The Colombo City Guides answer what first-time visitors keep asking: where to eat hoppers, kottu and crab at fair prices, how to dodge the tuk-tuk detours to gem shops, where the city gathers at sunset and which train to catch for Galle or Kandy. Each guide is a short, opinionated list with the reason to go, what to order or look for and one practical tip for every place, and it opens in your browser the minute you pay.
About the Colombo City Guides
- 136 places
- 6 guides
- 13 languages
- Works offline
- Print or PDF
- Instant access
- Free updates
The six Colombo guides
Food guide
23 places
Short eats from the bakery counter, rice and curry at lunchtime, hoppers, mud crab and prawns, cafes in old Colombo houses and tea to take home.
Things to do guide
21 places
Temples on Beira Lake, the striped mosque in Pettah, a colonial walk through Fort, the Lotus Tower and the sunset crowd on Galle Face Green.
Family guide
24 places
Lakeside parks and wetland boardwalks, the zoo, a planetarium, the nearest beach and air-conditioned escapes for the hottest hours.
Nightlife guide
24 places
Rooftops above the sea, hotel cocktail bars, pubs under Dutch arches, live music on weekends and kottu long after midnight.
Day trips guide
23 places
The coast train to Galle Fort, turtles at Hikkaduwa, mangroves on the Madu river, Negombo’s fish market and the line up to Kandy.
Budget guide
21 places
Free parks, monuments and a beach, markets where locals shop, bakery breakfasts, late-night kottu and trains that cost very little.
Why an interactive guide beats a list
Tick places off
Mark each place as done and watch your progress, so you always know what is left.
Your own notes
Write notes on any place and add your own finds. They stay on your phone.
One tap to Maps
Every place opens in Google Maps, and the day route puts your picks in a sensible order.
Open now, near me
Filter by what is open right now or what is closest to you.
Works offline
Open the guide once with a connection and it keeps working without data.
Print it or save as PDF
On a computer, print any guide or save it as a PDF to take with you.
Three places from the guides
Kaema Sutra
Fort, near the Dutch Hospital
Sri Lankan classics cooked with a modern hand in a sleek dining room. Regulars come back for the black hopper and the mango curry. Book it for an evening when you want local flavour with some style. From the food guide.
Seema Malakaya Temple
Beira Lake, next to Gangaramaya
Geoffrey Bawa’s meditation pavilion seems to float on the lake, with golden Buddhas in a row and office towers rising behind. A quarter of an hour here is the quietest break in central Colombo. From the things to do guide.
Galle Dutch Fort
Galle, 2.5 to 3 hours south by train
A lived-in 17th-century fort on a headland, with whitewashed lanes, churches, mosques and cafes inside its walls. Walking the ramparts is free and takes under an hour, and the train ride along the coast is part of the trip. From the day trips guide.
Plan your days in Colombo
Day one: walk the Fort and the Dutch Hospital arcades in the cooler morning, dive into the Pettah market lanes, rest by Beira Lake at Seema Malakaya and end on Galle Face Green as the sun drops. Day two: take an early train down the coast to Galle or up to Kandy. For a rainy or slow day, mix the National Museum, a long rice and curry lunch, a garden cafe and a sundowner on a hotel rooftop, moving between them by app-booked tuk-tuk.
Questions about the Colombo guides
What is inside the Colombo City Guides?
Six guides with 136 places altogether: food, things to do, family, nightlife, day trips and budget. For every place you get the area, the reason to go, opening notes and a tip that saves time or money.
When do I get the guides after buying?
Straight away. The links show up on the order confirmation page and arrive in your order email. They open in any browser on a phone or laptop, with no app and no login.
Do the Colombo guides work without internet?
Yes. Open each guide once while connected and it carries on working offline, along with your ticks and notes. Map links need a data connection.
Which languages are available?
The guides open in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. You can switch the language inside the guide at any time.
Can I buy only one Colombo guide?
Yes. One guide costs €4.99, two cost €8.99, four cost €15.99 and all six cost €19.99.
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