Private Half-Day City Tour of Colombo with Lunch

In the hustle and bustle of Pettah, Colombo’s core commercial district is situated a most striking building, a spiritual haven called Jamiul Alfar Masjid. This mosque is remarkable because the architecture is Indo-Saracenic, incorporating pomegranate-shaped domes. But the most extraordinary feature is that each brick is painted red or white and used in contrasting designs, which gave rise to its common name, the Red Mosque. However, there seems to be a ban on Muslim women to visit the mosque due to religious restrictions. As there have been many who requested a section for the women; there appears to plan for such a section, where women can do their prayers, to be built in the future. Though the red mosque is an Islamic religious facility, visitors from other religions are eagerly welcomed.

Gangaramaya is a Buddhist temple with a fusion of modern architecture and a touch of culture. Being a popular landmark of the city, this complex is built on a lake and consists of a temple, a conference hall for Buddhist monks and a vocational training institute.

Pettah market or Manning Market is an open market in Pettah, Colombo. The Market is most famous for wholesale distribution out of Colombo.

These chaotic streets are always crowded, noisy and packed with tuk tuks, wooden carts and street vendors. In these miniscule shops you will find everything you will ever need for ridiculous prices. And if you’re planning on going shopping here, do some research, as different streets specialise in different items.

Best way to witness the market is by foot, since even if you manage to take your car in through the madness

The Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct is one of the most attractive shopping centres in the country. The building was originally a hospital during the Dutch occupation of Sri Lanka, and is considered to be the oldest building in the historic Colombo Fort area. It was also used as a police station and an apothocary, before it was finally converted into its current role in 2011. The building is centred around two courtyards, which sometimes host live music. It has a few cafes, restaurants, shops and bars. It's a nice place to stop and enjoy the shade, and with low slung tiled roofs and attractive colonades.

The Pettah Floating Markets are located on Bastian Mawatha in Pettah, a neighborhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and consist of 92 trade stalls, with a number of the stalls established on boats on Beira Lake. The floating market serves as a tourist attraction selling local produce and local handicraft.

The Kathiresan kovil or Puthiya (new) Kathiresan kovil is a beautiful one easily recognizable from Galle Road in Bambalapitiya -the temple is dedicated to the war God Skanda or Murugan.

Kovils are typically vertical structures heavily adorned with images from Hindu mythology. On the corners of the roof of the Kathiresan kovil you'll find Bhairava the Frightful, a fierce manifestation of Shiva.

St Lucia's Cathedral is one of only fifteen cathedrals in the country, and it's one of the most beautiful. It is the center of the Colombo Archdiocese (Roman Catholic) and is more than 200 years old.

Gem & souvenir shop

These kovils or temples dedicated to the Hindu war god Murugan (Skanda) bring color to Colombo’s back streets with their ornate exteriors of sculptured Hindu deities. Visit at night when priests perform the evening puja or prayers to the sound of drums.