Cinnamon Citadel Kandy
Srimath Kuda Ratwatte Mw, Kandy — 113.7 km from Bandaranaike (CMB), about 2 hr 52 min. Fixed fares from Rs 20,270, agreed before you fly.
About Cinnamon Citadel Kandy
Cinnamon Citadel Kandy is in Srimath Kuda Ratwatte Mw, Kandy, about 2 hr 52 min by road from Bandaranaike International Airport. The hotel lists 5 room types, including Superior Room and Superior Garden Terrace. The hotel lists 4 restaurants and bars, including Panorama and Chutneys. Your driver meets you in arrivals and takes you to the door at a fixed price.
Getting there from the airport
Your driver meets you in arrivals and takes you to the door. One fixed price for the whole car, agreed before you fly, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup.
Location
7.30576, 80.62379
Путеводитель для гостей: Cinnamon Citadel Kandy
Что полезно знать перед поездкой. Последняя проверка: 06-10-2026 исследовательской группой TaxiList. Для каждого факта указано, насколько ему можно доверять.
- Superior Room: 39.30 m2
- Superior Garden Terrace: 39.30 m2
- Superior River View: 39.30 m2
- Deluxe Room: 48.96 m2, river and hill views, king bed
- Suite: 69.96 m2, river view
- Panorama: international buffet
- Chutneys
- Lounge Bar
- Destination Dining: specialty dining
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Mahaweli River boat rides
- Tea plantation tours
- Elephant orphanage visits
- Forest trekking
- Peradeniya Botanical Garden tour
- Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic visit
- Air rifle shooting
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Wellness/spa services
- Room service
- Conference and event spaces
Near Cinnamon Citadel Kandy
Places to visit close to the hotel. Drive time is by road, from the same pricing data as your quote.
Day trips from Cinnamon Citadel Kandy
Further afield. Drive time is by road, from the same pricing data as your quote.
Cinnamon Citadel Kandy sits directly on the bank of the Mahaweli River, with the water running below the property and hills rising behind it. The hotel was built in 1983 to a design by Sri Lankan architect Channa Daswatte, originally opening under the name “The Citadel Kandy.” Before it settled into life as a hotel, the building appeared in the Sri Lankan film Deveni Gamana and spent a period operating as a government circuit bungalow — an unusual history for a property that now runs as a branded international resort hotel, and one that sets it apart from Kandy hotels built purely as hotels from the outset.
John Keells Holdings took over the property and rebranded it under its Chaaya Hotels & Resorts label in 2006, before it became Cinnamon Citadel Kandy in 2012 as part of the wider Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts portfolio. The hotel closed during the COVID-19 period and reopened in July 2020, and today runs as a four-star property of 119 rooms and two suites, sized to handle both leisure travellers and the conference trade through its 80-person hall.
The riverside setting shapes almost every room: guests get a view of either the Mahaweli River or the hotel's gardens, and the Deluxe Rooms and suites add a private balcony on top of that, so the river is rarely more than a glance away regardless of which side of the building a room falls on.
The main deck carries a piece of local craft history of its own — an 18-foot handwoven wall hanging in Dumbara weaving style by artist Ena de Silva, displayed as a centrepiece rather than tucked into a corridor. Dumbara weaving is a traditional Kandy-area craft, and giving it this scale of display ties the hotel's public spaces back to the region in a way that goes beyond generic decorative touches.
Dining is centred on the Panorama Restaurant, which serves an international buffet with views over the river and the surrounding mountain range, and the hotel's swimming pool is positioned to look out over the same sprawling stretch of the Mahaweli rather than being set back behind the building. A gym and a spa round out the leisure side for guests who want more than the pool and the river view, and the 80-person conference hall means the hotel also takes on meetings and small functions alongside its holiday trade.
Between the Daswatte-designed building, the Ena de Silva weaving, and the property's unusual pre-hotel history as both a film set and a government bungalow, Cinnamon Citadel Kandy carries a specific architectural and cultural story that's distinct from the other riverside hotels nearby.
Your transfer to Cinnamon Citadel Kandy
Cinnamon Citadel Kandy is north-west of the centre of Kandy, the point the quoted distance is measured to.
The nearest hotel on this site is King’s Pavilion in Hantana, about 1.3 km away.
What it costs
| Vehicle | Seats | Typically | Prices from | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy car | 3–4 | Alto, Aqua, Axio | Rs 20,270 | Book |
| Van, SUV and group | 4–50 | Every, Vezel, Toyota KDH, Coaster | Rs 26,540 | Book |
| Premium car | 3–4 | Camry | Rs 36,290 | Book |
One price for the whole car, not per seat. Drivers and fleets set their own rates, so these are typical prices from our system, not a guarantee — your actual quote can differ. Quoted by the same engine that prices your booking, for the 113.7 km shown — your own quote reflects the exact address, the time of day and any waiting time. See all 9 vehicle classes ↓
Questions about this transfer
How much is a taxi from Colombo airport to Cinnamon Citadel Kandy?
From Rs 20,270 for the 113.7 km, about 2 hr 52 min. That is a fixed price for the whole car, quoted before you book, not a meter reading.
How long does the transfer to Cinnamon Citadel Kandy take?
About 2 hr 52 min in normal traffic. Arrivals at Bandaranaike are busiest in the early morning, when the long-haul flights land together.
Will the driver wait if my flight is late?
Yes. Give your flight number when you book and your driver has it. There is no automatic flight tracking yet, so if you are delayed, message your driver on the number in your confirmation. Extended waiting beyond the pickup window is chargeable on a point-to-point transfer, and the terms say by how much.
Can I book a return transfer from Cinnamon Citadel Kandy?
Yes — the same journey in reverse, at the same fixed price, booked at the same time or later.
All vehicle classes and prices
| Vehicle | Seats | Prices from | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini / Small Car | 3–4 | Rs 20,270 | Book |
| Economy / Medium Car | 3–4 | Rs 22,550 | Book |
| Sedan | 3–4 | Rs 24,320 | Book |
| Mini Van | 5–7 | Rs 26,540 | Book |
| SUV | 4–5 | Rs 26,980 | Book |
| Van | 8–14 | Rs 28,310 | Book |
| Luxury Car | 3–4 | Rs 36,290 | Book |
| Mini Bus | 15–30 | Rs 37,630 | Book |
| Bus | 30–50 | Rs 51,810 | Book |
Every class, every price, none hidden. Each Book button opens the booking form for this transfer with that class chosen.
Book your transfer through us
- Fixed price in advance, for the whole car. No meter.
- Your driver's profile is shown before you book.
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup.
- Day trips from the hotel can be booked from the cards above.
How this transfer works
One fixed price for the whole car, not per seat. There is no meter, so the figure you are quoted is the figure the booking honours. Give your flight number when you book and your driver has it.
The return leg from Cinnamon Citadel Kandy is the same journey booked the other way, at the same price, and can be arranged now or later in your stay. Departures want you at Bandaranaike three hours before a long-haul flight, so add the 2 hr 52 min back to that.
Before you book
- Taxis in Kandy — what the roads do at different times of day, and how being collected here works.
- Airport transfers — meeting your driver, luggage, child seats and how payment works.
- The airport to Kandy route — the drive itself, in detail.
- A driver for several days — the usual arrangement for anyone travelling beyond Kandy.
- The district map — where Kandy sits, and what is around it.