Trincomalee: sights, beaches, how to get there

Trincomalee is deservedly famous for its beaches, perhaps the best in Sri Lanka. What sights are there in Trincomalee? How do you get from Colombo to Trincomalee? The best beaches of Trincomalee.

How to get from Colombo to Trincomalee

There are several ways to get from Colombo to Trincomalee:

• Rent a scooter, as we did. True, if you go straight from Colombo, the road to Trincomalee is about 300 km, i.e., roughly 5 hours of driving. Not everyone will enjoy making that trip in one go. But if you have a couple of days to spare, you can pass through the island's cultural center on the way — Anuradhapura: it is less than 4 hours away, and from there to Trincomalee is only 88 km. Or the second option — go via Kandy and the former capital of Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa: that is 130 km and 170 km respectively, i.e., less than 3 hours of driving a day.
• By train. It departs from Colombo at 21:00, and you will be in Trincomalee at 05:10 the next morning. A ticket costs about $15.
• By bus. The bus station is next to the railway station. The bus takes about 7 hours. Check fares and schedules at the station.

Trincomalee beaches

The best beach of Trincomalee is rightly considered to be nearby Nilaveli beach.

It is about 15 km from Trincomalee to the village of Nilaveli. A quiet place with a huge stretch of beach with almost no people on it — no vendors, no tourists. A very secluded and beautiful place. We liked this beach more than any other in Sri Lanka.

Apart from the beaches, there are no notable places, and there is absolutely nothing else to do here. From here we set off for the center of Buddhism in Sri Lanka — the city of Anuradhapura.