One Day in Colombo, Sri Lanka – Amazing things to see and do!
Most tourists who arrive in Sri Lanka enter the country at the Colombo International Airport. At that point, they scurry off to Sri Lanka’s other amazing destinations and completely skip the capitol city. And I get it – there are so many other amazing things to see and do in this country; why bother with a city? To be fair, I would’ve skipped Colombo too, but I was traveling with my husband who was in Sri Lanka for work and we were only in the country for a few days. It’s definitely worth a quick visit, and one day in Colombo Sri Lanka would suffice. Let’s go!
How to travel around Colombo
I had limited time here – just a day, and for the sake of this guide, I’ll assume you only have a day, too. I wanted to maximize my time so I arranged a driver via the hotel concierge who took me around to all of the sites. This wasn’t cheap but I figured for an entire day of ‘entertainment’, why not? You could definitely do this much cheaper by taking tuk tuks and Uber, or just wandering around on foot (though some of these sites are quite far from each other). I was traveling solo, and at the time, felt a wee bit uneasy doing this alone, so I paid a bit more for the convenience of having a driver.
Best time to visit Colombo
Colombo ‘enjoys’ 85 degree+ humid weather year round, though it does have two monsoon seasons – May to August, and then October – February. I visited in late November and there were afternoon thunderstorms each day of my trip. I don’t feel like this impaired my visit, but if you want a better chance of clear days, planning your trip outside of these months would give you better odds.
Where to Stay in Colombo
Colombo has some amazing 5-star hotels, so if it’s in your budget (and it might be – when I visited, most of the high end hotels had prices comparable to staying in a Holiday Inn Express in Bumfuck, Iowa), do yourself a favor and check it out. I recommend the Movenpick Hotel or the Shangri-La. Both are excellent!
One Day in Colombo, Sri Lanka – Places to see
Independence Square
Independence Square and Memorial Hall commemorates Sri Lanka’s independence from the British in 1948. It’s worth a quick stop and look around – I loved the lion statues! When I visited, the fountains were turned off, but I imagine when they’re turned on, it’s beautiful.
Temple of Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Kovil
If you’ve visited India, you’ll recognize the architecture of the Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Kovil temple – it’s colorful, intricate and absolutely fascinating to look at! This is the oldest Hindu temple in Sri Lanka, and it dates back to the 1700s. You can enter the temple for roughly $1 USD, but you’ll need to remove your shoes and women must cover up their shoulders.
Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque
This is also known as the “Red Mosque” and is one of the most interesting buildings I’ve ever seen. The colors are striking! Because I am a woman, I could not enter the mosque, so my driver just drove by so that I could take a few pictures. It was difficult to get a good composition of this building, but it’s definitely at least worth a quick stop for photos – I just love the candy cane colors.
Gangaramaya Temple / Seema Malaka
This is Colombo’s most famous buddist temple and is a must see on your one day in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Its beautiful setting on Beira Lake makes for excellent photos – and peaceful personal reflection. There is both the floating temple (pictured above) and the Gangaramaya Temple (below) just across the street.
Lotus Tower
Colombo’s newest attraction, opening in 2019, is the Lotus Tower. Tourists can go to the top of the tower to get a bird’s-eye view of the city. Currently, this is the tallest self-supported structure in all of Asia. Unfortunately, during my visit, the Lotus Tower was closed.
Shopping
I didn’t buy any(!) souvenirs while I was in Colombo. I went to a few shops (that I’m 100% sure my driver would’ve gotten kickbacks for, should I have purchased anything, but that’s how it works here) but I didn’t find anything I wanted. You’ll see a lot of traditional Sri Lankan masks for sale here, but that wasn’t something I was interested in, and gems. Lots and lots of gems. Just beware – lots of drivers will want to take you to a gem “museum” (which isn’t really a museum – it’s a jewelry store) and they’ll do some major hard sell tactics on you. If you’re not interested (which I wasn’t), just keep saying no.
Day Trips from Colombo
If you’re going to be in Colombo for a few extra days, let’s be real – you’re going to run out of things to do within the city itself. Fortunately there are a few easy day trips you can do by basing yourself in Colombo. I’ve personally done Sigiriya Rock/Dambulla Cave Temple and Galle Fort as day trips from Colombo and enjoyed each.
- Sigiriya Rock and Dambulla Cave Temple
- Galle Fort
- Kandy/Temple of the Tooth Relic
- Udawalawa Safari
One Day in Colombo, Sri Lanka – Final Thoughts
As you can see from this list, there aren’t a ton of things to do in Colombo, but there’s enough to do to keep you busy for a day. Hitting up Colombo might be a good option if you’re trying to get over jet lag, before moving on to the rest of this amazing country.
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