# Things to see in Jaffna (Sri Lanka): 9 places and when to go > Jaffna is a city in Sri Lanka with around 250,000 inhabitants, and this site lists 9 places in and around it, mainly Temples (4), History (3), Museums and art (1). The best known are Nallur Kandaswamy temple, Jaffna Fort and St. Mary's Cathedral, Jaffna. The best time to come is January to March and July to August; also possible: April to June, September and December. In June there are 12 h 34 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 26. Here is what there is, when to go, how to get there and what else is nearby. - Address: https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/jaffna/ - Reviewed on: 2026-10-08 - Language: en ## In a nutshell - **Where:** Sri Lanka · 9.675, 80.005 - **Population:** About 250,000 - **Places:** 9 places on this site, in the town and around it. - **What people come for:** [Temples](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/espiritual/) (4) · [History](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/historia/) (3) · [Museums and art](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/museos/) (1) · [Architecture](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/arquitectura/) (1) - **Best time:** January to March and July to August. - **Also possible:** April to June, September and December. - **Nearest airport:** CMB Colombo, 278 km as the crow flies ## What to see in Jaffna The places in and around Jaffna, best known first, each with its own page: what it is, when to go and what is next to it. Distances are from the centre, as the crow flies. - [Nallur Kandaswamy temple](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/nallur-kandaswamy-temple/): Hindu temple in Nallur, Sri Lanka · 2.7 km - [Jaffna Fort](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/jaffna-fort/): Ruins · 1.5 km - [St. Mary's Cathedral, Jaffna](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/catedral-de-santa-maria/): Cathedral in Jaffna, Sri Lanka · 2.8 km - [Fort Hammenhiel](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/fort-hammenhiel/): Fort in Sri Lanka · 18 km - [Archaeological Museum, Jaffna](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/jaffna-archeological-museum/): Museum · 2.2 km - [Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/maviddapuram-kandaswamy-temple/): Temple of Hindu god Kartikeya in Northern Sri Lanka · 14 km - [Ancient Kadurugoda Viharaya](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/kadurugoda-viharaya-archaeological-site-kantharodai/): Archaeological site · 8.0 km - [Kankesanthurai Lighthouse](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/kankesanturai-lighthouse/): Lighthouse in Sri Lanka · 16 km - [Ponnalai Sri Varadarajaperumal Temple](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/ponnalai-vishnu-temple/): Hindu temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka · 13 km ## When to go to Jaffna The best time to visit Jaffna is **January to March and July to August**; also possible: April to June, September and December. This comes from its own places: a month counts as the town's best time when it is the best time for half of what there is to see. | Mes | Época | Hours of daylight | | --- | --- | --- | | January | Best time | 11 h 30 | | February | Best time | 11 h 42 | | March | Best time | 11 h 56 | | April | Possible | 12 h 13 | | May | Possible | 12 h 27 | | June | Possible | 12 h 34 | | July | Best time | 12 h 31 | | August | Best time | 12 h 19 | | September | Possible | 12 h 03 | | October | Better not | 11 h 47 | | November | Better not | 11 h 33 | | December | Possible | 11 h 26 | In June there are 12 h 34 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 26. In January, 9 of the 9 places are at their best. When to go to Sri Lanka in general, with its festivals and peak seasons, is in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/#cuando-ir). ## Getting to Jaffna The nearest main airport is Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB, Colombo), 278 km as the crow flies. How to get around Sri Lanka (train, car, bus) is in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/#moverse), and what to sort out before you leave is in [its checklist](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/#antes-de-salir). - [Where it is](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=9.675%2C80.005) - [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=9.675%2C80.005) ## Other towns nearby - [Anuradhapura](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/anuradhapura/): 6 places · 153 km - [Trincomalee](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/trincomalee/): 8 places · 183 km - [Manampitiya](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/manampitiya/): 6 places · 230 km - [Kandy](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/kandy/): 18 places · 276 km - [Colombo](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/colombo/): 30 places · 306 km - [Nuwara Eliya](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/nuwara-eliya/): 13 places · 313 km And all of Sri Lanka, in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is there to see in Jaffna? The best known: [Nallur Kandaswamy temple](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/nallur-kandaswamy-temple/), [Jaffna Fort](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/jaffna-fort/), [St. Mary's Cathedral, Jaffna](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/catedral-de-santa-maria/), [Fort Hammenhiel](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/fort-hammenhiel/), [Archaeological Museum, Jaffna](https://kokai.app/en/paises/asia/sri-lanka/jaffna-archeological-museum/). In all, 9 places in the town and around it, all on your trip map from day one. ### When is the best time to visit Jaffna? January to March and July to August; also possible: April to June, September and December. In June there are 12 h 34 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 26. ### How do you get to Jaffna? The nearest main airport is Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB), 278 km away. From there, [directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=9.675%2C80.005) opens the route on the map. ### How do I add it to my trip? Create a trip with Jaffna as the destination and these 9 places are on your map, each with its category. The ones you like go into a day's plan with one tap, and Kokai reminds you when you pass nearby. Data from [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright), licensed under the ODbL, from [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0, cities from [Natural Earth](https://www.naturalearthdata.com/) and airports from [OurAirports](https://ourairports.com/data/). Daylight hours are calculated from the latitude. More in [credits](https://kokai.app/en/aviso/#creditos).