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City in Sri Lanka
Photo: Anton 17, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Jaffna District is the northernmost region of Sri Lanka, and one of the oldest inhabited places on the island. It is populated mainly by Tamil speaking people. The district encompasses Jaffna and its outlying towns, and the quirky and unique islands surrounding it. It is separated from India by the Palk Strait and the Bay of Bengal.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Beautiful and famous Hindu temple. Come at sunset when the orange coloured temple building is at its most vibrant. Photography is not allowed inside.
Selvach Sannithi Murugan Kovil
Hindu pilgrimage destination. One of 64 Shaktipeethas (shrines devoted to the worship of the Hindu Goddess Parvati). The only other one in Sri Lanka is Shankari Kovil in Trincomalee. Has its own boat jetty.
Buddhist pilgrimage destination. One of 16 places in Sri Lanka that were blessed by Buddha himself. Has its own boat jetty.
யாழ் பொது நூலகம்
This magnificent library, built in 1933, once housed the largest collection in Asia, with over 97,000 books and rare documents. It was burnt in 1981 by Sinhalese police and paramilitaries during a pogrom against the minority Tamil population. As a precursor to the Sri Lankan Civil War, the burning of Jaffna Library remains a controversial and traumatic issue among many in Jaffna. Restored and reopened, it now houses a much smaller collection. It is airconditioned so is a great place to hide from the heat, though much of the library is off limits to visitors.
KKS, Port Kankesan
A beachside suburb of Jaffna reachable by train or tuk-tuk. It has the port with the ferry to India, Sri Lanka's northernmost railway station, the freshwater Keerimalai springs (reportedly with healing powers but mostly used as a swimming hole) and the 1000-year old Keerimalai Naguleswaram Kovil. The beach here is very beautiful.
The Portuguese built this fort in the 17th century and it has been substantially modified since. Much of the fort is visible outside of the ticketed areas. At sunset, locals like to hang out here, enjoy the sunset, eat ice cream and relax. There is not a whole lot to see inside the ticketed area so nobody would blame you if you don't want to pay the price to go in when you can wander through some of the tunnels and structures of the fort on the other side of the moat and outside the ticketed area.
பழைய பூங்கா
An interesting old ruin partly engulfed by trees. This British Governor's residence ("Kachcheri") from the 19th century was left in a state of ruin after the civil war, having been used by both Tamil Tiger and government forces.
A bustling market for locally-caught seafood
A small, easy-to-miss museum with a small collection of interesting local history.
King Sangiliyan’s Minister’s House
This building is the best-preserved part of the ruins of Jaffna's ancient royal palace. No signage or development but a cool place to check out
Nagadeepa
Holy island with two important temples: one Hindu and one Buddhist
A colourful, bustling market
Local farmers' market
Akshathai
Delicious vegetarian restaurant serving good Tamil food. Left side of the restaurant is a lunch buffet, the right side ("Nila") is where tourists will be directed. The thaali (meal set) in particular is worth getting.
Huge and very busy. You order your ice cream first and then hand the ticket to people at a different counter. If you don't want to wait, head to Lingan Ice Cream around the corner
Iconic Indian restaurant for dosas, uttapam, kotthu parotta, and lassis. Their thalis usually have rice, sambar, rasam, three curries, one dessert, and poppadum.
Vegetarian lunch spot. There's only one thing for lunch: rice and curry. The waiter will plonk a banana leaf in front of you and start loading it up. Eat with your right hand like the locals. Lunch is unlimited. When you're full, throw the banana leaf away, wash your hands, and pay. Outside of lunchtime there are string hoppers, dosas, idlis and vadas to snack on.
Try the chilli kotthu parotta. Cheap!
Try the mutton biryani
Tony is a welcoming host with all the information you need to explore Jaffna and the surrounds. He provides a great, cheap breakfast where you can meet the other travellers who have made it to Jaffna. The location is conveniently close to the train station and not far from the main attractions of the town. A/C and fan rooms with shared bathrooms.
Rooms with TV, safe, bathroom with hot and cold water. Has a bar, restaurant and gym.
Tranquil environment with meals available and friendly hosts.
Upscale homestay, with a pool and beautiful garden and meals available.
A good cheap guest house 1km south of the railway station
Stay in a Dutch-built island fortress! The rooms are basic but you come here for the experience.
ஜெட்விங் யாழ்ப்பாணம்
upscale hotel with rooftop bar and nice restaurant
Small boutique hotel located midway between the airport and city centre.
By bus
There are several private bus companies operating from Colombo to Jaffna, costing around Rs 2700 (2025). One such company is NCG express. The scheduled travel time is around 7 hours.
By ferry
Since 2023 the boat HSC Cheriyapani has connected on Jaffna's northern coast (near the airport) with the town of Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu.
By train
Daily intercity trains connect Colombo with , taking approximately eight hours.
By tuk-tuk
These three-wheelers are the quickest and probably the cheapest way to get around. A rule of thumb is Rs 100 per km.
By bus
Jaffna has a public bus system, however no information about it exists online in English.
By minivan
There are private hire minivans, a good option if you need transportation for the whole day.
Other
The locals get around on cycles and mopeds. Some say cycling is not safe with the number of dogs on the street. Scooters can be rented for Rs 2000 and up per day, Rs 750 and up per day for a bicycle.
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Jaffna · International · JAF
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