Sri Lanka Travel Guide

20 Best Places to Visit in Colombo

Temples on the water, a 356-metre lotus in the skyline, a Dutch hospital turned dining quarter, and the best crab you will eat anywhere. Here is how to spend your days in Sri Lanka’s commercial capital.

Colombo is the most densely inhabited city in Sri Lanka, home to over two million people. It sits on the west coast of the island, just south of the Kelani River, and holds the Port of Colombo — the largest and one of the busiest ports in the country.

It is also where the island does business. The headquarters of local and foreign banks, the Insurance Corporation, brokerage firms and government corporations are all based here, which makes Colombo the commercial centre and a focal point of government activity.

For travellers, that mix is exactly what makes the city interesting. In a single day you can climb the tallest tower in South Asia, wander a 17th-century Dutch colonial quarter, meditate beside a lake temple, and end up eating chilli crab at a table with a view of the kitchen.

A short history of Colombo

Long before it became a capital, Colombo was a name that travelling merchants already knew. Traders from India, Greece, Persia, Rome, Arabia and China were familiar with this harbour more than 2,000 years ago.

1. 5th century CE

   The Chinese traveller Faxian refers to the harbour as Gaolanbu — the first documented record of the location.

2. Around the 7th century

   Arab traders begin settling in Colombo, drawn by the harbour and the spice routes.

3. 1344

   The Arab adventurer Ibn Battuta visits Sri Lanka and writes a travelogue about his stay, in which Colombo appears as Kalanpu.

4. 1505

   Portuguese explorers under Dom Lourenço de Almeida make their first expedition into Sri Lanka.

5. 1656

   The Dutch take Colombo after a long siege, leaving behind the architecture you can still walk through in Fort today.

6. 1948

   The country gains independence and Colombo keeps its role as capital.

7. 1978

   Administrative activities move to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, and Colombo is recognised as Sri Lanka’s commercial capital.

The 20 places, at a glance

01

Lotus Tower

The tallest completed tower in South Asia

The newest and most striking addition to the Colombo skyline stands 356 metres (1,168 ft) tall with a floor area of 30,600 m². Built in the shape of a lotus bud and opened to the public seven years after construction began, it serves as a communication, observation and recreation centre across 10.5 acres.

Inside, the lower level holds bars, restaurants and gift shops. Higher up there is a reception hall seating around 400 people and a revolving restaurant. The real draw is the observation deck — the highest in the country, and the best way to understand how the city is laid out before you start exploring it.

• Tallest tower in South Asia
• 11th tallest in Asia
• 19th tallest in the world
• Best at sunset

02

Galle Face Green

Half a kilometre of oceanfront in the middle of the city

This five-hectare stretch along the Indian Ocean was originally laid out by the Dutch as a line of cannon fire against the Portuguese, and covered far more ground than it does today. In 1859 Sir Henry George Ward, then governor of British Ceylon, ordered a promenade built along the beach so that women and children could walk it freely. Over the years the grounds have hosted horse racing, golf, polo and rugby.

Today it is Colombo’s largest open space and its most sociable one. Street food vendors line the edge selling freshly cooked crab and prawns, and the sunsets come with a sky full of kites flown by locals.

• Free entry
• Go late afternoon
• Try isso wade

03

Colombo Independence Square

Built in 1948 to mark the end of British rule

At the centre of the square stands Independence Memorial Hall, designed in traditional Sri Lankan architecture. Its pillars are decorated with elephants and lions that trace the history of Sri Lankan Buddhism, and 60 stone-carved lions surround the hall — each one a symbol of the Sinhalese people and the kings of Sri Lanka.

The statue of D. S. Senanayake, the country’s first prime minister and “Father of the Nation,” sits at the top of the structure. Early mornings bring joggers and families; it is one of the calmest corners of the city.

• Free entry
• Popular morning walk
• Mall next door

04

Gangaramaya Temple

Colombo’s most important cultural landmark

Founded in the late 19th century by the scholar monk Hakkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera, Gangaramaya sits beside Beira Lake in the centre of the city. Its architecture is a deliberate fusion of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian and Chinese styles, and the complex includes a museum, a library, a residential hall and an educational hall.

It is not only a place of worship. Students attend vocational training programmes here daily, which makes it a working part of the city rather than a monument to be looked at.

• Cover shoulders and knees
• Remove shoes
• Small entry donation

05

Seema Malakaya

A temple built on platforms floating in Beira Lake

Seema Malakaya was first built in the 19th century as one of Gangaramaya’s outer structures. When the original began to sink, the architect Geoffrey Bawa rebuilt it in 1976, drawing on the old forest monasteries of Ritigala and Anuradhapura for its form.

It is used mainly for meditation and quiet rather than worship, and the water on all sides gives you one of the best views of the city from the middle of it.

• Two minutes from Gangaramaya
• Excellent for photos
• Quietest early morning

06

Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara

Seven miles from the city, with roots going back to 500 BC

Buddhists believe Lord Buddha visited Kelaniya on his third and final journey to Sri Lanka. According to the Mahawansa, the original Kelaniya Stupa enclosed a jewel-encrusted chair from which the Buddha gave sermons. The temple flourished during the Kotte period, lost much of its land under Portuguese rule, and was rebuilt during the Dutch era with support from King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha.

It is best known for its reclining Gautama Buddha statue and for the murals by Sri Lankan artist Solias Mendis, which depict key moments in the Buddha’s life and the arrival of Buddhism on the island.

• About 30 min from Fort
• Dress modestly
• Murals worth the trip

07

Old Dutch Hospital

A 17th-century hospital, now the best place to eat in Fort

Built by the Dutch in the late 17th century, this is one of the oldest structures in the Colombo Fort district. It was constructed to look after the health of Dutch East India Company employees, and its 50 cm-thick brick walls are a clear example of the period’s architecture.

Today the courtyards hold restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating, bars and gift shops. It sits in the middle of Colombo, so a short walk or tuk tuk ride gets you there. Evenings and dinner are when it comes alive.

• Best after 6pm
• Walkable from Fort
• Shops and bars on site

08

Khan Clock Tower

The gateway to Pettah Market

This four-storey landmark marks the entrance to Pettah and was built in the early twentieth century by the family of Framjee Bhikhajee Khan. The Khans were a Parsi family from Bombay who ran the well-known Colombo Oil Mills along with other business interests in Ceylon.

The tower once included a working water fountain, no longer in use. It stands on a landscaped roundabout and makes an easy meeting point before you head into the market.

• Free to view
• Good landmark to meet at

09

Pettah Shopping District

Also known as Manning Market

Pettah is one of the busiest areas in Colombo and it can feel chaotic on first arrival. The trick is knowing which street sells what — get that right and you leave with good things at surprisingly low prices.

Stock ranges from electronics to fashion accessories, and the traders deal in everything from seasonal fruit and vegetables to seafood and meat. Streets are broadly organised by category, so it pays to walk a full loop before you buy anything.

• Bargaining expected
• Go in the morning
• Keep valuables secure

10

Pettah Floating Market

Waterside stalls on the edge of Pettah

Set along a canal beside Bastian Mawatha, the floating market gives you the colour of Pettah trading without the crush of the main streets. Stalls sit over and along the water, selling snacks, drinks, clothing and souvenirs.

It is a comfortable place to sit down for twenty minutes with a king coconut after the market, and an easy stop to combine with the Khan Clock Tower and Fort.

• Next to Pettah bus stand
• Good for street snacks
• Quieter than the main market

11

National Museum of Colombo

Founded in 1877

Also known as the Sri Lanka National Museum, this two-storey white European-style building holds more than 20 display spaces. The replacement structure was completed in 1980.

The collection covers cultural treasures from across the island’s historical eras — the armour of the last King of Kandy, the Sinhalese throne, and Chinese porcelain recovered from sites around the country. If you only have time for one museum in Sri Lanka, make it this one.

• Allow 2 hours
• Ticketed entry
• Beside Viharamahadevi Park

12

Viharamahadevi Park

The oldest and largest park in the city

Laid out in front of the Town Hall and named after the mother of King Dutugemunu, Viharamahadevi is where Colombo goes to slow down. Wide lawns, mature flowering trees and a golden Buddha statue facing the Town Hall make it an easy pause between museum visits.

Come in March and April, when the trees flower, and the whole park changes colour.

• Free entry
• Shaded seating
• Next to the museum

13

Red Mosque (Jami Ul-Alfar)

Pettah’s red-and-white candy-striped landmark

Completed in the early 1900s, the Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque is one of the most photographed buildings in Colombo — a striped red-and-white facade of domes and towers rising straight out of the Pettah market streets. Sailors once used it as a landmark to identify the port.

It remains an active place of worship, so visit outside prayer times, dress modestly, and ask before entering.

• Avoid Friday prayers
• Modest dress required
• Heart of Pettah

14

Colombo Dunes ATV Track

Sand dunes and a beach ride beside Port City

Set across roughly five acres near Port City Colombo, the track covers three two-kilometre racetracks through sand dunes. What makes it unusual is the exclusive beach ride on Sri Lanka’s first man-made beach.

The three adventure routes range from beginner to expert. No previous experience is needed — riders sign a disclaimer, and anyone unfamiliar with the acceleration and braking controls is given instruction first.

• Beginner to expert routes
• No experience needed
• Disclaimer required

15

Port City Marina Promenade

The newest walk in Colombo

The Marina Promenade is the most recent addition to the city’s public spaces, and it has been taken up by locals and visitors alike. A few hours wandering here is one of the more relaxing things you can do on a family holiday in Sri Lanka.

It also works well as exercise ground — the open landscaping and long walking trail suit both solo runs and group workouts.

• Great for jogging
• Sea breeze all day
• Free and open

16

One Galle Face Mall

One of the largest shopping complexes in Colombo

This contemporary complex holds a large retail area, a leisure zone, a food court, a children’s play area and on-site parking. If you want to shop or simply get out of the afternoon heat, this is the place.

It also houses a set of modern cinemas worth a visit if you like film, along with four event spaces, an art gallery, three play areas, a café and an activity zone called Adventure Zone.

• Air-conditioned
• Cinema on site
• Good rainy-day option

17

Arcade Independence Square

Colonial buildings turned shopping arcade

Just south of Independence Square sits this restored colonial-era complex, now a modern shopping centre with branded stores, cafés and restaurants arranged around open courtyards and lawns.

The white buildings are lit in the evening, which makes it a pleasant place to end a day that began with the museum and the park a short walk away.

• Branded shopping
• Lit up after dark
• Walk from Independence Square

18

Diyatha Uyana

A lakeside park in Battaramulla

On the edge of the Diyawanna Lake near the parliament complex, Diyatha Uyana is a landscaped waterfront park with walking paths, a plant and flower market, and a row of food stalls that fill up in the evening.

It is where Colombo families come after work, which makes it a good place to see the everyday side of the city rather than the tourist one.

• Best in the evening
• Street food stalls
• Plant market on site

19

Ministry of Crab

Named among the world’s top 50 restaurants

If you love crab and think of yourself as a serious eater, this is the meal to book. Its inclusion on a list of the Top 50 Restaurants in the World put it firmly at the front of Colombo’s seafood scene, and it sits inside the beautifully restored, nearly 400-year-old Dutch hospital close to the port.

Sit at the large communal tables facing the kitchen and watch the order come together, or take a spot on the veranda, which is at its best after dark.

• Book well ahead
• Inside the Dutch Hospital
• Dinner is the main event

20

Beira Lake & the Fort waterfront

The lake the city was built around

Beira Lake sits in the middle of Colombo and ties together several places on this list — Gangaramaya on one bank, Seema Malakaya on the water, and Pettah just to the north. The Portuguese used it to defend the city; today swan pedal boats cross it at sunset.

Walk the eastern edge in the late afternoon and you get the whole city in one frame: temple, lake, high-rises and the Lotus Tower behind them.

• Pedal boats available
• Links three temple sites
• Best light at sunset

Planning your day in Colombo

Colombo is compact enough to cover in a day if you group your stops by area. Here is how we usually build it for our guests.

Common questions

How many days do you need in Colombo?

One full day covers the main landmarks if you plan the route by area. Two days lets you add the ATV track, Kelaniya Temple and time for shopping without rushing.

What is the best way to get around the city?

Tuk tuks work well for short hops within Fort and Pettah. For a full day of sightseeing, a private A/C vehicle with a driver is far more comfortable — traffic is heavy and the stops are spread out. Every Ceylon Hunt tour includes an A/C vehicle and an SLTDA-approved driver-guide.

What should I wear when visiting temples?

Shoulders and knees covered at Gangaramaya, Seema Malakaya, Kelaniya and the Red Mosque. Shoes come off before entering shrine areas, so slip-ons save time. Hats are removed as well.

Is Colombo worth visiting if I only have a week in Sri Lanka?

Yes — usually as a first or last day. Most travellers land at Bandaranaike International Airport, about 45 minutes north of the city, so Colombo fits naturally at either end of a round tour before you head to the hill country or the south coast.

When is the best time of year to visit?

December to March is driest on the west coast, which is when Colombo is at its most comfortable. Rain in other months tends to come in short heavy bursts rather than all day, so it rarely ruins a plan.