Colombo Trip Overview
* Experience the best of Colombo as you wish on a private half-day tour
* See the Parliament, churches, temples, and hear their history via a guide
* Guide provides personalized attention and tailored commentary
* Round-trip private transportation from your hotel
Meet your guide at your Colombo hotel,port, or air terminal, and sink into your private, atmosphere controlled vehicle. At that point, let your guide comprehend what you need to see before heading into the bustling streets. As your tour is private, your itinerary can be tailored around you.
Pass markets and landmarks as you catch wind of Colombo’s ancient and colonial past, and gain knowledge into its cultural and religious mix blend. See the Old Parliament, Beira Lake, Vihara Temple, Pettah markets and then some.
Pick to visit the National Museum to graph Sri Lanka’s history and investigate the Gangarama Seema Malakaya sanctuary on Beira Lake. Besides, if you wish, shop for souvenirs at malls and handicraft emporiums
Additional Info
Duration: 4 to 5 hours
Starts: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Historical & Heritage Tours
Explore Colombo Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
* Experience the best of Colombo as you wish on a private half-day tour
* See the Parliament, churches, temples, and hear their history via a guide
* Guide provides personalized attention and tailored commentary
* Round-trip private transportation from your hotel
Meet your guide at your Colombo hotel,port, or air terminal, and sink into your private, atmosphere controlled vehicle. At that point, let your guide comprehend what you need to see before heading into the bustling streets. As your tour is private, your itinerary can be tailored around you.
Pass markets and landmarks as you catch wind of Colombo’s ancient and colonial past, and gain knowledge into its cultural and religious mix blend. See the Old Parliament, Beira Lake, Vihara Temple, Pettah markets and then some.
Pick to visit the National Museum to graph Sri Lanka’s history and investigate the Gangarama Seema Malakaya sanctuary on Beira Lake. Besides, if you wish, shop for souvenirs at malls and handicraft emporiums
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque, Second Cross Street, Colombo 01100 Sri Lanka
In the hustle and bustle of Pettah, Colombo’s core commercial district is situated a most striking building, a spiritual haven called Jamiul Alfar Masjid. This mosque is remarkable because the architecture is Indo-Saracenic, incorporating pomegranate-shaped domes. But the most extraordinary feature is that each brick is painted red or white and used in contrasting designs, which gave rise to its common name, the Red Mosque. However, there seems to be a ban on Muslim women to visit the mosque due to religious restrictions. As there have been many who requested a section for the women; there appears to plan for such a section, where women can do their prayers, to be built in the future. Though the red mosque is an Islamic religious facility, visitors from other religions are eagerly welcomed.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Gangaramaya (Vihara) Buddhist Temple, 61 Sri Jinaratana Road, Colombo Sri Lanka
Gangaramaya is a Buddhist temple with a fusion of modern architecture and a touch of culture. Being a popular landmark of the city, this complex is built on a lake and consists of a temple, a conference hall for Buddhist monks and a vocational training institute.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Pettah, Colombo Sri Lanka
Pettah market or Manning Market is an open market in Pettah, Colombo. The Market is most famous for wholesale distribution out of Colombo.
These chaotic streets are always crowded, noisy and packed with tuk tuks, wooden carts and street vendors. In these miniscule shops you will find everything you will ever need for ridiculous prices. And if you’re planning on going shopping here, do some research, as different streets specialise in different items.
Best way to witness the market is by foot, since even if you manage to take your car in through the madness
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct, Hospital Street Galle Fort, Colombo 00001 Sri Lanka
The Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct is one of the most attractive shopping centres in the country. The building was originally a hospital during the Dutch occupation of Sri Lanka, and is considered to be the oldest building in the historic Colombo Fort area. It was also used as a police station and an apothocary, before it was finally converted into its current role in 2011. The building is centred around two courtyards, which sometimes host live music. It has a few cafes, restaurants, shops and bars. It’s a nice place to stop and enjoy the shade, and with low slung tiled roofs and attractive colonades.
Duration: 20 minutes
Pass By: Pettah Floating Market, Bastian Mawatha, Colombo Sri Lanka
The Pettah Floating Markets are located on Bastian Mawatha in Pettah, a neighborhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and consist of 92 trade stalls, with a number of the stalls established on boats on Beira Lake. The floating market serves as a tourist attraction selling local produce and local handicraft.
Stop At: New Kathiresan Kovil, 11 Sea Street, Colombo Sri Lanka
The Kathiresan kovil or Puthiya (new) Kathiresan kovil is a beautiful one easily recognizable from Galle Road in Bambalapitiya -the temple is dedicated to the war God Skanda or Murugan.
Kovils are typically vertical structures heavily adorned with images from Hindu mythology. On the corners of the roof of the Kathiresan kovil you’ll find Bhairava the Frightful, a fierce manifestation of Shiva.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: St Lucia’s Cathedral, Kotahena, Colombo Sri Lanka
St Lucia’s Cathedral is one of only fifteen cathedrals in the country, and it’s one of the most beautiful. It is the center of the Colombo Archdiocese (Roman Catholic) and is more than 200 years old.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Premadasa & Co. Main Store & Gem Museum, 560, Galle Road Colombo 3, Colombo Sri Lanka
Gem & souvenir shop
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Old Kathiresan Temple, 123, Galle Road Bambalapitiya, Colombo Sri Lanka
These kovils or temples dedicated to the Hindu war god Murugan (Skanda) bring color to Colombo’s back streets with their ornate exteriors of sculptured Hindu deities. Visit at night when priests perform the evening puja or prayers to the sound of drums.
Duration: 15 minutes
