Situated on the western coast of the island, Colombo is the financial and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. It is the largest city and a famous tourist place visited by a large number of tourists from all over the world. Colombo is widely famous for its great hospitality and cultural diversity. Dotted with colonial buildings, fine dining restaurants, ancient museums, Buddhist temples, glitzy hotels and fancy shopping malls, this city is a perfect mix of old and new.
Best Time to Visit
Colombo can be visited throughout the year because of its tropical climate but the months from January to March are considered to be ideal for sightseeing as the weather remains mostly sunny. For great deals and offers on
Colombo hotels book through Goibibo.
Places to Visit
Being a tourist spot, Colombo has a wide range of attractions.
Galle Face Green,
Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo Zoological Gardens and Beira Lake are must-visits if you are travelling with kids. For history buffs, The
National Museum of Colombo, The Natural History Museum and the Dutch Period Museum are perfect picks.
Gangaramaya Buddhist temple, Independence Square, Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, Colombo Fort and Mount Lavinia Beach are some of the other popular attractions of this city. Shopping in Colombo is a total delight as it boasts of several street markets and shopping malls. You can buy handicrafts, batiks, jewellery, gemstones and tea as souvenirs. Pettah, Majestic City, Barefoot, Stone N String, Paradise Road and Good Market are a few recommended places for shopping.
Hotels and Restaurants
Colombo is a haven for foodies as the city is dotted with many beautiful cafes, local eateries and fine-dine restaurants. Visit Mt Lavinia Beach to relish scrumptious seafood. Lagoon, Ministry of Crab, Upali’s by Nawaloka, Semondu, The London Grill and The Palmyrah Restaurant are some of the other recommended restaurants.
Colombo offers all kind of accommodation options for stay. Right from
Budget Hotels in Colombo to
5 star Hotels in Colombo, from
Resorts in Colombo to
service apartments in Colombo, one can find multiple options as per their need and pocket. Goibibo being the leading travel website has largest collection of hotels on its platform. Popular locations in Colombo for stay are
near Colombo Airport,
Katunayake,
Bambalapitiya,
Colombo 05 and
Wellawatte. It is very easy and convenient to compare and
book hotels online on Goibibo.
Transportation
Being a popular tourist destination, Colombo is very well connected to the rest of the world.
Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) is the major airport, which is around 30 kms from the city centre. This airport serves various domestic flights as well as international flights. The airport connects Colombo to major cities of Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe, the US and the Middle East. Airlines such as
Qatar Airways,
Malaysia Airlines,
SriLankan Airlines, Emirates Airlines,
Cathay Pacific, Air India, Spice Jet,
Indigo operate to and from Colombo. Cheap flight tickets from here to other popular cities can be booked online on Goibibo. Also, flight status & other details related to flight booking & air tickets can be easily accessed on it. So for
cheapest air tickets, it is recommended to book flights online. Getting to other cities of the island is easy as Colombo has good railway connectivity. Fort Railway Station, which is served by Sri Lanka Railways is a major railway station in Colombo with frequent intercity and intracity trains. The Main Line connects the station to the cities in the east like Ragama, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya while Coast Line connects the station to the south. Coming to Colombo via road is very easy as there are several private and government-owned buses to and from Colombo to rest part of the country. Local buses, taxis, tuk-tuks and rented cars are the modes of transport to travel locally.