Colombo
Colombo is Sri Lanka's executive and judicial capital, as well as the country's most populous city.
Colombo is Sri Lanka's executive and judicial capital, as well as the country's most populous city. It is also the financial centre of the island and a tourist destination. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is located on the west coast of the island. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Colombo
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01National Museum of Colombo
The Colombo National Museum, also known as the Sri Lanka National Museum, is a museum in Colombo and the largest in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1877 and maintained by the Department of National Museums, it holds collections of significant importance to Sri Lanka, such as the regalia of the Kandyan monarchs, as well as many other exhibits relating the country's cultural and natural heritage.
3.4 km · Sri Lankan museum · Wikipedia - 02University of Colombo
The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is the oldest institution of modern higher education in Sri Lanka.
4.1 km · public research university in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 03Lotus Tower
The Lotus Tower, also known as the Colombo Lotus Tower, stands at a height of 351.5 meters in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It has become a symbolic landmark for the country.
1.9 km · Telecommunications tower in Colombo, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 04R. Premadasa Stadium
The R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium (Sinhala: ආර්. ප්රේමදාස ක්රීඩාංගනය, Tamil: ஆர்.
3.3 km · Cricket stadium in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 05Beira Lake
Beira Lake; Tamil: பேரே ஏரி, romanized: Pērē ēri ) is a man-made lake in the centre of the city of Colombo in Sri Lanka. The lake is surrounded by many large businesses in the city.
1.4 km · lake · Wikipedia - 06Galle Face Green
Galle Face Green is a 5 ha ocean-side urban park, which stretches for 500 m along the coast, in the heart of Colombo, the financial and business capital of Sri Lanka. The promenade was initially laid out in 1859 by Governor Sir Henry George Ward, although the original Galle Face Green extended over a much larger area than is seen today.
900 m · urban park in Colombo, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 07Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
The Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground is one of the most famous cricket grounds in Sri Lanka, and the headquarters of Sri Lanka Cricket, the controlling body of cricket in Sri Lanka. The ground is sometimes described as "the Lord's of Sri Lanka", It hosts the most domestic finals and is an important international cricket venue.
4.3 km · cricket ground in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 08Gangaramaya Temple
Gangaramaya Temple is one of the most important temples in Colombo, Sri Lanka, being a mix of modern architecture and cultural essence. Located on the Beira Lake, it was completed in the late 19th century.
2.5 km · Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 09St. Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade
St. Anthony's Shrine is a Catholic church in the Archdiocese of Colombo in Sri Lanka.
2 km · church in Colombo, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 10Viharamahadevi Park
Viharamahadevi Park is a 45 acre public park located in Cinnamon Gardens, in Colombo, situated in front of the colonial-era Town Hall in Sri Lanka. It was built by the British colonial administration and is the oldest and largest park of Colombo.
3 km · public park in Colombo, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to eat
Sri Lankan food can be very spicy, so ask questions and order accordingly. That said, Colombo has a wide range of eateries, and there should be something for almost any combination of food preference and budget.
- 01New Yarl Eat House
It serves traditional Jaffna style rice and curries with excellent value for money crabs.
- 02The Cricket Club Cafe
This cafe is a must for any cricket lover.
- 03The Gallery Cafe
2 Alfred House Rd (off Alfred House Gardens, Kollupitiya, Colombo 3).
- 04The Lagoon
The Cinnamon Grand Hotel, 77 Galle Road (Kollupitiya, Colombo 03),.
- 05Mango Tree
82 Dharmapala Mawatha (Kollupitiya, Colombo 03), +94 11 537-9791, info@themangotree.lk.
From Wikivoyage: Colombo, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Colombo
- Airports
- Colombo Ratmalana (RML), 13 km · Bandaranaike International Colombo (CMB), 28 km
- Stations
- Colombo Harbour, 2.1 km · Fort Railway Station, 900 m · Maradana Railway Station, 2.6 km
- Jaffna → Colombo304 km · quickest by air, 5h 10m · Rs17,570–27,240
- Thiruvananthapuram → Colombo363 km · quickest by air, 5h 45m · ₹11,300–17,500
- Tiruchirappalli → Colombo450 km · quickest by air, 6h 5m · ₹12,050–18,650
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Colombo
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Colombo. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inIt can also handle international charter flights.
- Get inYou can also take a tri-shaw aka tuk-tuk from the bus depot (get there by free airport shuttle bus), it takes a bit more than an hour and is Rs 2,500 (2024) from airport to Galle Road.
- Get inTake either the free airport shuttle to the bus station and then follow the road (Canada Friendship) to the Katunayaka South station (nearly 2 km, if you don't have luggage) otherwise just to take a tuk tuk right from the airport to the train station.
- Get aroundGetting around by Tri-shaw (Three wheeler, tuk-tuk) is most convenient.
- Get aroundBut it's best to hail a meter taxi (identified by the words "Meter Taxi" on its windshield) that is traveling in the direction that you need to go instead of hiring one from the parking area or the tuk-tuk stand.
From Wikivoyage: Colombo, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
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If you know how people move in Colombo – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Colombo
- Kolonnawahuman settlement5.8 km
- Kelaniyasuburb in Western Province, Sri Lanka9 km
- Peliyagodasuburb in Western Province, Sri Lanka5.4 km
- Wattalasuburb in Gampaha District, Western Province, Sri Lanka7 km
- Kollupitiyasuburb in Western Province, Sri Lanka3.9 km
- Battaramullasuburb of the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka9.2 km