Sri Lanka has no shortage of stunning seaside towns. One of them is Trincomalee, a beach town located on the East Coast of the country, which suffered greatly during the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009). Nowadays, Trinco, as locals like to call it, has put its difficult past behind and looks to a future of welcoming travellers from all over the world. Trincomalee is a laid-back destination which is a lot quieter than the beach towns of Sri Lanka’s Southern Coast. That said, it is equally fascinating. We spent 2 days there. If you wonder what to do in Trincomalee, here’s our guide to Sri Lanka’s popular yet not at all crowded beach resort.

Katerina and I have been travelling together for more than 10 years now. With the exception of our trip to Egypt in 2010, we have only travelled within Europe. Which is great considering there are tons of things to do in Europe. But, once you catch the travel bug, there is no going back. So, early this year, we decided it was about time we went somewhere outside of Europe. I wanted to cross the Atlantic to the Americas but Katerina wanted to fly over the Indian Ocean and land in Asia instead. She won. But why visit Sri Lanka on this first trip to Asia of ours?