Pettah Market

Pettah is where Colombo comes to shop, and walking its lanes is the most absorbing way to understand how the city works. The district lies just east of the Fort, and its name reflects that position: it comes from the Tamil pettai, a term for a suburb outside a fort, and the Sinhala name, pita-kotuwa, means the same thing. The main market is laid out like a large crossword puzzle, which is exactly how it feels when you are inside it.

Rather than a single market, Pettah is a cluster of them. There are the open-air street markets, the Old Town Hall Market, Manning Market, the Federation of Self Employees Market and the Cross Street bazaars, as well as the Pettah Floating Market, which opened in 2014 with 92 stalls on Bastian Mawatha and on boats on Beira Lake, selling local produce and handicrafts. Its traders have struggled with high rents and low sales, so it is quieter than the street markets, but it is an easy place to browse crafts.

Food is a big part of a visit. The Pettah markets are known for street snacks, sellers of Bombay sweets, and falooda, all of which feature on guided heritage walks through the area. Trying a few snacks as you go is the easiest way to break up the walk and cool down.

Practical planning makes a big difference. Sri Lanka In Style, which runs a morning walk from 9am to 11.30am through Fort and Pettah, notes that Sunday is not ideal because the markets are closed and that it avoids poya days. The same operator suggests cool, light clothing and a cap, and you should allow two to three hours. Joining a guided walk is worthwhile on a first visit, because the guide will steer you through the busiest lanes and explain what is being sold.

Pettah is also packed with landmarks. The Jami Ul-Alfar or Red Mosque and the 18th-century Wolvendaal Church are both here, along with Kayman's Gate, the Old Town Hall, the Khan Clock Tower, the Colombo Dutch Museum and the Central Bus Station. When the noise becomes too much, walk west into Fort and finish with lunch at the Old Dutch Hospital.