Places to Visit in Colombo

The Emerald Island does what it’s best at and none better than it’s commercial capital - Colombo. Situated just off the coast of South India, Sri Lanka has oodles to offer to the discerning tourist. Be it abundant natural charisma or a generous dose of history or a soulful of spirituality, Colombo has everything for all.

Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka and is an enchanting amalgamation of old and new cultures and flavours. If you’re on a Sri Lankan holiday, start off your journey with Colombo.

Historically, Colombo served as a natural harbour to the Greeks, Persians, Romans, Arabs, the Dutch and the Chinese. The location of the city played a pivotal role in ensuring that Colombo was on the map of international trade and relations. This definitely helped and is continuing to help flourish the economy of the region. Today, Colombo is connected to all major cities of the world. From India, few major airlines have frequent flights to Colombo.

Here are a few places, among many, that your Sri Lankan itinerary should ideally contain -

The Fort: The Fort started life as its namesake but over the years, the Fort turned itself into an establishment of commercial interest. With a bevy of offices, hotels and restaurants, the Fort is now a popular destination for the tourist. 

Mount Lavinia: Just 12 km from Colombo is Mount Lavinia, a beach whose natural beauty is famous even from the colonial times. The Mount Lavinia hotel has an important bit of history attached to it. Back in 1805, the Governor House was built was since converted to a guest house and the hotel soon after. 

Dehiwala Zoo: This zoo houses some of the most intriguing fauna from around the globe. The zoo is spread across an area of 11 acres and is famous for the Elephant Show that is held every evening.

  

National Museum: The house of Sri Lankan culture and history, the National Museum is home to over half a million books, more than 4000 archaic palm leaf manuscripts, rock sculptures, demon masks and more intriguing artifacts that date back to the 17th century.

Colombo is truly a destination for the discerning tourist. Hop over to the Emerald Isle for a great vacation.