Colombo & the West

The West Coast, between the cities of Colombo and Galle, is blessed with miles of palm-fringed golden beaches and tranquil mangrove-lined lagoons. Here you can find hundreds of hotels that will match even the most sophisticated tastes.
Colombo, Sri Lanka‘s capital city is a bustling commercial hub, located on the country’s West Coast and with a population of between approximately 800,000 and one million, it is by far the country’s biggest city, as well as the most developed. Its natural harbour at the mouth of the Kelani River was a magnet for successive traders and conquerors – initially the Arab merchants, then the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British imperialists.

The city is a vibrant mix of old and new, with a central cluster of high-rise office blocks and hotels overshadowing red-tiled colonial-era buildings and sprawling street markets overflowing with high-piled fruit and vegetables, colourful silks and cottons, and deliciously fragrant spices. On its crowded streets, stand places of worship, symbolic of Sri Lanka‘s multi-ethnic heritage: graceful Buddhist viharas (temples), for instance, stand close to extravagant temples encrusted with Hindu statuary, along with Muslim mosques with minarets scattered along Colombo’s streets. During the day you can easily explore on foot the Colombo’s colourful street markets, colonial-era buildings, museums and galleries, churches, mosques and temples, and the lovely Viharamahadevi Park with it beautiful trees.
There are reminders of the British period, including the neo-Classical old parliament building, the Victorian-era President’s House (still often called ‘Queen’s House’), and the grandly brick facade of Cargill’s, a splendid 19th-century department store that has changed little since the 19th century heyday of Sri Lanka‘s British tea planters.