Colombo Hotels

The Colombo Rundown

In the compact island nation of Sri Lanka, it all radiates from Colombo. All, of course, being glorious Brahmanic Tamil monuments, protohistoric Iron Age excavations, sacred Buddhist sites, unspoilt coasts, deep montane forests and singular endemic wildlife. Indisputably, per square mile, few places on Earth offer more.

The glimmers of ancient worlds and pockets of lush, super biodiversity that shape the mien of the former Dominion of Ceylon have a vibrant pulse point. More than a quarter of Sri Lanka’s 20 million plus populace lives in metro Colombo. The commercial capital and urban nucleus wields untold economic and political influence over the rest of the country and is the de facto gateway of record for visitors.

As introductions go, Colombo exerts an uncommon impression. The city distills the most notable and, admittedly, less desirable aspects of Sri Lanka into a rich cultural collage, fraught with sprightly action. To get a sense of heady Colombo, look around. Architecture, in part, tells the story of the city, from passé monuments of the colonial past to ornate Hindu temples, markets to mosques. Tangibly modern yet elusively exotic, Colombo is awash in the kind of contradictions that reward nervy forays out your front door.

Colombo’s Top 10

Colombo History

• Sri Kailawasanathar Swami Devasthanam – The oldest Hindu temple in the city, containing shrines for Shiva and Ganesh.
• Independence Hall – Built to commemorate Sri Lanka’s independence in 1948.
• Sapumal Foundation – Formally the home of artist Harry Pieris, it now houses Sri Lankan art.
• Fort – An ancient fort that now houses the World Trade Centre and other organizations.
• Colombo National Museum – Houses elements of one of the oldest Asian civilizations in Sri Lanka.

Colombo Art & Culture

• Celebration of Buddha’s Birth – Yearly festival in May that features a week of celebrations, including lantern competitions.
• WOMAD – Annual festival in March called the World of Music, Arts and Dance. It pulls drummers and percussionists from all around the world to celebrate the island’s association with drums.
• Lionel Wendt Art Gallery – Charity gallery featuring the work of local artists.
• Namel Malini Punchi Theatre – Features shows produced by local art talent.
• National Museum – Contains art, carvings and statues from throughout Sri Lanka’s past, including a collection of antique demon masks.

Colombo Shopping

• Pettah – Colombo’s bazaar district, which is lined with stalls offering jewellery, handbags, household items and more.
• Laksala Emporium – A great place to find handmade crafts like wooden masks and batik.
• Crascat Boulevard – A large-scale mall with grocery store, salons, food court, coffee shops and spas.
• House of Fashion – Three-level outlet mall with designer clothing as affordable prices.
• Barefoot – Shop of designer Barbara Sansoni that sells bedspreads, notebooks, albums and other household goods.

Colombo Gay & Lesbian

• Companions on a Journey – A local LGBT group that organize social get-togethers for the local community.
• Andrees Tours – A gay- and lesbian-friendly tour company that organizes trips around Sri Lanka.
• Lush – A mixed gay and lesbian club that is popular with locals.
• Colombo Gay Pride Week – Held in June every year in the Mount Lavinia area.
• The Gallery Cafe – Former office of famous homosexual Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa.

Colombo Outdoor

• Galle Face Green – A long, narrow park south of the fort and next to the coast, lined with palm trees.
• A Baur and Co. – Specializes in bird-watching tours.
• National Zoological Gardens – Founded in 1936, it houses a variety of birds and animals, such as amphibians and butterflies.
• Mount Lavinia Beach – Resort area where you may be able to swim in the water.
• Viharamahadevi Park – Named after the mother of King Dutugemunu, it has beautiful trees that bloom in March, April and May.

Colombo Sport

• Play 18 holes of golf at the Water’s Edge Golf and Country Club or the Royal Colombo Golf Club.
• Spend the day diving, mountain biking, canoeing or kayaking.
• Love to run? Go jogging around the city with the Hash House Harriers.
• If you like to watch cricket, then watch the Sinhalese Sports Club play.
• Watch the Colombo Swimming Club practice and compete.

Colombo Local

The demographics on Colombo tell the story. The city proper contains less than 700,000 people, with 5 million more spread out over a roughly-defined metropolitan area. Colombo is a big city, in other words, with inherent enclaves of interest to explore well beyond the 37 km² that delineate the core. An intimate knowledge of the central city districts, however, is helpful.

Cinnamon Gardens is the upscale embassy district of the city, home to government officials, wealthy business executives and expats, not to mention a host of wonderful attractions. The former cinnamon plantation is the elegant home of Independence Hall, the Prime Minister's Office, National Gallery, National Museum, Town Hall and expansive University of Colombo campus.

Fort designates the busy central business district of Colombo and is where a slew of household-name landmarks unfurl. From the Colombo Stock Exchange to the World Trade Centre of Colombo, Galle Face Green promenade to the General Post Office, Bank of Ceylon headquarters to the President’s House, Fort is a peerless mixture of architecture from every era of the city.

Slave Island is directly south of Fort and is a popular leisure, entertainment and tourist area of Colombo. The home of Beira Lake is full of hotels, restaurants and shops and, as such, lures big weekend and holiday crowds.

Kollupitiya was, for a time, the district of choice for some of the most prominent and influential members of Sri Lankan society. The Maha Nuge Gardens area, in particular, was a place of tremendous artistic and political community activism in the 1960s and 1970s. Kollupitiya is still fashionable today and contains a few upmarket malls and foreign embassies.

Borella is the biggest of all Colombo suburbs and contains a few noteworthy attractions, such as Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Cricket Stadium, Borella Kanatte Cemetery, Gothami On Wikipedia,Viharaya On Wikipedia Buddhist Temple and the Royal Colombo Golf Club.

The presence of unmistakable Jami Ul Alfar Mosque makes Pettah a district of perennial interest. The mosque is far from the only gem here, however, as Khan Clock Tower, Pettah Market and a parade of bazaars confirm.

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia is metro Colombo’s shiny new enclave of middle-class urban expansion and tourism growth, with copious beach-side real estate projects and mixed-use developments in the works. Home to the National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka.

Colombo Eat & Drink

Spectacular pluralism is a consistent recipe for a lively food scene and, in this regard, Colombo delivers. While Sri Lanka is not the plantation nation it once was - crops account for a mere 15% of all exports, in contrast to 90% plus in 1970 - the fact that tea and coffee still flourish in the UNESCO World Heritage Central Highlands is of paramount importance. Restaurants and cafés in the city evince a variety of moods, from grand colonial tea rooms to humble roti street stalls.

Colombo Events

Mount Lavinia has become a gay district par excellence in Colombo and hosts a Pride festival every June.

The World Spice Festival commemorates the eclectic culinary heritage of Sri Lanka with a stellar line-up of events that feature chefs from every corner of the globe.

Deepavali or Diwali is the Hindu “Festival of Light” and occurs anytime from mid-October to mid-November. Colombo marks the holiday with particular zeal.

The observance of Sinhala and Tamil New Year each April is a time for feasts and important religious services throughout the city and country.

Aadi Vel Festival is a colourful Hindu celebration that takes over city streets with lively processions and performances. Held in July.

Independence Day, on February 4, marks the formation of the modern nation-state we now know as Sri Lanka.

Full Moon Poya days in Colombo and Sri Lanka honour the Buddhist tradition of spiritual communion throughout the most felicitous phase of the lunar cycle. Special temple services and processions abound every full moon, as a result.

When To Go

Colombo has a classic tropical rainforest climate, with even temperatures throughout the year and two notable wet seasons. May to August and October to January typically feature the bulk of annual precipitation, with above average rainfall in May, October and November.

Temperatures range from 72°F (23°C) to 88°F (31°C) throughout the year but, as always with a wet and dry monsoon climate, humidity is a major factor.

Nearby resorts on the breezy coast and cool highland escapes both offer a welcome respite from Colombo’s urban furnace.

What To Miss

The suburban beach-side restaurants up and down the Colombo coast often reek of the worst kind of tourist trap practices. Savvy locals and expats will suggest you find sustenance at less ostentatious and desperate haunts. As is the case with many a city, the grungy hole-in-the-wall full of locals usually serves the best food.

Street performers, snake charmers in particular, have a bad reputation scam-wise and, furthermore, do harm to the animals they profess to venerate.

In the same mold, Dehiwala Zoo, or the National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka, is not up for any best practices awards. If you cringe at the mere thought of animals behind bars, stay away. Sri Lanka has more than enough wild biodiversity to admire in the highlands.

Getting Around

Bandaranaike International Airport, outside of Negombo, is the only international airport in Sri Lanka, which makes Colombo a requisite first stop for most. The hub provides passenger service to a wide range of destinations, from Chennai to Moscow, Amsterdam to Hong Kong. A train runs from the airport to Fort district.

National bus service provides visitors access to the rest of Sri Lanka, most notably UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Kandy, Galle, and the Central Highlands.

Within the city, the omnipresent tri-shaws offer speedy, effective and cheap transport.

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