Colombo Travel Forum

Hello,
I have an 11 hour layover in Colombo and would like to know where I can go and what I can do in that time? Do they have lockers in Colombo to store my luggage while I am in town?

I take it that the layover is during the daytime? There’s nothing much to do here at night, except maybe a bar-crawl in Negombo.

It all depends what you like to do, if you don’t want a day on the beach at nearby Negombo you can shop until you drop in Colombo, I have never done this but I am told that you can get loads of stuff really cheap at Odel and the like. Others will tell you that the city is worth a visit anyway.

Probably best is to pick up a car (complete with driver) at the airport and head further afield. A couple of hours away is Pinnewela Elephant orphanage, which is a popular tourist attraction (some would say tourist trap) a little further is the hot and noisy city of Kandy, which is worth visiting once for the Temple of The Tooth (and if you are into botanic gardens there is one of them too).

What I would do is have a run down the coast to Galle for walk around the walls of the Fort, the Fort is a world heritage site and worth a visit in itself but I would do it for the journey as much as for Galle.

Along the way you can stop at places like Kalutara which has one of Sri Lanka's most impressive working temples (used every day by real people rather than just tourists).

There are several good beaches along the route (so take something to swim in and a towel) there are also numerous places to stop and eat from small shacks selling rice and curry and ‘short eats’ to big hotels catering for tourists. There are other attractions such as turtle hatcheries, more temples etc, you can just stop when you see something you like.

I would take a taxi from the airport to Colombo Fort Railway Station and do the rest of the journey by train, car is probably quicker but the train is more of an experience and a small fraction of the cost of a car (although check the price with the driver of your car, you might get a good deal on the full day). You ain’t trapped in Sri Lankan trains you can move around and hang out of the doors to take photos or just catch the breeze. Trains to Galle are quite frequent and direct (trains to Matara stop there too) you can't really go wrong.

Incidentally, things like transport don’t always work out quite like they should so I would leave yourself an hour or two spare.

Hi There,

It certainly depends on what time it is, It might be a great opportunity tp visit the city and maybe do a small city tour. Galle might be a little to far for someone having 11 hours. Keep 2 - 3 hours for getting back whatever you do.

It may take approx 1 hour to get to the city. Spend about 4 - 5 hours in the city check out what Colombo is like and maybe do some shopping 1 - 2 hours and get back to the airport well in advance.

If you like the beach you may spend it in Negombo, which is closer to the airport.

If you require any further infor please mail.

Sri Lanka is a beautiful place and a couple of days would have really done justice.

Cheers