Colombo
Sri Lanka's port and commercial capital, laid out by the British on the bones of a Portuguese and Dutch fort, with a green on the ocean front and a ring of new towers around it.
- Arrival
- Bandaranaike International · CMB
- To the city
- About 32 km north of the centre
- Private jets
- At CMB, open 24 hours, customs on site
- Best time
- December to February
The city
Fort, Pettah and the Galle Road.
The Portuguese set up their trading post in 1505, the Dutch took the town after a siege in 1656, and the British made it the capital of Ceylon in 1815 and planned much of what stands today. The walls are gone, but the district is still called Fort: offices, the presidential palace and most of the large hotels. Beyond it lies Pettah, all market stalls, with the gold dealers of Sea Street.
South along the shore, Galle Face Green opens the city to the Indian Ocean, and the Galle Road carries on towards the beaches of the south-west. December to February is the season the tourist board recommends for this coast: clear skies and a calm sea. The south-west monsoon brings heavy rain from May, and October and November are wet again.
Arriving
North of the city, open all night.
Bandaranaike International, the island's main airport, lies about 32 km north of the centre. Its 3,350-metre runway, in use around the clock, takes any business jet.
- Malé 1 h 20
- Mumbai 2 h 20
- Phuket 3 h 00
- Singapore 3 h 55
- Geneva 10 h 55 long-range jet
When to go
December to February.
Afternoons stay at 30 to 32 °C all year, and the Indian Ocean at 27 to 30 °C. Two monsoons bring the rain: May is the wettest month at close to 400 mm, and October and November follow. December to February is the dry, calm stretch.
- 31° J 55 28°
- 31° F 74 28°
- 32° M 136 29°
- 32° A 250 30°
- 31° M 382 29°
- 30° J 186 28°
- 30° J 124 27°
- 30° A 116 27°
- 30° S 236 28°
- 30° O 371 28°
- 30° N 306 28°
- 30° D 166 28°
What to see and do
Days in and around Colombo.
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Landmark
Galle Face Green
A long lawn between the city and the ocean, where cannons from the old fort still point out to sea.
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Landmark
Gangaramaya
A temple where Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian and Chinese styles meet under the same roofs.
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Landmark
National Museum
Founded in 1877 in Cinnamon Gardens, keeper of the throne and crown jewels of the last king of Kandy.
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Culture
Number 11
Geoffrey Bawa joined four row houses into his Colombo home, now kept by his trust with his art and furniture and shown on 45 minute guided tours.
Official site -
Culture
Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
Buddhists hold that the Buddha consecrated this temple site; inside, Solias Mendis painted murals of his life, and the Duruthu Perahera procession leaves every January.
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Opera & music
Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre
Shaped after a 12th century lotus pond at Polonnaruwa, the city's main performing arts centre has stood since 2011 with about 1,280 seats for concerts, theatre and dance.
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Golf
Royal Colombo Golf Club
Sri Lanka's oldest golf club plays 18 holes on the Ridgeway Links in Borella and received its royal charter from King George V in 1928.
Official site -
Wildlife
Beddagana Wetland Park
Opened to the public in 2016, this patch of protected wetland on Diyawanna Lake is where Colombo birders look for bitterns, owls and paradise flycatchers.
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Nature
Muthurajawela Marsh
Between Colombo and the Negombo lagoon lies a coastal marsh explored on birdwatching boat trips through its channels.
Where to stay
Around Galle Face, and on the beaches.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Shangri-La Colombo Five hundred rooms on Centre Road at Galle Face, opened in 2017.
- ITC Ratnadipa Opened in April 2024 with 352 rooms, and classified five-star by the national tourism authority in January 2026.
- Cinnamon Life Six hundred and eighty-seven rooms in the City of Dreams complex, opened in 2024.
- Taj Samudra Three hundred rooms on Galle Face Centre Road, open since the early 1980s.
- The Kingsbury On Janadhipathi Mawatha in Fort, a hotel since 1973.
- Cinnamon Grand Five hundred and one rooms on the Galle Road, a fixture of the city since 1975.
- Hilton Colombo Three hundred and forty-two rooms on Sri Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha, opened in 1987.
- Cinnamon Lakeside Three hundred and forty-six rooms, opened in 1985.
- Sheraton Colombo On the Galle Road, rated five-star by Sri Lanka Tourism.
- NH Collection Colombo Two hundred and nineteen rooms, opened in 2017.
- Nüwa A hotel of 113 rooms and suites at the top of the City of Dreams resort, given its five-star certificate in May 2026.
- Sentido Heritance Negombo On the beach at Negombo with 139 rooms, some 13 km from the airport.
- Jetwing Blue The first Jetwing hotel, which began as a six-room retreat on this beach and now has two pools.
- The Blue Water Designed by Geoffrey Bawa, among coconut palms on the beach at Wadduwa.
Where to dine
The best tables in town.
No MICHELIN guide covers Sri Lanka. Two tables have been recognised by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, Ministry of Crab on the 2026 list; the two hotel dining rooms are on yamu.lk’s list of fine-dining restaurants in Colombo.
- Ministry of Crab Asia's 50 Best, No. 94 Seafood Colombo
- Nihonbashi Asia’s 50 Best, 2013 to 2018 Japanese Port City, Colombo
- Avartana yamu.lk, fine dining South Indian, tasting menus ITC Ratnadipa, Galle Face
- The London Grill yamu.lk, fine dining French and continental grill Cinnamon Grand, Galle Road, Colombo 03
Elsewhere in Sri Lanka
More reasons to come.
- Galle Ramparts, churches and small hotels inside the old fort.
- Kandy The Temple of the Tooth, in the hills.
- Nuwara Eliya Tea estates and colonial bungalows, high in the hills.
- Sigiriya A palace on a rock, at the heart of the island.
- Trincomalee A deep natural harbour, and blue whales offshore in season.
Flying to Colombo?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.