As a major fan of train travel, and having seen how cool the Sri Lankan railway system is, I started looking at train connections.

We had to hop on a train as soon as we landed — after a 15-hour flight — to reach Kandy by the end of the first day. Knowing we’d be glad of some comfort, I booked a first-class ticket for that 2-and-a-half-hour trip. Of course, we couldn’t miss the Kandy–Ella train either. We needed to see what the hype was all about! After reading reviews online, we opted for a first-class ticket for that stretch, too.

All our reservations in advance were made through this website — the only downside of it is that they charge way more than what you’d pay at the train station.

Feeling a mixture of guilt and curiosity from choosing comfort over adventure for our first two trips, we decided that we’d book the rest on the spot and travel in 2nd or 3rd class.

So, how did it go? As you might imagine, not as planned.

Colombo to Kandy train

Our flight from Istanbul landed in Colombo 4 hours late, which made us miss our first train to Kandy by a mere 15 minutes. Fantastic. The next train was going to leave in an hour, so we bought new tickets at the station — 2nd class, this time.

Colombo Train Station really wasn’t too challenging to navigate, despite our fears! We made our way to the platform and realized that our train was already waiting for us, so we hopped on and managed to grab two seats together.

There were no other tourists in sight, just the usual food vendors, and a bunch of friendly local commuters smiling at us. Despite not having air conditioning, the carriage had large, opening windows and tiny fans hanging over our seats to keep us cool.

The ride was smooth, and we had such a fun time chatting with the people sitting across from us. They did their best to give us travel tips despite the language barrier — which was both helpful and truly reflected the locals' well-known hospitality.

Their care for us really showed when my sister went to the toilet during a train stop. When she hadn’t returned before the train started moving again, our new friends looked genuinely panicked: “Is she okay? Did she get off the train?!”

At that moment, I realized I was so glad to be sitting in 2nd class and not surrounded by tourists in 1st.

Oh, and talking about toilets — the ones on this train, in 2nd class, were some of the cleanest and best-smelling I have experienced in a long time (*ahem*, Trenitalia!).

C’mon, just look at that little pink bum gun!

Kandy to Ella train

The ride in first class was… something else.

As soon as we entered the cabin and heard people speaking loudly in English, we knew we were in for a very different kind of experience. Gone were the shy smiles and helpful gestures, replaced by overpriced samosas and oversized suitcases flying around the carriage.

The seats were slightly bigger and comfier than our in 2nd class, the windows were wider, and the a/c was on — as well as the same tiny fans hanging over our heads. The carriage was spacious, which allowed us to move around and hang out by the (open) door as we pleased, taking turns with the other tourists.

What was supposed to be a 7-hour ride, however, turned out to last 9-and-a-half hours, so by the 8th hour, we were glad to be sitting in comfier seats. On the downside, as night fell and the perpetual a/c kept blowing above our heads, we were forced to change our shorts for trousers. We put on our hoodies so as not to catch a chill, and even opened our windows to let in some heat from outside.

Would we ride the Kandy to Ella train again?

Probably not — the amount of tourists undoubtedly affected the overall experience. 

Would we recommend it at least once in a lifetime? Definitely, but maybe riding the opposite way, from Ella towards Kandy, to avoid the crowds coming straight from Colombo.

Would we recommend riding in first class? Most likely yes, and probably for any 6+ hour train trip that you take around the country.

Weligama to Colombo train

This was the last train journey on our trip, which we rode in 2nd class, after buying the tickets at the station (the train only offered 2nd and 3rd class).

We ended up sharing the carriage with a mix of tourists and locals. By this point, we were worn out from the trip and a few days of surfing. With the heat beating down, the usual little fans above our heads just weren’t cutting it, so it ended up being our most uncomfortable train ride yet.

The verdict about Sri Lankan train travel

Overall, we loved our train experiences in Sri Lanka, and we’d suggest every curious traveller give it a try at some point.

As much as we valued the first class comforts, connecting with the locals in second class on our first day made all the difference. It sparked our curiosity to venture beyond the tourist-packed routes and discover the more authentic, less crowded journeys in the future.

Have you ever travelled by train in Sri Lanka? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!