Mirissa Complete Travelguide

What to do in Mirissa

There is plenty to experience in Mirissa from great waves for surfing to turtle spotting on a snorkeling trip. Read on quickly for the absolute must-do’s when you visit Mirissa.

Coconut Hill

If you are looking for the most beautiful places in Sri Lanka, Coconut Tree Hill definitely comes to mind. This place is an absolute instagram hotspots! So popular that these days it is visited en masse, both at sunrise and sunset. But that certainly shouldn’t stop you. Although this place may not be as idyllic as the photos suggest, it is still beautiful. At sunset, you can sit back and enjoy the surfers trying to catch one last wave.

Surfing in Weligama

Weligama certainly does not have the most beautiful beach in Sri Lanka, but it is the absolute hotspot when it comes to surfing. Especially for beginner surfers, this is the place to be! Rent a surfboard and give it a try or book a surf lesson directly on the beach.

Rent a scooter and take a mini road trip

Want to escape the crowds for a while? Rent a scooter and explore the inlands! Within 2 minutes you are in the middle of rice fields and cozy villages. We found this a wonderful way to discover more of Sri Lanka and absolute must-do!

Eating a hip pizza at the Doctors House

During our mini road trip inland, we decided to visit The Doctors House in Matara. A super hip hotspots right by the sea. So it doesn’t get much hipper than The Doctors House. It is a very nice place for a drink and a snack. The beach there is also beautiful and a lot quieter than Mirissa, for example. We decided to share a super overpriced pizza, which by the way was really delicious. You can also spend the night there.

Dancing on the beach

Yes the feet may be off the floor in Mirissa, as there is a party happening somewhere every night. As with many beach destinations in Sri Lanka, the celebration opens with fireworks. That way the whole beach knows where to be.

Book a massage at Secret Spa

After all, there’s nothing like a moment of complete relaxation and unwinding during a massage. In Mirissa, we visited Secret Spa. The spa is somewhat backwater in the middle of nature. It is a very nice place and the massages were fantastic!

Secret Beach

Secret Beach is sadly no longer secret, but it is still a beautiful place. The beach is around the corner from the main beach in a small bay. It is a little harder to get to and therefore often a little quieter.

Also fun to visit:

• Hiriketiya
• Galle Fort
• Jungle Beach in Unawatuna

Hotspots & food in Mirissa

• Nr. 1 Dewmini Roti Shop
• Aloha Coffee Gallery
• Shady Lane Mirissa
• Ceylon Curry House
• Green garden
• Super Roti Surfing
• Wombats Mirissa
• Dhana’s Curry Pot
• Milky Wave
• The Jungle view

Check out our complete article Where to eat in Mirissa

Best time to travel to Mirissa

The dry season in the south runs from November to March. The warmest month is April and the coolest is in January. The best travel time for Mirissa runs from February to April. During these months, rainfall is low and temperatures are perfect.

Which budget do i need in Mirissa?

How expensive is Mirissa? Of course, the answer depends on what type of traveler you are and the number of activities and sights you have planned. Still, most activities in Mirissa are free of charge and you can have a good time here on a small budget.

We use a daily budget of about 60 -70 euros per day (2 pers) and stayed well below this in MIrissa. We made a total of 169 euros in 3 days, which is a daily budget of about 28.80 euros per person per day. With the current exchange rate (May 2022), even 17.50 euros p.p. per day.

Overview of costs Mirissa

Cost of food and drink Mirissa

Most of our budget in Mirissa went into food and drink. This is also partly because breakfast was not included in the accommodation. So almost every morning we decided to have a good breakfast at a trendy coffee shop and in the evening choose roti or a curry. We also had 1 night of good partying and quite a few beers went through.

Cost activities/sightseeing Mirissa

About 27% of our budget – totaling just over 10,000 rupees – went into activities. Thus, we booked a 90-minute massage at the Secret Spa. We paid 4,250 rupees p.p. for this (about 12 – 18 euros p.p.). Renting a scooter could be arranged at the accommodation and amounted to only 1800 ropies, which is about 5 – 8 euros for a whole day. In Weligama, we rented a surfboard for 2 hours for 300 rupees.

Other costs Mirissa

Because we did everything by public transportation or by our own scooter, the cost of transportation remained very low. For our accommodation, we paid 5,000 rupees per night. This is a bit more expensive than picking normally, but unfortunately, due to the high season, the choice was somewhat limited. However, the accommodation was very clean, spacious, super service and also had air conditioning. If you want to be sure of top accommodation at a low price during the high season, you will have to book many nights in advance.

Practical information about Mirissa

• You pay with the Sri Lankan Rupee(check exchange rates here)
• Download the app PickMe, Sri Lanka’s uber. Also to arrange TukTuks.
• The app TravelSpend is ideal for keeping track of your travel budget.
• Negotiating the price is very common in Sri Lanka. So do this too!
• For a Tuktuk ride, you pay about 100 – 300 rupees (about 1.50 max). This is for a ride of about 5 – 15 minutes.
• They drive LEFT in Sri Lanka. Don’t forget lol.
• At most restaurants, you pay an additional 10% service charge. It is then still customary to tip 5 – 10% (depending on the food and services). Sounds maybe a lot but on average a dinner with drinks costs less than 10 euros incl. service charges. So that one euro you can well spare ;p
• Want to visit a temple? Then keep your clothes in mind. VOor both men and women, legs and shoulders covered. Buy a nice sarong somewhere and make sure you always have it with you.

How to get to Mirissa?

To get from Unawatuna to MIrissa to we took the bus. This is just a 60-minute bus ride and costs about $0.50 per person. If you want a little more comfort, you can also possibly rent an uber, pickme or tuktuk. Numerous buses also run from Tangalle, Hiriketiya, Galle and Weligama.

Coming from Colombo or Negombo, you can easily travel by train to Galle and from there take the bus, cab (uber/pickme) or tuktuk to Mirissa.