The final stop on my two-week tour of Sri Lanka was Colombo. Located on the west coat, the bustling and sprawling capital makes an excellent place to start or end your time in Sri Lanka — especially if you've been craving city life and culture. Like many other visitors, my itinerary only allowed for a 24-hour stay in Colombo but there is plenty to see and do, as well as many great places to eat, drink and shop.
I like to start two-week trips to a new country with a stay in the capital city: I find it helps me to get my bearings for the country faster. But for Sri Lanka, it suited my itinerary better to head straight to the Cultural Triangle and then return to Colombo at the end. My flight home wasn't until after 3 am, which meant I could arrive the evening before and have a (very) full day in the city. Keep on reading for my recommendations of the best things to do on a short stay in Colombo, as well as tips for dining, shopping, accommodation and specialty coffee.
THINGS TO DO IN COLOMBO
Take a walking tour with a local expert
I love taking walking tours whenever I travel and Colombo Walks didn't disappoint. My three-hour tour with local guide Harold took me through many of the places of historical, political and cultural significance around the Fort area, with many different examples of contrasting architectural styles, from Portuguese to Dutch, English and more contemporary.
We started near the Dutch Hospital and the Old Colombo Lighthouse (no longer a functioning lighthouse, but sometimes a functioning clock tower), past the President's House (where the newly elected president was getting settled in) and the former general post office. And yes, of course there were more Duran Duran filming locations!
We stopped for tea at the Grand Oriental Hotel — once regarded as "the best equipped hotel in the Orient," although rather less grand these days — and then headed to the bustling Pettah market district. After taking a peak at the stunning Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque, also known as the Red Mosque, we wandered among market stalls while Harold told me more stories about the history of Colombo.
Although it would have been even better to take the tour at the start of my holiday, Harold's tour was super-interesting and helped fill in a lot of gaps in the history and culture, not just of Colombo, but of the whole of Sri Lanka. The tour costs about $30 per person (payable in cash in rupees), including tea, a snack and a king coconut at the market. I took the 6:45 am tour to make the most of my day and to try to beat the oppressive Colombo heat.
Explore Sri Lanka's heritage
After my walking, on Harold's recommendation, I took a tuk tuk to the Cinnamon Gardens area. I started at the Town Hall, which is nicknamed the White House — you'll see why when you get there, although from the side, it looks more like the US Capitol Building. I then took a stroll through Viharamahadevi Park and passing the giant Buddha statue and a small city farm with almost as many horses as Nuwara Eliya!
After lunch, I headed over to Independence Square, visiting Independence Memorial Hall, which was established to commemorate Sri Lanka's independence from British colonial rule in 1948. It's free to enter and although there's not a huge amount to see, it's worth a short visit, followed by a stroll through the park that surrounds it.
A very Good Market
If you're in Colombo on a Saturday, check out Good Market, located near Independence Square. There's a big variety of different stalls selling everything from clothes and skincare products to lamprais and lavender lemonade (very refreshing). I picked up a couple of small souvenirs and lunched on a delicious egg dosa with curry.
Take in the sunset from Galle Face Green
I arrived on the train from Galle just before sunset, checked into my hotel and, noticing that the sky was on fire with vibrant pink and orange hues, headed straight back out to the seafront. I hadn't realised that a relatively new financial hub, called Port City, occupies some of the land nearest to Fort, so it took me a little longer to get to the beach itself. The stunning sunset was worth the dash!
If you're staying at the Galle Face Hotel, that's an excellent spot for sunset (listen out for the bagpipes!). I spent the afternoon at the pool at the Shangri-La Hotel, paying for a guest pass to use the pool, spa and gym (10,750 LKR, or about £27, but well worth it as I was about to melt from the heat and humidity after a long day exploring Colombo). The sunset wasn't quite as amazing that evening, not least because the heavens were about to open big time, but the Shangri-La's pool still offered lovely views of Galle Face Green and the sea.
Shop for gorgeous gifts — and gifts to self!
I wouldn't normally recommend going out of your way in a large city to visit one shop, but Barefoot is worth the trip, especially if you didn't visit their Galle branch. They sell a wide array of handwoven clothes, accessories, souvenirs and homewares in beautiful, bright colours. I'd already bought quite a lot of items at Barefoot Galle and my suitcase was full but I managed to find space in my backpack for a few more purchases. The Colombo store is set over several levels and also has a lovely garden cafe.
The Pettah district is a good place for market shopping and if the rain and/or heat are getting to you, try the air-conditioned One Galle Face mall, which has a huge selection of shops of all kinds, including branches of Odel (clothes) and Spa Ceylon (Ayurvedic skincare and bath and body products).
FOOD & DRINK IN COLOMBO
I'd planned to dine at Ministry of Crab, which was near my hotel. But when I arrived in Colombo, I fancied something quicker and more casual. Luckily, Pillawoos Hotel was just around the block — 'hotel' in the Sri Lankan sense of a café or eatery. They have an extensive menu of Sri Lankan dishes and everything is super-cheap. I had ordered the string hoppers egg kottu (string hoppers being steamed rice flour noodles, stir-fried in this dish with egg and veg) and a mango lassi to temper the local-level spice. I paid about £2 for the lot. On my Colombo Walks walking tour, we stopped here too for a breakfast snack. The egg samosa I had was one of the tastiest things I ate all trip!
My early walking tour meant that by 11 am I was getting hungry, so I decided to stop for specialty coffee and brunch at Cafe Kumbuk, a coffee shop recommended by Colombo roaster Temple Grounds, who supply their coffee. I had a delicious flat white, brewed with Sri Lankan-grown coffee, and a very fine avocado toast. The staff are all very friendly and welcoming, and the colourful cafe has a lovely garden and a small shop, where you can pick up a few gift items, as well as coffee beans (and coffee granola).
Just down the road is another coffee shop on my list: Department of Coffee (no relation to the London coffee company with the similar name!). Their blissfully cool upstairs coffee bar is a peaceful temple of coffee, away from the hustle, bustle and heat outside. Their brunch menu is great but as I'd just brunched, I stuck to the coffee. I ordered a single-origin Rwandan coffee, which tasted great brewed through the V60. They have several locations in Colombo, as well as one in Kandy that I didn't have time to visit.
After spending the afternoon by the pool at the Shangri-La Hotel, I'd planned to head out for dinner before my flight home, but I ended up having to wait out a thunderstorm at the Tiki Bar. Given the weather, it felt appropriate to order the Tropical Storm (whisky, coriander, arrack, caramel and Ayurdedic herb bitters), which got a big thumbs up from me. From the 'bites' menu, I ordered the popcorn shrimp (I needed comfort food) and asked the waiter if I should get something else too. He said no, which was lucky, because I got a massive tiki boatload of shrimp. I was there for a couple of hours so I did eat most of it!
WHERE TO STAY IN COLOMBO
As I only spent one night in Colombo and wasn't planning to spend much time in my room, I prioritised location (close to Fort station and the Dutch Hospital) and price. My deluxe double room at the Zest Metropole cost about £50 (no breakfast included) and, like the hotel itself, it was relatively small but modern, comfortable and well-appointed. There was a rooftop terrace, although I found that the Colombo city view improved after dark.
With hindsight, I do wish I'd booked a hotel with a pool. I didn't think it was necessary after all the pool and beach time I'd had on the trip, but it was so hot on my second day in Colombo and I didn't leave for the airport until almost midnight, so a pool would have been great. I almost booked the historic Galle Face Hotel, which has a pool and which only cost just over £100 on the night I was looking at, but my budget-conscious side stepped in.
I did visit the Galle Face Hotel (pictured above) when searching for a swimming pool. Although their pool is for guests only, their lovely staff gave me a refreshing welcome drink and cool cloth while I tried to cool off under the air conditioning in the lobby.
Instead, I headed to the Shangri-La, where I bought a day pass for the pool and spa for about £25. The pool was nice and had good views of the ocean and Galle Face. The spa was incredibly elegant and I spent a happy few hours there, before heading to the Tiki Bar to watch the football and sip a cocktail or two. If you're looking for a luxury hotel for your Colombo stay, the Shangi-La would be a great choice.
Other Colombo hotels I considered included the Cinnamon Red Colombo, the Jetwing Colombo Seven and the Kingsbury, all of which have swimming pools. And if you're skipping Colombo altogether but need somewhere near the airport, the Jetwing Lagoon would be my pick in Negombo.
GETTING THERE & AROUND
Central Colombo is about 45 minutes to one hour from Bandaranaike International Airport by taxi, but you should allow more time during peak hours. For the return journey, taxis and tuk tuks are readily available but as I was almost out of cash, I needed to order by Uber, which is also quite a lot cheaper. Note, though, that after accepting your fare, drivers may tell you they will only take payment in cash even if you booked with a credit card. It took me three goes to get a driver who was willing for me to pay by card (I ended up tipping him my remaining rupees, which made up for the cut that Uber takes).
If you're travelling from Colombo to other destinations in Sri Lanka, you should definitely consider the train. Journey times are about two to three hours to Galle, 2.5 hours to Kandy, six hours to Nanu Oya (for Nuwara Eliya) and nine hours to Ella. Trains often run late so allow plenty of extra time and I would avoid taking a very long train journey on the day you fly home.
But train travel is also very cheap, pretty comfortable and often offers scenic views. I took the train from Galle (500 LKR, or about £1.30) and enjoyed the views of the palm-fringed coastline at golden hour. Galle Fort station is walkable if you're staying in the Fort area but you'll probably need a tuk tuk if you're staying further afield.
To get to Sigiriya and the Cultural Triangle, you can either take the train to Habarana, which is very cheap and takes about four to five hours, or you can book a taxi transfer. I used Less Taxi to travel from the airport to Habarana, which cost about £45 and took just over 3.5 hours. It's very easy to book and communicate with Less Taxi via WhatsApp and the drivers I had were always reliable, careful and spoke good English.
Within Colombo, tuk tuks and taxis are ubiquitous — indeed, they're hard to avoid! Drivers will often try to upsell you with a half-day or full-day city tour if you are so inclined (on day 15 of my trip, I was not). The Uber and PickMe apps work well in Colombo but, as I mentioned above, don't be surprised if drivers cancel if you can't or don't want to pay cash.
NEED TO KNOW
For packing tips, check out my Sri Lanka packing guide or my recommendations of tried-and-tested products for travel.
Electricity. Sri Lanka uses two main plug sockets: type D (with three round pins) and type G (with three rectangular pins, also used in the UK). All but one of the hotels I stayed in on this trip had sockets that supported type G plugs, but I packed a type D adapter just in case.
Time zone. Sri Lanka Standard Time is 5.5 hours ahead of GMT. There is no daylight savings time, which means the country is 4.5 hours ahead of the UK during British Summer Time.
Wifi/mobile data. A free 30GB Mobitel eSIM card was included with my airport transfer, which gave me good 4G coverage throughout my trip; download speeds were often better than the hotel wifi. If I hadn't had the free SIM, I would have used my favourite eSIM provider, Airalo. I've used their eSIMs in various countries across three continents and always appreciate the convenience and reasonable pricing that they offer. Want to try Airalo on your next trip? Sign up using my referral code — REBECC3024 — and we both get $3 credit.
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