Colombo: An honest review of the things to see and do in Colombo

Colombo is a city where there’s so much and yet so little to do… So to help you navigate through what you should do while you’re in Colombo, I’ve compiled a list of popular tourist attractions and reviewed them with my honest opinion.

Dutch Museum

This somewhat lesser known attraction in the heart of Pettah is what used to be a large two storied house built in the 17th century by Thomas Van Rhee, The Dutch Governor of Sri Lanka from 1692- 1697. It is now a museum that holds over 3000 artifacts from when the country was under the Dutch rule. After you get over the fact that such a large building exists on a crowded street in Pettah squashed between the tiny shops, you start to appreciate the beauty of its architecture and the artifacts that are held within. What impressed me the most was the old well that’s in the corner of the courtyard!

The trade route - right at the entrance

Colombo National Museum

The architecture of the building is pretty impressive and there’s a cool skeleton of a blue whale suspended from the ceiling, but other than that, it’s not very exciting. Not really worth a visit in my opinion… maybe just a drive by.

Zoo

The National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka, also known as the Dehiwala Zoo is not really worth a visit or even a drive by!

Old Parliament Building, Town Hall Building, Cargills Department Store, Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque

All of these are interesting buildings to drive by!

The Cargills Building

The Town Hall Building

The Old Parliament Building

Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque

Gangaramaya Temple, Seema Malaka Temple and the Beira lake

These three are all very close to each other and are great places for photography. The two temples are very touristy though. So if what you’re looking for is to experience what a real Buddhist temple is like, look for a local area temple. My neighborhood temple, Balapokuna is lovely and peaceful in the evenings. I’d recommend going on a paddle-swan-boat on the Beira Lake to anyone though. It is a lot of fun!

Buddha Statues inside the Gangaramaya Temple

The Seema Malaka Temple

The Beira Lake

Viharamahadevi Park

This large Park opposite the Town Hall Building and next to the Museum is a scenic place to take a casual stroll or even for a work out in the evenings.

One side of Viharamahadevi Park

Galle Face Green, Galle Buck Lighthouse and Sambodhi Chaithya

This is a must-do in my opinion, not during the day though because of the heat. The best time to go is in the early evening to watch the sunset and then stick around for all kinds of street food. Be warned though, it’s not for the ‘weak-tummied’. Weekends and public holidays are better because there’s a crowd of people flying kites and playing games on the green.

Galle Face Green

Towards the North of Galle Face Green, close to the Kingsbury Hotel is the Galle Buck Lighthouse. It’s a quiet spot to watch the sunset from.

The Galle Buck Lighthouse

Wander a little further down the road and you’ll see the Sambodhi Chaithya which is a temple built above the road on two arches. Climb 11 levels and 300 steps and you come to the entrance of the charming temple and get a great view of Colombo city.

The Sambodhi Chaithya

St. lucia’s cathedral

One of the most beautiful cathedrals in Sri Lanka, St. Lucia’s is definitely worth 

a visit.

Wolvendaal church

A masterpiece of Dutch architecture, Wolvendaal Church should be added to your list of places to visit in Colombo. With its thick walls and high arched ceiling, this building from 1757 was built to last and is full of history.

The organ inside Wolvendall Church

Independence square

This too would have fallen into the ‘drive by’ category a few years back. However now, the grounds around Independence Square have been developed into a park where many healthy people exercise in the evenings. There’s a museum under the building that’s worth checking out as well.

Sri Kailawasanthan Swami Devasthanam Kovil

This Hindu Kovil is an ideal place to soak in some culture and marvel at the sculptures as well as the rituals.

My kind of Sunday

Unawatuna and Galle

In the past year, my friends and I have been heading down to Galle often because it now only takes an hour thanks to the Southern Expressway which opened up in November last year. The decision to go is usually a last minute one made on a late Saturday night with a little extra push that comes from being in our ‘happy place’!

So as the sun rises the next day, our beach bags, packed with the essentials [Frisbee, shorts and a towel!] are thrown into the boot of the car and our extremely essential food bag full of crisps, cheese rings, peanuts, chocolate fingers and whatever else that catches our eye at the supermarket, is placed carefully in the best accessible-to-everyone spot inside the car, as we set off usually by around 10.30.

Although the highway is a quick and easy drive down to Galle, I do miss the scenic route we used to take along the coast where we would stop every now and again to have some thambili [king coconut water] and enjoy the view. We now also miss out on the delicious mangosteens that are sold in Kalutara, the masks and wood carvings that Ambalangoda is famous for and the turtle hatcheries in Hikkaduwa.

 

The quick route

We pass Galle and head straight to Unawatuna, down the Wella Devalay Road, where the sea is the best. Although there isn’t much beach area in Unawatuna anymore, the sea [especially between November and April] is that gorgeous blue that you tend to only see on postcards. All along the beach there are lots of different restaurants and bars serving amazingly refreshing drinks and everything from club sandwiches and fries to Rice and curry. We go to our usual spot, which is almost at the centre of the bay and find a table. If you’ve read my other entries on this blog, you know that I love the sea and won’t waste much time before I run in…! After a nice long dip in the sea, we relax with some drinks in the shade, order some lunch and then either play with the Frisbee, go for a walk or go back in the sea until the food arrives…! 

A walk along the beach

As the light starts to fade, we get changed and grab a quick cheese roti [because, according to the menu, “a roti a day keeps the doctor away”!!!] before we make our way to the Galle Fort.

  

Nuff Said...!

Entering the Galle Fort is like walking into a place where time has stood still. It’s a completely different world inside, where the architecture is heavily colonial. The combination of the cobbled streets, the buildings with arches and verandas, the cosy coffee shops, the antique stores, the old churches and even the street names inside the Fort are a striking contrast to the world outside. Its charm is enough to make even an uninterested teenager look up from their mobile phone or portable gaming device and be captivated.

A whole different world...!

The Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was initially built by the Portuguese in 1524 but it was seized by the VOC [the ‘Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie’, better known as the ‘Dutch East India Company’] in 1640 when they attacked from the sea side. The VOC then developed the fort by building bigger stone walls not only on the land side but on the sea side as well. These ramparts are twenty meters high and seventeen meters thick and they go on for 3 kilometres around the perimeter of the Fort. This ensured that the citadel was never taken by force again. The VOC then handed over control to the British in 1798 when Sri Lanka fell under the British Rule. The main gate is one of the additions to the Fort by the British who were more interested in trade and tourism than in improving the defences.

There are many land mark buildings inside the Fort, bearing evidence of the successive rules the Fort has been under. The Dutch built Courthouse cornering the Court Square, surrounded by large mara and banyan trees is still in operation today along with the Lighthouse and the Clock Tower which were erected by the British during their rule. Other interesting attractions inside the Galle Fort include the Meera Jumma Mosque and the Dutch Reformed Church.

The lighthouse built by the British

As I Walk through the streets in the Galle Fort I am always completely mesmerised by the buildings, the architecture and the thought of so many different cultures and ethnicities developing, converging and clashing over decades.

A great place to wander around and stop for a chat!

We make it in time to the ramparts to watch the sun setting on the horizon. It is amazing how a colourful setting sun can silence a large noisy bunch like us. We then head to Pedlar’s Inn for some milkshakes and iced coffee before we head back home. A perfect way to end a perfect day.

 

Watching the sunset in silence

  

Peddler's Inn for a quick iced coffee