Dambulla, Sri Lanka
Best time to visit: All year
You need: 2 days 

Just a two-and-a-half hour flight from Mumbai lies a discerning traveller's haven — a laidback vibe, verdant hills as far as the naked eye can see, rolling tea estates, pristine beaches and an experimental cuisine to match. Dambulla, a town in the Matale district in central Sri Lanka, relaxes you thoroughly, and it doesn't even have to try.


The Golden Temple at Dambulla has a gargantuan golden Buddha on the outside, flanked by monks draped in orange