There are 4 ways to get from Chennai to Colombo by subway, plane, train, ferry, or bus
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Subway, fly
best- Take the subway from Cmbt to Airportsubway
- Fly from Chennai International Airport (MAA) to Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB)plane MAA - CMB
4h 13mRs 41,604–91,132Train, ferry
cheapest- Take the train from Chennai Egmore to Nagappattinamtrain
- Take the ferry from Nagapattinam to Kankesanturaiferry
- Take the train from Kankesanturai to Colombo Forttrain
20h 13mRs 24,688–32,057Bus, ferry
- Take the bus from Chennai, Tamil Nadu to Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadubus
- Take the ferry from Nagapattinam to Kankesanturaiferry
- Take the bus from Kankesanturai to Pettahbus
21h 16mTrain, ferry via Perambur
- Take the train from Perambur to Nagappattinamtrain
- Take the ferry from Nagapattinam to Kankesanturaiferry
- Take the train from Kankesanturai to Colombo Forttrain
20h 58mRs 24,709–32,207
Chennai International Airport (MAA) to Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Chennai to Colombo is to train and ferry which costs Rs. 24000 - Rs. 33000 and takes 20h 13m.
The fastest way to get from Chennai to Colombo is to subway and fly which takes 4h 13m and costs Rs. 41000 - Rs. 95000.
The distance between Chennai and Colombo is 692 km.
The best way to get from Chennai to Colombo without a car is to train and ferry which takes 20h 13m and costs Rs. 24000 - Rs. 33000.
It takes approximately 4h 13m to get from Chennai to Colombo, including transfers.
There are 1436+ hotels available in Colombo.
What companies run services between Chennai, India and Colombo, Sri Lanka?
There is no direct connection from Chennai to Colombo. However, you can take the subway to Airport, walk to Madras-Airport-MAA airport, fly to Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB), then take the taxi to Colombo. Alternatively, you can take a train from Chennai Egmore to Colombo Fort via Nagappattinam, Nagapattinam, Kankesanturai, and Kankesanturai in around 20h 13m.
- Website
- goindigo.in
Flights from Chennai International Airport to Bandaranaike International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 21m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- Rs 33,000–75,000
Flights from Chennai International Airport to Bandaranaike International Airport via Bengaluru
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 25m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- Rs 33,000–75,000
- Website
- srilankan.com
Flights from Chennai International Airport to Bandaranaike International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 25m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- Rs 34,000–75,000
- Phone
- 044 2437 8000
- chennaimetrorail@cmrl.in
- Website
- Chennai Metro Rail
Subway from Cmbt to Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 27 min
- Frequency
- Every 20 minutes
- Estimated price
- Rs 100–140
- Website
- Chennai Metro Rail
- Schedules at
- Chennai Metro Rail Timetable
- Standard Fare
- Rs 100–140
- Phone
- 14646
- care@irctc.co.in
- Website
- irctc.co.in
Train from Chennai Egmore to Nagappattinam
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 43m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- Rs 800–6,500
- Website
- irctc.co.in
- Sleeper Class
- Rs 800–950
- Third AC (3A)
- Rs 2,100–2,700
- Second AC (2A)
- Rs 2,900–3,700
- First Class (1A)
- Rs 4,800–6,500
Train from Perambur to Nagappattinam
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 28m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- Rs 800–6,500
- Website
- irctc.co.in
- Sleeper Class
- Rs 800–1,000
- Third AC (3A)
- Rs 2,200–2,700
- Second AC (2A)
- Rs 3,000–3,800
- First Class (1A)
- Rs 5,000–6,500
- Phone
- +94 114 600 111
- Website
- Sri Lanka Railways
Train from Kankesanturai to Colombo Fort
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 52m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- Rs 1,300–3,400
- Website
- Sri Lanka Railways
- 2nd Class Fare
- Rs 1,300–1,900
- 3rd Class Fare
- Rs 1,500–1,900
- Air Conditioned Saloon
- Rs 2,600–3,400
Train from Kankesanturai to Colombo Fort
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 52m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- Rs 1,300–3,400
- Website
- Sri Lanka Railways
- 2nd Class Fare
- Rs 1,300–1,900
- 3rd Class Fare
- Rs 1,500–1,900
- Air Conditioned Saloon
- Rs 2,600–3,400
- Phone
- +91 73055 90999
- olivetravellines@gmail.com
- Website
- Olive Travels Lines
Bus from Chennai, Tamil Nadu to Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 25m
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Website
- Olive Travels Lines
- Phone
- +94 76 714 8292
- ncgexpress@gmail.com
- Website
- ncgexpress.lk
Bus from Kankesanturai to Pettah
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 35m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- Rs 2,700–2,800
- Schedules at
- NCG Express Facebook
- Sleeper/Seater
- Rs 2,700–2,800
- Phone
- 022 - 22026666
- Website
- The Shipping Corporation of India
Ferry from Nagapattinam to Kankesanturai
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- Rs 22,587
- Website
- The Shipping Corporation of India
Ferry from Nagapattinam to Kankesanturai
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- Rs 22,587
- Website
- The Shipping Corporation of India
Ferry from Nagapattinam to Kankesanturai
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- Rs 22,587
- Website
- The Shipping Corporation of India
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