Colombo

Colombo

Due to the extensive harbour and the strategic positioning, Colombo has been a popular port since the ancient times. Situated in the west coast, Colombo today is the commercial hotbed of Sri Lanka.

Known as a city of contrasts, Colombo is home to many ethnicities of assorted religions and beliefs. Old colonial buildings stand amongst glamorous malls, classy hotels and swish office buildings while an assembly of churches, temples, kovils and mosques battle for your attention.

Bustling street markets that sells everything from clothing to vegetables and upmarket shopping malls that offers designer items all can be found within a distance of several kilometres. Galle Face Green in the evenings is the place to go if you are a street food lover and need an assortment of grub to grab. The evening sea breeze not only cool downs the atrocious heat but also makes you forget that you are in midst of a cosmopolitan that is loud and humming with life all day.

Sit down for high tea at one of the trendy hotels or go café-hopping to select a long list of beverages and food items for more affordable prices. If structural design is your thing walk around the city centre for some gravity defying skyscrapers or some historical monuments adorned with colonial, neo-Baroque and neo-Renaissance influence. You can also admire some old buildings restored to their former glory but housing high-end boutiques, restaurants and malls.

Colombo is the core of Sri Lankan shopping. With some guidance you can buy a range of goodies from artwork, gems, jewellery, antiques, clothing, silks, cottons, batiks to Ceylon tea, spices, and crafts. You can unearth some trinket for everyone back at home, including that ‘hard-to-please-friend’ waiting for your gift.

There is a variety of accommodation from star rated to reasonable, recreations from cricket with locals to golf at Royal Colombo Golf Club, wellness spas to heal mind, body and soul or a simple food massage at a pedicure. The travelling too is made simple. You can rent a car, a tuk tuk to drive around, call for a cab, hail a tuk tuk, walk or simply brave the public transport. The surprising thing is no matter what your tastes are; be it refined, casual or spontaneous, Colombo has it all.