5 Incredibly Interesting Places To Visit In Colombo

What’s your dream destination? Wouldn’t it be a place where lustrous tea estates, clean and golden sand beaches, pleasant weather, thick and evergreen forests welcome you? Colombo in Sri Lanka is the kind of place where you would want to spend your summer vacations. There will be plenty of moments of serendipity, so much of soothing peace, and the incredible warmth of the people of Sri Lanka. Here’s a list of 5 places to visit in Colombo that you can’t miss while exploring the city.

National Museum in Colombo

If you’re someone who loves historical stuff and enjoy a great architecture, the National Museum is among those few places that you must visit while you’re exploring Colombo. It was built in 1877, and is the st museum in the entire Sri Lanka, and certainly the pride of the island nation. This amazing museum has some of the most interesting collections of the Kandyan dynasty rulers.

Where is it located: The museum has a gorgeous Italian architecture, which is situated right in the heart of the gorgeous Colombo.

What’s special about the place: The library in the museum is absolutely amazing as it has some rich manuscripts written on palm leaves. The manuscripts are written in Tamil, Sinhala, Burmese, Telugu, and many other languages.
What’s the entry times: The museum remains open seven days a week from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Entry charges: If you’re a foreigner, then you’ll have to spend 600 LKR for adults and 300 LKR for kids. If you’re a local, you will be charged 35 LKR for adult and 20 LKR for kids.

St. Anthony’s Church

St. Anthony’s Church is among the most popular and renowned churches in the entire city. It is also a must-visit tourist spot, and most of the Sri Lanka tour packages include this in their itinerary. The church is worth a visit during festival season, that too, during major Sri Lankan festival. You can see thousands of devotees flocking to the church from all across the world. This beautiful church was built quite small and was a mud structure, this is best places to visit in Colombo but later it was renovated in 1806.

Where’s it located: This popular church of Colombo is situated in Kochchikade.

What’s special about the church: The statue of St. Anthony, which is at the main altar, was brought from Goa in a completely safe bullet-proof glass box. In this church, Tuesdays are considered absolutely special as there are special masses services in Sinhala, Tamil, and English throughout the day. On the weekdays, you can visit the church for just Sinhala and Tamil mass.

What’s are the entry timings: The church is open all through the day.

What’s the entry charge: Entry is absolutely free in the church.

Attidiya Bird Sanctuary

Probably among the most famous tourist spots to visit in Colombo. The bird sanctuary is home to about 50 different species of birds, which includes local as well as migratory birds.

Highlights: A large number of water monitors, butterflies, insects and other birds tend to catch your attention as you walk through the muddy paths of the sanctuary. The biodiversity of this place is highly commendable, as you cannot help but feel awe-struck at the diverse species of birds here. As the place is replete with mosquitoes, you need to be fully covered while visiting the park.

Where’s the bird sanctuary located: This sanctuary is situated in Boralesgamuwa in Colombo city.

Entry timings of the sanctuary: It remains open throughout the day, but if you visit it during early mornings and evenings, you’ll be able to witness the sight of migratory birds.

What’s the best time to visit the sanctuary: If you want to experience the beauty of the sanctuary, then you must visit it between December and January. Also, this is the peak season to spot migratory birds.
What’s the entry charge: There’s no entry fee to visit this place.

Traditional Puppet Art Museum

If you’re visiting Colombo and not visiting the puppet museum, then you’re missing a big part of Sri Lankan culture. Puppet shows are deeply rooted in Sri Lankan culture. The demand of these puppet shows in Sri Lanka is quite high, which is why you must book your seats in advance to avoid queues and any other hassle. This place will surely bring you incredible joy and will entertain you throughout the show. You’ll also love the colourful puppets created with so much precision.

What’s so special about the show: These puppet shows in the museum are organized and conducted by international puppet experts.

Where’s it located: The museum is located in Dehiwala, which near Galle.

What are the timings: This museum remains open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on all days.

What are the entry charges: About 50 LKR for per adult

Beira Lake

If you’re willing to explore a place where you can experience not just natural beauty, but also some adventure and picnic fun, then Beira Lake is the place. It is among the most popular tourist sites of Colombo. You can also try duck paddle boat ride.

Do you wish to explore the best of Colombo on your next trip to Sri Lanka? We hope this little guide to places to visit in Colombo helps you plan your vacation better.