Colombo City Tour
The best first afternoon in Colombo. Galle Face, the old Fort, Pettah's markets and a temple or two, with the stories that go with them.
Duration: 2 to 4 hours
From LKR 8,000 (about US$25)
Place in Colombo
Pettah
Pettah is Colombo’s market district, just east of the Fort. The name comes from the Tamil pettai, a settlement outside a fort, and the Sinhala name, pita-kotuwa, means the same thing: outside the fort.
- Best time
- Daytime. The markets run from dawn to dusk, and earlier is cooler
- Allow
- About 1.5 hours, longer if you eat
- Cost
- Free to walk through. Bring small notes for snacks
- Good for
- Colour, food, photography and a feel for everyday Colombo
What to see and do
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The markets
Pettah is one of Sri Lanka’s busiest commercial areas, with open-air markets and many wholesale and retail shops. The main market is often described as laid out like a crossword, so a wrong turn is part of the fun.
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Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque
Also called the Red Mosque, it was built in 1908–1909 in an Indo-Saracenic style, and its red-and-white candy stripes make it a popular sight. Check dress and visiting rules before going inside.
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Snacks and street food
Guides single out Pettah for vadai of nearly every kind, plus achcharu (pickled fruit), cassava chips, murukku and faluda for cooling down.
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Other landmarks nearby
The Khan Clock Tower, the Colombo Dutch Museum, Wolvendaal Church and Kayman’s Gate are all listed among Pettah’s landmarks.
A little history
Pettah’s markets and workers settled just beyond the walls of the Fort, which the Dutch and later the British held.
The communities most associated with the area include Moors, Bohras and Memons, alongside Sinhalese, Tamil, Burgher and Malay residents, and the area has Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian places of worship.
Visiting tips
- Go earlier rather than later. It gets hot and crowded.
- Keep bags in front of you and phones out of back pockets, as in any crowded market.
- Don’t try to cover it all on foot. A tuk tuk saves your legs between areas.
See it by tuk tuk
Pettah is the loudest, most colourful stop on the City Tour. The Street Food Tour spends longer here.
Near Pettah
Colombo Fort
Colombo Fort is the old colonial heart of the city and today its business district. A short history, what to see, and how it fits into a day by tuk tuk.
Gangaramaya Temple
Gangaramaya is one of Colombo’s best-known Buddhist temples, beside Beira Lake with the Seema Malaka. What it is, what to wear and how long to allow.
Guides that cover this place
Sources
Facts on this page come from the pages below, read on the dates shown. Opening times and fees change, so check before you go.
- Pettah, Colombo, Wikipedia, read 12 October 2026
- Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque, Wikipedia, read 12 October 2026
- Eating like a local in Pettah: a guide for the brave foodie, HIDMC, read 12 October 2026