Travel In Sri Lanka - Colombo

Colombo being a commercial capital of Sri Lanka has loads to offer with all its narrow streets and colourful market stalls to cinnamon gardens. It not only is the largest city of Sri Lanka but also harbours the largest harbors in the world. The standard time here is 6 hrs ahead of GMT. This is a very lively and a happening place and is a paradise for the shoppers. This lively city welcomes you with a smile and keeps you smiling all the way.

Fact File
Official name : Colombo Population : 700,000 Languages : Sinhala, Tamil and English. Climate : Colombo has a uniform temperature while it has two monsoons twice a year. The annual average temperature is around 27 degree celcius but it reaches a high between March and June. During this season people here normally wear cotton clothes.Official Currency : Sri Lankan Rupee(LKR) ; 1 LKR = 0.4358 INR = 0.01001 USD = 0.008285 Euro (subject to change).Location : Colombo is a port in the Indian Ocean near the mouth of the Kelani river. It is located in the western part of Sri Lanka and is the most happening city along with its colonial era buildings.

Getting There
By Air : Colombo Bandaranayake (CMB) (Katunayake), the city’s international airport is 32km (20 miles) from the city. Buses go to the city every 30 minutes. Taxis are also available( Travel time - 1 hour 25 minutes)

Getting Around
Colombo has a reasonably good network of public transport, in the form of buses and trains that link the city to the suburbs. Train fares are slightly lower than bus fares, but getting a bus is infinitely easier than trying to catch a train, so it works out about the same. Fort railway station is an railway station in the city.
Other than buses and trains, taxis and three-wheelers also can be hired, though obviously these are more expensive; meters are often not used, and it’s best to do the negotiating and settle on a mutually acceptable price before you start the trip.
Accommodation
The city has number of decent hotels to ensure a convenient stay for the visitors. Mentioned below is the list of hotels in the city:5 Star hotel accommodations in Colombo:
Galle Face HotelGaladari Hotel
Ceylon Continental Hotel
Colombo Plaza
Trans Asia Hotel
Taj Samudra4 Star hotel accommodations in Colombo:
Holiday Inn Colombo3 Star hotel accommodations in Colombo:
Sapphire hotel2 Star hotel accommodation in Colombo:
Grand Oriental Hotel Colombo
Indraregent Hotel Colombo

Major tourist attractions
The fort : The fort had its glory during dutch and Portuguese periods but now it is a commercial center of the country with all the big hotels, offices, banks and restaurants The colonial buildings, light house clock tower quite attract the tourists here.
Cinnamon gardens : Almost a century ago this area had cinnamon plantations while now the trees line the streets forming a boulevard. The Viharmahadevi park is the oldest park of the city with its trees that flower from March to May.
Dehiwala zoo : 11km from the fort to its south has a beautiful collection of fauna. The aquarium here has 500 species of aquatic life. An aviary, a nocturnal house,a butterfly park are too hard to miss. If is not enough, the elephant show in the evenings surely wins the hearts.
Galle face green : This is a sea face with picturesque view and the largest open space in Colombo. A favourite place for children, lovers, merrymakers and vendors next to the sea under an open sky.
Museums : national museum of Colombo, the oldest museum of Sri Lanka with all its antique collections, gives an idea of the cultural heritage of Sri Lanka. The dutch period museum an embodiment of unique architecture is now housed in an old dutch house. The Banderanaike museum, dedicated to late prime Minister S.W.R.D Bandernaike exhibits photographs,objects related to his life.
Mount Lavinia : is 8 miles from Colombo and is one of the loveliest beaches. The focal point here is mount Lavinia hotel which was initially a residence of a British governor.
Other Attractions
Pettah- famous bazaar
Temples- Buddhists temple Kelanya Raja Mahavira
Churches- St. Peter's Church,St. Anthony's Church, Wolvendaal Church
Mosques- Jami-ul-Alfar
Slave Island