• Colombo - Colombo is Sri Lanka’s coastal city

Welcome to Colombo

Although it’s unlikely to reclaim its 19th-century nickname ‘the garden city of the East’, Colombo has emerged as a must-visit destination in Sri Lanka. No longer just a sprawling city to endure on the way to the beaches, it has become a worthy destination in its own right and makes an excellent start – or finish – to your Sri Lanka adventures.

• Galle Face Green - This long open space traditionally faced a narrow beach and the sea. Originally cleared by the Dutch to give the cannons of Fort a clear line of fire, today its broad expanses and promenade are a popular meeting spot. On most days, it’s dotted with kite flyers, bubble blowers, families, and couples, and (especially on Sunday evenings) food vendors at the southern end along the surf offer a variety of deep-fried and briny snacks.

• Old Parliament Building - The Old Parliament Building houses the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka. Situated in the Colombo fort area facing the sea, it is close to the President’s House, Colombo, and adjacent to the General Treasury Building. The building housed the island’s legislature for 53 years until the new parliamentary complex was opened at Sri Jayawardenepura in 1983.

• Colombo National Museum - A large 9th-century stone Buddha greets visitors with an enigmatic smile as they enter Sri Lanka’s premier cultural institution, which improves (in small increments) each year. In galleries dating back as far as 1877, visitors encounter all manner of art, carvings, and statuary from Sri Lanka’s ancient past, as well as swords, guns, and other paraphernalia from the colonial period. There are 19th-century reproductions of English paintings of Sri Lanka and a collection of antique demon masks.

• Viharamahadevi Park - Colombo’s largest park was originally called Victoria Park but was renamed in the 1950s after the mother of King Dutugemunu. It’s notable for its superb flowering trees, which bloom in March, April, and early May. Elephants used for ceremonies sometimes spend the night in the park, chomping on palm branches. It has been given a major sprucing up and now boasts comfy benches (often occupied by caressing couples), walkways, landscaping, and playgrounds. Visitors may even still see the odd snake charmer.

• Seema Malakaya Temple - One of Colombo’s most photographed sights is on an island on the east side of the south Beira Lake. This small but captivating meditation center was designed by Geoffrey Bawa in 1985 and is run by Gangaramaya Temple. The pavilions – one filled with Thai bronze Buddhas, another centered on a bodhi tree and four Brahmanist images – are especially striking when illuminated at night. New additions appear less sympathetic to the poetic original.

• Gangaramaya (Vihara) Buddhist Temple - Run by one of Sri Lanka’s more politically adept monks, Galboda Gnanissara Thera, this bustling temple complex has a library, a museum, and an extraordinarily eclectic array of bejeweled and gilded gifts presented by devotees and well-wishers over the years (plus one lonely and chained temple elephant named Ganga). Gangaramaya is the focus of the Navam Perahera on the February poya (full moon) day each year. This is the center for the most extravagant Vesak celebrations in Colombo.

• Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct - The centerpiece of the vibrant Fort, this colonial-era complex dates back to the early 1600s. Lavishly restored, it is home to shops, cafes, and restaurants run by some of Colombo’s best operators. Enjoy a pause for a cold drink amid the incredibly thick columns of its arcades. There’s an annex in a 19th-century British building on the backside that faces Chatham St.

• Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque - In the heart of Pettah, the decorative 1909 Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque is a show-stopper with its candy-striped red-and-white brickwork. Guards will usually let visitors in for a look, except during peak prayer times on Friday (women may be denied entrance at other times as well). Afterwards, have a coffee at one of the Halal cafes across the way.

• St Anthony’s Church - One of the city’s most interesting shrines is St Anthony’s Church. Outside it looks like a typical Portuguese Catholic Church, but inside the atmosphere is distinctly subcontinental. There are heaving queues of devotees offering puja (offerings or prayers) to a dozen ornate statues; a likeness of St Anthony said to be endowed with miraculous qualities is the center of devotions from people of many faiths.

• Lotus Tower - Casting a shadow over Slave Island, the 350m Lotus Tower is set to open sometime in 2018. With a bulbous top meant to resemble the namesake blossom, this soaring structure (24m taller than the Eiffel Tower) will have telecommunications equipment and an array of tourist attractions, including an observation deck at the top and a restaurant at the base. Like most other recent mega-projects in Sri Lanka, it is being financed by China.

• Independence Memorial Hall - A large memorial building to Sri Lanka’s 1948 independence from Britain, this huge stone edifice is loosely based on Kandy’s Audience Hall. It’s now at the center of buzz due to the glitzy new Arcade Independence Square shopping mall just south.

• Colombo Port City - The huge dredges seen working offshore of Fort and Galle Face Green are building the initial stages of this enormous 269-hectare addition to the city. At an untold cost of billions to the Chinese investors, this glossy new neighborhood is envisaged to be a home of commercial high rises, glossy condos, canals, recreation areas, and much more. It’s already blocking views of the Indian Ocean and could well make Fort a landlocked precinct.

• Laksala - The Sri Lanka Handicraft Board, popularly known as “LAKSALA,” has been promoting the sale of local handicrafts through their showrooms spread island-wide and providing the essential market linkage to traditional craftsmen to market their products since its inception in 1964. Laksala is a “State-owned Gift & Souvenir Boutique.”

• Ceylon Sapphires - Sri Lanka is a major exporter of precious stones in the world. The gem industry in Sri Lanka has been in existence for over 2,500 years. Made popular by the late Princess Diana with her striking blue sapphire engagement ring, this dazzling stone remains a highly favored gem.

• Bottled water
• In-vehicle air conditioning

• Alcoholic drinks
• Gratuities (optional)

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