National Museum Kandy
National Museum Kandy
3.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience National Museum Kandy and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
313 within 3 miles
Attractions
77 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.5
82 reviews
Excellent
20
Very good
30
Average
22
Poor
9
Terrible
1
A Ayesh A P
Colombo, Sri Lanka153 contributions
Feb 2020 • Solo
Great place to be familiar with Kandy history. Beautifully organized, spacious even thought it is only one story building. 30 LRK for local visitor, which is quite fair. No video recording is allowed, camera flashes are prohibited too. I think is bit expensive for foreigners to pay 600 LKR as an entrance fee. Service team is very helpful.On the same block, few meters away, you can find the middle palace and the world buddhist museum as well.
Written February 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kanishka Herath
Kurunegala, Sri Lanka137 contributions
Jan 2023
National Museum Kandy is a decent sized museum with some interesting displays. Visitors can enjoys rich culture and traditions of early Sri lankans.
There are lot of historical items in the display. Worth to spend some time and have a unique experience.
There are lot of historical items in the display. Worth to spend some time and have a unique experience.
Written February 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mikash
Berlin, Germany2 contributions
Jan 2015 • Family
Our guid recommended to us the visit of the National Museum and it was a good tip since we had seen already a lot of Buddhistic artefacts and wanted to get to know more about recent history of Sri Lanka.
Written January 24, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JanetYO22
London, UK81 contributions
Jan 2015 • Solo
This was somewhere I really wanted to visit and timed my visit to the Temple of the Tooth accordingly. Extremely disappointed to find it was closed for renovation - something that was not mentioned when I paid my entrance fee.
Written January 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cammerayguy
Sydney, Australia430 contributions
Nov 2012 • Couples
The museum building was interesting – the old harem. But the contents were just an eclectic dusty collection with few labels. Probably the most interesting part of a bad lot were the collection of old books. Unless you can read the titles on the exhibits then give the place a miss.
Written December 4, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yohan P
Negombo, Sri Lanka271 contributions
Jan 2018 • Friends
It's rite behind the temple of the tooth. Ticket price is 600 rupees.
There is alot of artefacts from the kandyan era. Weapons clothing common house hold equipment from 200 years ago can be seen in this museum.
You can learn quite alot about the living at that time if you make a visit.
There is alot of artefacts from the kandyan era. Weapons clothing common house hold equipment from 200 years ago can be seen in this museum.
You can learn quite alot about the living at that time if you make a visit.
Written January 25, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dhushan
Kandy, Sri Lanka693 contributions
Nov 2017 • Family
This museum has items which depict the various different aspects of historical and cultural events of the Kandyan kingdom. It has displays which showcase clothes, jewellery, weapons, coins, traditional painting, dancing, farm & pottery equipment.
Being from Kandy I had visited this museum about 16 or 17 years ago. It was located in the same place as now, behind the Dalada Maligawa, but back then the building was run down & the items on display were not at all presentable.
When I visited this time, I was hoping to see some change for the good & I was absolutely surprised. It was stunning. The whole place was revamped & the building itself has been renovated.
The building is where the king's concubines used to live. Inside they have proper glass displays for all the items & every display has a topic describing what is on show. Each item inside the display has a number & there is a list which explains what each number/item is. Every explanation is in 3 different languages. Sinhalese, Tamil, & English. There are also employees from whom you can ask questions or if you need further clarification.
There were maybe 2 or 3 displays which were not complete with numbers.
It's definitely worth a visit if you're in Kandy, irrelevant of whether you're a local or a foreigner. Would take about 2hrs. I highly recommend it.
Entrance costs Rs30 for local adults & Rs600 for foreign adults.
Open from 9am-5pm.
Closed on Sundays, Mondays & all public holidays.
Being from Kandy I had visited this museum about 16 or 17 years ago. It was located in the same place as now, behind the Dalada Maligawa, but back then the building was run down & the items on display were not at all presentable.
When I visited this time, I was hoping to see some change for the good & I was absolutely surprised. It was stunning. The whole place was revamped & the building itself has been renovated.
The building is where the king's concubines used to live. Inside they have proper glass displays for all the items & every display has a topic describing what is on show. Each item inside the display has a number & there is a list which explains what each number/item is. Every explanation is in 3 different languages. Sinhalese, Tamil, & English. There are also employees from whom you can ask questions or if you need further clarification.
There were maybe 2 or 3 displays which were not complete with numbers.
It's definitely worth a visit if you're in Kandy, irrelevant of whether you're a local or a foreigner. Would take about 2hrs. I highly recommend it.
Entrance costs Rs30 for local adults & Rs600 for foreign adults.
Open from 9am-5pm.
Closed on Sundays, Mondays & all public holidays.
Written December 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Isuru Premaratne
Gampaha, Sri Lanka246 contributions
Oct 2017 • Solo
The building was used as the residence of King's consorts. The name "Palle Wahala" (a Sinhala term for lower palace) was given at the time of Kandyan kingdom. Later it was occupied by British government and now converted to the Museum. It has lot of exhibits which shows the culture of Kandyan kingdom in late 16th to 19th Century AD. You can find evidence of main parts to study about a kingdom - religion, administration, agriculture and arts.
Can spend around 1.5 - 2 hours to cover the museum. Well arranged interior. Well lit. Peaceful environment and the instructions are very informative. Don't forget to observe the architecture of the building. It goes back to 18th century. Feel the royal household of Kandyan kingdom. Photographing is allowed.
Can spend around 1.5 - 2 hours to cover the museum. Well arranged interior. Well lit. Peaceful environment and the instructions are very informative. Don't forget to observe the architecture of the building. It goes back to 18th century. Feel the royal household of Kandyan kingdom. Photographing is allowed.
Written October 30, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nigel_Perera
15 contributions
Dec 2016 • Couples
Lovely place to be, calm and quiet. Lots of historical information and artifacts. Must visit place if you are in Kandy. Hope the authorities will keep it as it is. Lot to learn from about the proud Sri Lankan history
Written September 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Meaghan B
London, UK64 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
The museum consists of a lot of artifacts without much context or explanation. We hoped to learn more about the history of Kandy and Sri Lanka (as this was our first destination) and have some respite from the heat but the museum didn't really deliver.
If this was a free activity I might say its worth popping in for a few minutes, but as there is a cost I really wouldn't recommend.
If this was a free activity I might say its worth popping in for a few minutes, but as there is a cost I really wouldn't recommend.
Written April 25, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing