Galle Face Green

Galle Face Green is Colombo's front lawn: a strip of grass about 500 metres long and five hectares in area that runs between Galle Road and the Indian Ocean. Its origins are military. The Dutch first cleared the ground to give their cannons a firing line against the Portuguese, and in 1856 Governor Sir Henry George Ward authorised an oceanside promenade, which was completed in 1859. Through the 19th century the Green hosted horse racing, golf, rugby and cricket, including the first Royal-Thomian match in 1879.

Today it is a place for doing very little in good company. Families, couples and groups of friends come to fly kites, walk along the sea wall and eat from the food vendors, who sell snacks such as cooked crabs, prawns and slices of mango sprinkled with pepper and salt. Saturday and Sunday evenings are the busiest times, when the Green fills with day trippers and picnickers. Since 2014 it has been managed by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, and in 2022 it became the site of a protest camp during the anti-government demonstrations, which gives it a place in the country's recent history as well.

The Green is free and open, so the main decision is when to go. Late afternoon into evening is cooler than midday and is when the snack stalls are at their liveliest. In the heat of the day a hat and water help.

The buildings around the edge tell much of Colombo's story. The Galle Face Hotel, established in 1864, stands at the southern end, and guests often gather on its black-and-white Chequerboard by the sea to watch the sunset. St Peter's Church, consecrated in 1821, and the old Colombo Club building, now part of the Taj Samudra, are nearby, while the Fort district and Beira Lake lie to the north.

From here it is a short walk or tuk-tuk ride into Fort for the Old Dutch Hospital and its restaurants, or east to the Lotus Tower. Combining an evening walk on the Green with dinner in Fort or at one of the seafront hotels is one of the simplest and most enjoyable Colombo evenings.