Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka squeezes two and a half thousand years of history, misty tea country, a walled colonial port and a coastline patrolled by blue whales into an island you can cross in a day, and Colombo is the natural place to start.
The capital is easy to underrate: a seafront promenade where the whole city gathers at sunset, a Victorian museum full of royal treasures, a temple crammed with brass, ivory and Buddha statues, a 350-metre tower shaped like a lotus bud, and a street-food scene that runs from crab curry to kottu roti chopped on a hot plate. From here the island’s headline sights are day trips. Inland, Kandy was the last royal capital and keeps the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the most revered Buddhist site in the country, beside a lake in the hills. Further north, Sigiriya rises sheer from the jungle, a fifth-century palace on top of a granite rock with painted maidens on its walls, paired with the cave temples of Dambulla. To the south, Galle Fort is a living Dutch-era town inside sea ramparts, with Mirissa’s whale-watching boats an hour beyond. This guide shows what to book, what each experience is really like, how to plan around the monsoon and the post-cyclone rail repairs, and where to stay, from a grande dame hotel on the Colombo seafront to a Geoffrey Bawa masterpiece above the Galle surf.
Colombo National Museum
Sri Lanka’s largest museum, opened in 1877 in a white Italianate building, with ancient sculpture, bronzes, masks and the regalia of the Kandyan kings, and the Natural History Museum in the same grounds.
Galle Face Green
Colombo’s seafront playground, a long lawn and promenade on the Indian Ocean where families fly kites, couples stroll and street-food stalls light up at sunset, free and open to all.
Sigiriya Lion Rock and Dambulla Cave Temple Day Trip from Colombo
A long but unforgettable day from Colombo to Sigiriya, the fifth-century palace on top of a sheer granite rock, and the painted cave temples of Dambulla, with hotel pickup and a guide at the rock.
Kandy Day Tour from Colombo with the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
A day in Sri Lanka’s last royal capital, with a guided visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, Kandy Lake and a tea factory, with hotel pickup in Colombo.
A long but unforgettable day from Colombo to Sigiriya, the fifth-century palace on top of a sheer granite rock, and the painted cave temples of Dambulla, with hotel pickup and a guide at the rock.
A day in Sri Lanka’s last royal capital, with a guided visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, Kandy Lake and a tea factory, with hotel pickup in Colombo.
A full day down the south-west coast to Galle Fort, the walled Dutch-era town on a headland, with stops for stilt fishermen, Jungle Beach, a sea turtle hatchery and lunch, with pickup from Colombo.
The most popular way to see Colombo in a morning: four hours zipping between temples, markets, colonial landmarks and the seafront in a three-wheeler with a local guide, entry fees and snacks included.
A private two-to-three-hour tuk-tuk food tour through Colombo with more than nine tastings, from crab curry and sambol to red bananas, ice cream and a tea tasting, with hotel pickup in central Colombo.
A morning boat trip out of Mirissa, on the south coast beyond Galle, in search of blue whales, sperm whales and spinner dolphins, with breakfast, snacks, life jackets and free pickup from Mirissa hotels.
Colombo’s most visited Buddhist temple, a busy working monastery near Beira Lake packed with brass work, stone carvings, Buddha statues and a museum of gifts from around the world.
Sri Lanka’s largest museum, opened in 1877 in a white Italianate building, with ancient sculpture, bronzes, masks and the regalia of the Kandyan kings, and the Natural History Museum in the same grounds.
FreeColombo’s seafront playground, a long lawn and promenade on the Indian Ocean where families fly kites, couples stroll and street-food stalls light up at sunset, free and open to all.
The tallest tower in South Asia at about 350 metres, shaped like a lotus bud on Beira Lake, with an observation deck for 360-degree views over Colombo and the ocean, plus restaurants and entertainment.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Galle Face, Colombo 3
The grande dame of Colombo, a colonial seafront landmark since 1864 facing Galle Face Green, with sea-view rooms, a saltwater pool on the ocean, a spa and some of the city’s most storied bars and restaurants.
Rates on Expedia →Kollupitiya, Colombo 3
A modern, great-value high-rise in central Colombo with a rooftop infinity pool and bar overlooking the city and the ocean, a short walk from Gangaramaya Temple and Beira Lake.
Rates on Expedia →
$$Kandy Lake
A colonial-style heritage hotel beside Kandy Lake, set in nearly four acres of gardens, with a pool, a long history that includes wartime service as a military headquarters, and an easy walk to the Temple of the Tooth.
Rates on Expedia →
$$$$Dadella, Galle
Geoffrey Bawa’s celebrated luxury hotel on a rocky headland just outside Galle, with ocean views from almost every room, two pools, a spa and several restaurants, a few minutes’ drive from the fort.
Rates on Expedia →Galle Fort
A stylish boutique hotel in a former merchant’s home on Church Street, inside Galle Fort, with eighteen rooms and suites, a pool, a small spa and the Church Street Social restaurant, steps from the ramparts.
Rates on Expedia →A practical primer for a first trip to Sri Lanka based in Colombo: what to book ahead, how to get to Kandy, Galle and Sigiriya, how many days you need, the monsoon and the post-cyclone rail situation.
Where to stay on a Colombo-based Sri Lanka trip: the Galle Face seafront or central Colombo 3, Kandy’s lakeside, and inside or just outside Galle Fort, with the best hotel for each.
