One day in Colombo

Day by day

1. Day 1: Galle Face Green and Gangaramaya Temple

   Galle Face Green, Gangaramaya Temple, Seema Malaka and National Museum of Colombo, then Old Dutch Hospital in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Galle Face Green

      Arrive about an hour before sunset, eat from the stalls near the southern end, then walk to the Galle Face Hotel's verandah for a drink. Allow 1–2 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Gangaramaya Temple

      Keep your ticket; it also covers Seema Malaka on Beira Lake, a few minutes' walk away. Allow 1 hour.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Rice and curry

      Lunchtime 'hotels' (local eateries) across the city, many serving buffet-style until early afternoon.

   4. Afternoon

      Seema Malaka

      Visit at sunset, then walk along the Beira Lake promenade. Allow 30 minutes.

   5. Late afternoon

      National Museum of Colombo

      Allow time for the mask gallery and the regalia room, then walk across to Viharamahadevi Park. Allow 1.5–2 hours.

   6. Evening

      Old Dutch Hospital

      Book Ministry of Crab or another restaurant here for dinner, and arrive early to explore the courtyards.

If it rains

• Swap in Lotus Tower (Beira Lake): Go around sunset to see the city in daylight and after dark on the same ticket.
• Swap in Number 11 (Geoffrey Bawa's house) (Kollupitiya): Combine it with lunch at the Gallery Café on Alfred House Road, Bawa's former office.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 5–8 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 11.7 hours in December to 12.5 hours in June.

Getting between stops: Tuk-tuk. Three-wheelers are everywhere; many in Colombo have meters, and app-booked tuk-tuks show the fare in advance.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Colombo
• 3 days in Colombo

Questions travellers ask