Unawatuna to Mirissa: train, bus and taxi compared

How do you get from Unawatuna to Mirissa?

Quick answer: It is about 28 km, roughly 33 minutes in a car with no traffic, along the A2 coast road. The train is the classic choice: Unawatuna has its own station, Mirissa has one too, and the line between them is about 28 km with nine other stations in between on the official station table. A taxi is quickest, a bus is possible, and a tuk-tuk is a long ride for 28 km. We could not verify train or bus times, so check on the day.

This page is about the Unawatuna end to the Mirissa end. Unawatuna is a beach suburb about 5 km from Galle, according to our Galle vs Unawatuna guide. You do not have to go into Galle to get to Mirissa. Unawatuna has its own station on the coast line, and the road runs straight east.

What are the three main ways, side by side?

The road takes you along the A2 and one connecting road, with OSRM listing the A2, the AB41 and the A2 again. The rail line runs close to the sea along most of the way, which is why people like it.

Which stations are on the line between Unawatuna and Mirissa?

The Sri Lanka Railways Coast Line station table gives each station's distance from Colombo Fort. Taking Unawatuna at 119.519 km as the start, here is how far each station on the way to Mirissa is along the line. The figures are our subtraction from the official table, rounded to one decimal.

That is nine stations between the two. Not every train stops at every one; our Ahangama page notes that not every train stops there. If you want to break the trip, Koggala, Ahangama and Weligama are the three that our site covers, and each has its own page. Ask at the ticket window which trains stop at the station you want.

How much is the train?

The published fare table lists fares from Colombo Fort only, so there is no printed Unawatuna to Mirissa fare. For scale, from Colombo Fort the table lists Unawatuna at Rs 950 first class, Rs 500 second and Rs 240 third, and Mirissa at Rs 1,100, Rs 550 and Rs 280. The file is dated July 2022, so confirm at the station. Reserved seats are sold online for trains that offer them, using the Sri Lanka Railways seat reservation site; our Colombo to Galle train guide explains the steps. A short coast hop like this is normally bought at the station counter, but check the day's rules.

Train times could not be confirmed online when we looked, and the railway's own timetable site did not load on 18 and 23 October, according to our getting around guide and our Colombo to Galle train page. Ask at the station or try the seat reservation site on the day.

Can you take the bus from Unawatuna to Mirissa?

Our Unawatuna page quotes the Southern Province tourist bureau saying buses run regularly between Galle and Unawatuna. The bureau does not give times for the coast road to Mirissa, and neither does the NTC list we checked. The route runs on the A2 between Galle and Matara, and Mirissa is on that road, per our Mirissa page. That means a bus toward Matara should pass Mirissa, but we cannot confirm which buses stop where.

How to do it: walk or tuk-tuk to the main road, ask for a bus toward Matara, tell the conductor "Mirissa", and ask the fare before you pay. Do not count on a last bus. We could not verify one.

Taxi or train: a decision rule

1. Two or more people with luggage: take a taxi. One price covers everyone.
2. One person with a daypack, and time: take the train and enjoy the coast.
3. Arriving at Mirissa for a whale boat: go the evening before, by train or taxi. Whale season on our Mirissa page is November to April.
4. Late in the day: book a taxi, because we have no verified last train or bus.
5. Heavy rain: a taxi is dry and avoids waiting on a platform.

Should you skip Galle?

Yes, if you are already in Unawatuna. The OSRM route from Unawatuna to Mirissa is 28.5 km and 33 minutes. From the middle of Galle to Mirissa it is 33.0 km and 36 minutes on the same routing service, so going back into Galle first only adds distance. Our Galle vs Unawatuna guide notes about 5 km between the two places. Use Galle station only if you want a particular train from there. If your hotel is in Unawatuna, use Unawatuna station or the road.

What is the weather this weekend?

On 23 October 2026 the Department of Meteorology, as reported by Colombo Tribune, said rain would continue in the south-west until 27 October. For 24 October it forecast showers or thundershowers at times in the Galle and Matara districts, with a warning about strong gusts and lightning. Unawatuna is in Galle District and Mirissa in Matara District, so both ends are covered. Galle's average October rainfall is 344.5 mm on the WMO 1991 to 2020 normals quoted on our Colombo to Galle train page, the wettest month of the year there. Allow extra time and re-check before you travel.

A sample day: Unawatuna to Mirissa with two stops

This is an outline, with no train times, because we could not verify any.

Check which trains stop at Koggala and Weligama before you plan this, and be ready to switch to a taxi if you are running late. The whole thing is about 28 km of travel, so the day is about the stops and not the distance.

Where next?

Pick where to sleep with our Mirissa page and Unawatuna page, or compare bases in the south coast itinerary. This route runs along the same coast road and rail line as our Mirissa to Galle guide, which covers the Galle to Mirissa hop from the other end. For the way on to Colombo, see our south coast to Colombo transport guide. To start further east, see our Matara to Mirissa guide.