Region Columbo - Details
Telephone dialing code for Colombo is 011
Places of interest
| Galleries |
Barefoot gallery (a laberynth and collectors dream)
Artists’ Gallery
Lionel Wendt Memorial Art Centre (famed photograph, largely Black and white ) Paradise Road Galleries (c. 50 paintings in a great café setting)
2 Alfred House Road |
|---|---|
| Museums |
Dutch Period Museum
National Museum
Ceylon Tea Museum
Hantane
Tel: 0813803204
Ambalangoda Mask Museum
Ambalangoda
Tel: 0912258373
|
Places of Worship
| Religion | Place of worship | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Buddhist | Temples | Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara 7km east of Fort |
| Gangaramaya Temple, Sri Jinaratana Road, Slave island | ||
| Seema Malakaya Temple, Beira Lake | ||
| Hindu | Temples | New & Old Kathiresan Kovil Sea Street, Pettah |
| Sri Kailawasanathar, Swami Devasthanam Captains Gardens, off DR Wijewardena Street | ||
| Muslim | Mosque | Grand Mosque New Moor Street, Pettah |
| Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque 2nd Cross & Bankshall Streets | ||
| Catholic/Christian | Church | Wolvendaal Church Wolfendhal Lane, Pettah |
| St. Lucia’s Cathedral St.Lucia’s St, Kotahena | ||
| St. Anthony’s Church St. Anthony’s Mawatha, Kotahena |
Festivals
Duruthu Perahera held on Poya day in January. This festival in Colombo celebrates Buddha’s first visit to Sri Lanka.
Activities
| Fitness Centres & Clubs |
Hilton Sports Centre
Lifestyle Fitness Lanka
Power World
Royal Colombo Golf Club
Premadasa Riding School
Ceylon Rugby & Football Club
Premadasa Cricket Stadium |
|---|
Bars & Restaurants
| Brasserie Café style |
Cricket club Café
Barefoot Garden cafe
Queen Elizabeth café
Havelock Garden Café
Park Street Mews,
50/1, Park Street, Colombo 02
Tel: 011 2300133
Coffee Bean,
2, Maitland Crescent,
Colombo 07
|
|---|---|
| Fast Food |
Crescat Boulevard Food Hall: Pizza Hut, Deli France, etc
Pizza Hut
Dominos Pizza
KFC
McDonalds
Dine-More
50, A, Muttiah Road,
Colombo 02
|
| Fine Dining (our favourites) |
There are hundreds to chose from but our favourites are :
Ministry Of Crab
Dutch Hospital Premises
Echelon Square,
Colombo 01
Tel: 011 2342722
Harbour Room
Grand Oriental Hotel
2 York Street
Colombo 01
Tel: 011 2320391
Gallery Café
2 Alfred House Road
Colombo 3
Tel: 011 2582162
Curry Leaves
68, W.A De Silva Mw,
Colombo 6
Tel: 011 2593364
Lemon
41, 2/1 Maitland Crescent ,
Colombo 7
Tel: 0112682122
7 North
Cinnamon Lakeside,
115, Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mw,
Colombo 2
Beach Wadiya (Seafood)
|
| Bars/Pubs & light snacks |
Glow (Trendy and cosmopolitan)
Cricket Club Café (Full of ex-pats and sports lovers)
34, Queens Road,
Colombo 3
Tel: 011 2501384
Machan,
372, A Nawala Road,
Rajagiriya
Tel: 011 2862077
Clancy’s Irish Pub & restaurant (Good old fashioned Hooley)
Golden Mile
43/14, Off College Avenue,
Mount Lavinia
Tel: 011 2733997
Rhythm & Blues
19/1, Daisy Villa Avenue,
Colombo 0
Tel: 011 5363859
|
Entertainment/Nightlife
| NightClubs / Late Bars |
Glow
Cascades (Dance music and occasional 80’s)
Blue Elephant (classic 80’s. Older clientele) |
|---|---|
| Casinos |
MGM Club
Bally’s Club |
Shopping
| Antiques |
Country Life
829, Kotte Road
Etul-Kotte
Kotte
Tel: 011 2865449
Hermitage
28, Goer Street,
Colombo 5
Tel: 011 2502196
Dutch Wall Antique
24, Morris Road, Galle
Tel: 091 7200620
|
|---|---|
| Clothing / Designer bargains |
Beverly Street
438, R.A De Mel,
Colombo 3
Cotton Collection (adult & children )
143, Dharmapala Mw,
Colombo 7
House of Fashions (adult & children )
Odels (adult & children )
Barefoot (adult & children )
|
| Bargains / Fakes |
Pettah
|
| Shopping Centres |
Odels
Crescat Boulevard
Liberty Plaza
House of Fashions
Colombo 08
Majestic City
Galle Road
Colombo 04
|
| Gifts / crafts / house ware |
Odels
House of Fashions
Colombo 08
Barefoot
Gallery café |
Getting About
Taxi services
Airport Express
Tel: 011 5555050
Tuk Tuk’s
Meter Taxis are available around Colombo. For out stations, you should negotiate a price. Ask a few drivers and always negotiate the full journey at the beginning if you are stopping at a few destinations. Paying a driver for the day is usually cheaper and less hassle.
Trains
The main station is in the Fort and is the base for the Information Centre
Open : 9am-5pm Mon- Fri, 9am-1pm Sat.
Tel. 011 244 0048
There are a series of 5 sub stations along the Galle Road : Kollupitiya, Bambalapitiya, Wellawatta, Dehiwala, Mt Lavinia. Some express trains will not stop at all these stations.
Buses
Colombo has 3 main bus stations, all on the South edge of Pettah and East of the Fort train station.
| Bus Station | Buses Departing To |
|---|---|
| Bastian Mawatha station | Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Trincomalee, Ambalangoda, Hikkaduwa, Galle, Matara, Aluthgama, Tangalle, Kataragama, Aiport (no.187) |
| Saunders Place Station | Negombo, Ratnapura, Kurenagala, Haputale, Badulla, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa |
| Central Bus Station | Olcott Mawatha Colombo Suburbs |
Airports
International : Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake
Hotline for arrivals/ departures: Tel. 019 733 555
Mattala - Rajapakshe International Airport (MRIA), Hambantota
Domestic: Ratmalana Airport, South of Mt Lavinia, off Galle Road
Lionair / serendib Express
See our Moving Around review for help with transport.
Guide Books
Colombo produces a number of excellent “Time-out” equivalents which list all the latest venues and activities. They focus on Colombo but cover other Cities from time to time.
"LT" (Leisure Times) and "Oh!" Magazines can both be found in most of the shopping centres.
Daily News is the English newspaper and the Sunday Observer has many promotional deals and news on festivities and events.
Useful Contacts
| Contact | Telephone |
|---|---|
| Ceylon Tourist Board | 011 242 6900 |
| Police (tourist) | 011 242 1070 |
| Medi-call Ambulance | 011 255 6605 |
Sri Lanka Itineraries
- Highlights of Sri Lanka
- Luxury Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka & Maldives
- Honeymoons in Sri Lanka
- Weddings in Sri Lanka
- Spa holidays in Sri Lanka
- Family Holidays in Sri Lanka
- Adventure in Sri Lanka
- Wildlife in Sri Lanka
- Special Interest Holidays in Sri Lanka
- Special 6 Nights/7 Days tour of Sri Lanka
- Group Holidays in Sri Lanka
- Dual Destination
Sri Lanka Hotels Style
- Boutique Hotels
- Villas in Sri Lanka
- Large Luxury Hotels
- Colonial Tea Plantation Bungalows
- Wildlife Safari and Eco Retreats
- Guesthouses in Sri Lanka
- Spa , Ayurveda and Yoga
Sri Lanka Hotels by Region
- Hotels in Columbo
- Hotels in The Cultural Triangle
- Hotels in The Ancient Cities
- Hotels in The East
- Hotels in The North
- Hotels in Kandy
- Hill Country Hotels
- Nuwara Eliya Hotels
- Sinharaja Rainforest Hotels
- Kitulgala Hotels
- South Coast Hotels
- South West Coast Hotels
- UVA Province Hotels
- Western Province Hotels
Interests & Activities
- Honeymoon / Wedding
- Beaches of Sri Lanka
- Spa Ayurveda and yoga
- Surfing & Watersports
- Birdwatching in Sri Lanka
- Safari & Wildlife
- Action & Adventure
- 100% Sri Lankan Experience
- Family Adventure
- Travelling Alone
- Group travel
- Dual Destination Holidays
- Photography and Art
Sri Lankan Regional Reviews
- Colombo
- Cultural Triangle
- Ancient Cities
- East & North
- Kandy
- Hill Country
- Nuwara Eliya
- Sinharaja Rainforest
- Kitulgala
- South Coast
- South West Coast
- UVA Province
- Western Province