Colombo is packed with amazing places to visit and the city is a blend of old colonial charm and glittering skyscrapers alike, with a little bit of something for everyone.
Pettah Market
Pettah is a dizzyingly busy and colourful local market like none other. Situated very close to the port of Colombo, it’s where major wholesale related transactions take place for food supplies and goods in Sri Lanka. Close to many of the city’s finer hotels such as Cinnamon Grand Colombo, Pettah is a must-see for its labyrinth of streets with various vendors and unique atmosphere.
The Red Mosque
In the heart of Pettah, is one of Colombo’s oldest and arguably its most beautiful mosque – the Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque. Easily spotted, even at a distance, due to its beautiful façade of red and white tiles, this distinctive mosque is well worth a visit and don’t forget to snap a pic of it too.
Colombo Fort
Colombo Fort boasts of some magnificent, colonial buildings from the Dutch and British periods, which have been earmarked as architectural gems. Make sure you book your stay at a luxury hotel in Colombo in or near this neighbourhood to surround yourself with all these architectural marvels.
The Colombo Dutch Museum
The Colombo Dutch Museum deserves more attention than it receives and you can find it tucked away on Prince Street in Pettah. The former residence of the Dutch Governor of Ceylon currently houses artefacts and mementoes of a bygone era of Dutch rule.
