April 28, 2025 – April 29, 2025
Dotted with stately colonial buildings, Sri Lanka’s largest city is quite beautiful and wonderfully frenetic. Explore the museums and temples or watch cricket at Galle Face Green. If the thrilling energy of the city becomes too much, relax under a cinnamon tree in serene Viharamahadevi Park.
Drive in and around Colombo admiring its most famed landmarks, an experience that will leave you with a wonderful overview of Sri Lanka’s largest city. There is no easier, more leisurely way to see the highlights of Colombo, the former capital. The city’s modern side is evident in the many high-rises towering above the Fort, an area named because of its 19th-century British fortress. The Fort is also known for the Old Parliament, built in the Neo-Baroque style during the British reign. The British influence is evident throughout Colombo in the streets named for former British governors and in the luxurious Galle Face Hotel, another landmark from the British colonial period. Later, you will see Gangaramaya Temple and a mosque, giving you a religious perspective of Colombo. Higher education is also held in great esteem, as you will see by driving past the Royal College and the University of Colombo.
Colombo By Night
Drive through the capital of Sri Lanka during the evening, when it is beautifully illuminated and most vibrant. Along the way, you will pass bustling Pettah Bazaar covered market, the city’s oldest public park and the adjacent town hall, which looks remarkably similar to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The waterfront promenade that stretches along the urban oasis Galle Face Green is one of the most popular places to watch the sunset, and it should be abuzz as you drive by. Few places offers such a genuine slice of local life. Other highlights include the posh residential neighborhood Cinnamon Gardens and the Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque, an architectural treasure with highly unusual, swirling red-and-white striped bricks. Following this enlightening overview of Colombo, you will proceed to the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel for a cocktail and a dinner that showcases several international cuisines. A folkloric performance follows that will likely feature traditional Kandyan dances.
