Explore Colombo City in a private day tour

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Gangaramaya (Vihara) Buddhist Temple, 61 Sri Jinaratana Road, Colombo Sri Lanka

Gangaramaya temple is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Colombo, started by the famous scholar monk Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera in the late 19th Century. Situated near Beira Lake, in the heart of Colombo, the temple was established in 1885 by Venerable Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera. It gradually grew into the complex it is today, which includes the Vihara (monastery), Cetiya (pagoda), Vihara Mandiraya (Image House, which is full of colorful Buddha statues), Seema Malaka, the Bodhi Tree, the Relic Chamber, as well as a library and a museum. At the far end of the courtyard are rows of elevating steps on which Buddha statues of the Thai style have been sequentially placed to greet the skyline.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Old Parliament Building, Fort, Colombo Sri Lanka

The Old Parliament Building is a home to presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka. It is situated in Colombo fort facing the sea and is in close proximity to the President’s house, Colombo. The building houses the legislature of the island for over 53 years until the opening of New Parliament Complex at Sri Jayewardenepura in the year 1983, next to General Treasury Building. The building catches the attention of various tourists around the world with its huge building made up in Neo-Baroque style, built during the British colonial era, housing the Legislative council of Ceylon. The building was designed by A. Woodson and was opened on January 29, 1930. The front garden of the Old Parliament building has hosted several bronze statues of eminent statesmen including Rt Hon D.S. Senanayake, the first prime minister of Ceylon, Honorable Dudley Senanayake and General Sir John Kotalawela- Prime minister of Ceylon.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Arcade Independence Square, 7 Colombo, Colombo 00700 Sri Lanka

Arcade Independence square is a complex of colonial style buildings housing a host of outlets and facilities for shopping, dining and entertainment. It’s the latest prominent landmark in the city with outdoor sitting areas, promenades, fountains and flowerbeds while inside are 24 retail stores ranging from clothing to electronics. Both local and international brands are represented here, including Nike, Levis, Giordano, Samsung, TITAN, Parfumerie, Kookaburra, Stone ‘N’ String and Amante. Sri Lankan, Indian, Thai, Japanese and fast food restaurants are among the dining options and there is a Cineplex for 3D movies.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Cargills Department Store, No. 40 York Street, Colombo Sri Lanka

The Cargills building in the heart of Fort has remained an iconic structure for over a century. It was once the old residence of a Dutch military officer. The first British Governor of Ceylon, Sir Frederick North (1802) lived there for a short time. The present building dates back to 1896. While D.S. Cargill was Chairman at the time, Walter Hamilton was Director and William Jenkins was General Manager. David Sime Cargill died in 1904. By 1906 a brand new, spacious building had come up and the store was rated the finest of its kind in the East. Jan Baldwin, writing in ‘Colombo Heritage,’ made this vivid description of the store: Its stock was extensive and, in those days, travellers who disembarked at the landing jetty would have only two minutes’ walk to this elegant and famous department store. For the ladies there were ‘ready-made dresses and garibaldies, underclothing, hats of all descriptions, sunshades, hosiery, gloves, frillings and all requisites for their wear’.

Duration: 20 minutes

Pass By: Galle Face Green, Galle Road, Colombo Sri Lanka

Galle Face Green in Sri Lanka is a five hectare ocean-side urban park, which stretches for a half kilometre along the coast. It is a magnificent place to witness a marvelous sun set over western coast of Sri Lanka. The area was initially put to plan and laid out in 1859 by Governor Sir Henry George Ward, although the original Galle Face Green extended over a much larger area than is seen today. The Galle Face Green in Sri Lanka was initially used for many recreational activities. These include activities such as horse racing and golf. It was also used as an area to play cricket, polo, football tennis and rugby.

Stop At: Colombo National Museum, Albert Crescent, Colombo Sri Lanka

Established as the Colombo Museum in 1877, the Colombo National Museum is the main museum in the country that exhibits a plethora of artefacts representing Sri Lanka's rich history and ancient heritage. The architecture and design of the premises are dominated by features of Italian architecture and the museum spans across two floors with multiple viewing galleries on each floor. The ground floor displays artefacts belonging to the Pre and Proto Historic, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy and Transitional periods with stone antiquities gallery. And on the upper floor, you will find paintings, ancient textiles, pottery and ceramics, coins and currency, art and crafts, arms and armaments, presentations of traditional agricultural methods and traditional rituals and the D S Senanayake Memorial Gallery.

Duration: 1 hour