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Best Things to do in Colombo (2026)

Colombo rewards visitors who get out on foot and explore its neighbourhoods. Pettah, just east of the Fort, is a dense grid of street markets, bazaars and market halls, including the Old Town Hall Market, Manning Market and the Pettah Floating Market on Beira Lake. Go on a weekday morning, when the markets are busiest, and avoid Sundays and poya days, when much of the district is closed. A guided walk is the easiest way to navigate the lanes and try snacks such as Bombay sweets and falooda.

Afterwards, cool down at the Old Dutch Hospital in Fort, a Dutch colonial building recorded in 1681 that reopened in 2011 as a shopping and dining precinct. For design shopping, Barefoot on Galle Road sells handwoven sarongs, shawls and homeware and has a garden café, while Arcade Independence Square has restored the 1889 buildings of a former asylum as a complex of more than 40 shops and services with a boutique cinema. End the day at Mount Lavinia, about 14 kilometres south of Fort on the coastal railway, for a walk on the sand and a seafood dinner as the sun sets. Swim only when conditions are calm, as the sea can be rough.

5 places · Updated October 27, 2026

Our top 3 things to do in Colombo

  1. Pettah Market Street market district, PettahColombo's oldest trading district, a dense grid of bazaars and market halls just east of Fort, best explored on foot on a weekday morning.
  2. Old Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct Heritage shopping and dining precinct, FortA Dutch colonial hospital in Colombo Fort, recorded in 1681 and reopened in 2011 as a precinct of restaurants and shops.
  3. Mount Lavinia Beach Beach, Mount LaviniaA sandy beach on Colombo's southern edge beside the historic Mount Lavinia Hotel, reached by the coastal railway and known for sunsets and seafood.

Thing to do

1. Pettah Market

Street market districtPettah

Colombo's oldest trading district, a dense grid of bazaars and market halls just east of Fort, best explored on foot on a weekday morning.

View details — Pettah Market

Thing to do

5. Barefoot

Design shop and galleryKollupitiya

Barbara Sansoni's design shop, founded in 1964, selling handwoven Sri Lankan textiles alongside a bookshop, gallery and garden café on Galle Road.

View details — Barefoot