Sri Lanka’s seaside capital — colonial Fort streets, Buddhist temples, a buzzing bazaar and the gateway to Kandy and Galle
✈ International🛂 Visa — Free ETA (Indians)💱 Rs
Rs 233,713
Est. total budget · 2 adults
4
Days
13
Attractions
10
Meals planned
💡 Recommended trip length for Colombo: 4 days — the Fort & Galle Face seafront, the temples & museum, a Kandy temple day trip, and the Galle Dutch Fort down the coast.
Part of your Day 2 — unlock to see the full description, how long to allow, opening hours and the ticket price.
🔒 Locked
Independence Square → Colombo National Museum
🚶~15 min on foot
🏛
10:30
🏛Colombo National Museum· Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo
🕒 09:00–17:00 · Last entry 16:15 · Closed on public (poya) holidays. In leafy Cinnamon Gardens near Viharamahadevi Park.
Rs 2000.00⏱ 1.5 hoursculture
Colombo National Museum → Lotus Tower
🛺~15 min by tuk-tuk
🗼
12:15
🗼Lotus Tower· Colombo
Part of your Day 2 — unlock to see the full description, how long to allow, opening hours and the ticket price.
🔒 Locked
🍛
13:15
🍛Lunch
Rice and curry, kottu, or a short-eats plate.
Rs 2,951 /person (est.)
Lotus Tower → Pettah Market
🛺~15 min by tuk-tuk
🛍
14:25
🛍Pettah Market & Old Town· Pettah, Colombo
🕒 08:00–18:00 · Last entry 17:30 · Free; go in the morning and keep valuables close. The striped mosque is the landmark photo.
Free⏱ 1.5 hours
Pettah Market → Dutch Hospital Precinct
🚶~15 min on foot
🍽
16:10
🍽Dutch Hospital Precinct· Fort, Colombo
Part of your Day 2 — unlock to see the full description, how long to allow, opening hours and the ticket price.
🔒 Locked
Dutch Hospital Precinct → Galle Face Green
🛺~10 min by tuk-tuk
🌅
17:20
🌅Galle Face Green & Fort· Fort, Colombo
🕒 Open all day · Free. Best at sunset for kites, isso wade (prawn fritters) and the sea breeze. Pairs with Fort's heritage streets.
Free⏱ 2 hours
🦀
19:35
🦀Dinner
Dinner out — seafood, a rice-and-curry feast, or a Fort rooftop.
Rs 4,861 /person (est.)
3
Day 3
Unlock to see details
🔒
4
Departure Day
Unlock to see details
🔒
🔒 You're viewing 1 of 4 days. Unlock to open the other 3 fully-planned days.
✈️FlightsRs 125,000
Per person · return from IndiaRs 62,500
Total · 2 adultsRs 125,000
🏨AccommodationRs 26,042
3-Star hotel · per night (per room)Rs 8,681
3 nights × 1 roomRs 26,042
🎭Attractions & ActivitiesRs 14,000
Kandy & Temple of the ToothRs 4,000
Gangaramaya TempleRs 1,000
Colombo National MuseumRs 4,000
Lotus TowerRs 5,000
Total (all pax)Rs 14,000
🍽️Food & DiningRs 61,111
🌅 Breakfast × 3d × 2 paxRs 8,333
☀ Lunch × 4d × 2 paxRs 23,611
🌙 Dinner × 3d × 2 paxRs 29,167
Total food & diningRs 61,111
🚇Airport TransferRs 1,160
airport expressway shuttle · per person, one way (cheaper than a cab at Rs 10,000 for this group)Rs 290.00
Airport ⇄ hotel · 2 legs × 2 paxRs 1,160
🚇Local TransportRs 6,400
Per person · per day (public transit)Rs 800.00
4 days × 2 paxRs 6,400
🛂Visa — Free ETA (Indians)Free entry
Entry typeElectronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
FeeFree for Indian passport holders (2026)
StayUp to 30 days, double entry
ProcessApply online at the official ETA portal before travel
PassportValid for at least 6 months
TipApply on the official government ETA site only; carry the approval and an onward ticket.
Estimated Grand Total
Colombo · 4 days · 2 adults
Rs 233,713
Your dates, group & final plan set inside the full itinerary.
In your Itinerary
13 attractions
✓ All 13 attractions with descriptions, opening hours & ticket prices. Your personalised day-by-day plan unlocks with the full itinerary.
✓ Day 2
01 / 13
🌅 Galle Face Green & Fort
Fort, Colombo
leisure
2 hours
Colombo's seafront promenade — Galle Face Green, where families fly kites and street-food carts sizzle at sunset, beside the colonial Fort district's grand old buildings, lighthouse and the Old Dutch Hospital's restaurants.
✓ Day 2
02 / 13
🏛 Colombo National Museum
Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo
culture
1.5 hours
🕒 09:00–17:00
Sri Lanka's largest museum, in a gleaming colonial building — the regalia and golden throne of the last king of Kandy, ancient bronzes, and galleries spanning 2,000 years of island history. A cool, worthwhile indoor stop.
✓ Day 2
03 / 13
🛍 Pettah Market & Old Town
Pettah, Colombo
leisure
1.5 hours
🕒 08:00–18:00
A sensory bazaar of teeming streets, each selling one trade — textiles, electronics, spices, gold — around the red-and-white striped Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque and the old Dutch-era manning streets. Chaotic, colourful and very local.
✓ Day 2
04 / 13
🍽 Dutch Hospital Precinct
Fort, Colombo
leisure
1 hour
🕒 10:00–23:00
Colombo's oldest colonial building, a 17th-century Dutch hospital beautifully restored into a buzzing courtyard of restaurants, bars and boutiques in the Fort district — the city's top spot to dine out.
✓ Day 2
05 / 13
🏛 Independence Square & Arcade
Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo
leisure
1 hour
🕒 06:00–22:00
The grand colonnaded Independence Memorial Hall and its manicured square — a popular evening stroll and jog spot — beside the smart Arcade Independence Square, a restored colonial asylum turned upscale shopping and dining.
✓ Day 2
06 / 13
🗼 Lotus Tower
Colombo
adventure
1 hour
🕒 10:00–22:00
South Asia's tallest self-supported tower, a 350 m lotus-shaped landmark by the Beira Lake — an observation deck with 360° views over the city and ocean, lit in colour at night. A fun after-dark stop.
07 / 13
🛕 Kandy & Temple of the Tooth
Kandy (day trip)
culture
4 hours
🕒 08:00–17:30
Sri Lanka's hill capital ~3 hrs inland, on a misty lake — the revered Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha, a royal palace complex and (often) a Kandyan dance show. A long but rewarding cultural day, sometimes via a spice garden.
08 / 13
🏰 Galle Dutch Fort
Galle (day trip)
culture
3 hours
🕒 07:00–19:00
A UNESCO-listed 17th-century Dutch fort town ~2 hrs south — ramparts above the Indian Ocean, cobbled lanes of colonial villas, boutique cafés, a lighthouse and a laid-back, arty vibe. The coast's loveliest day out.
09 / 13
🛕 Gangaramaya Temple
Slave Island, Colombo
culture
1 hour
🕒 06:00–22:00
Colombo's most important and eclectic temple — a riot of Buddha statues, a museum crammed with curiosities and gifts, an old library and a serene lake shrine (Seema Malaka) designed by Geoffrey Bawa nearby.
10 / 13
🕌 Red Mosque (Jami Ul-Alfar)
Pettah, Colombo
culture
0.5 hours
🕒 09:00–17:00
A flamboyant candy-striped red-and-white mosque (1909) rising above the chaotic Pettah bazaar — one of Colombo's most photographed landmarks. Dress modestly to step inside.
11 / 13
🛕 Beira Lake & Seema Malaka
Slave Island, Colombo
culture
0.75 hours
🕒 06:00–21:00
A tranquil cluster of meditation pavilions floating on Beira Lake — the serene Seema Malaka temple designed by Geoffrey Bawa, especially beautiful at sunset against the city skyline.
12 / 13
🌳 Viharamahadevi Park & Town Hall
Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo
leisure
1 hour
🕒 06:00–18:00
Colombo's oldest and largest park, with flowering trees, a golden Buddha and the gleaming white colonial Town Hall (the 'White House') alongside. A shady green break in the heart of the city, next to the museum.
13 / 13
🏖 Mount Lavinia Beach
Mount Lavinia, Colombo
leisure
2 hours
🕒 06:00–21:00
Colombo's nearest beach, ~30 min south — a long golden strand backed by the colonial Mount Lavinia Hotel, with seafood shacks and a famously good sunset. The city's favourite spot for a sundowner by the sea.
✓ All 6 stops on your Day 2 route. Unlock to see all 13 attractions mapped across your full itinerary.
✓ All 11 tips — visa, airport transfer & ways to spend less.
🛬
Airport → your hotel
Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) is about 32 km from Colombo. The airport expressway shuttle bus reaches the city for ~290 LKR (~50–60 min); ordinary buses are cheaper (LKR 70–100). A PickMe ride-hail is about LKR 2,500–3,500 (best value); the official taxi desk is LKR 4,500–6,000. Add your hotel on the Day-by-Day tab for an exact distance and fare. Verified Jul 2026.
Carriers: Dialog, Mobitel, Hutch — tourist SIMs at the airport; or an eSIM (Airalo).
🌦
Best time to visit
The west coast (Colombo) is driest December–March. The southwest monsoon brings rain May–September. It is warm and humid year-round, so light cottons, sun protection and an umbrella are wise any time.
🚖
Getting around
Use the PickMe or Uber apps for tuk-tuks and cars to avoid haggling. Colombo is spread out and hot, so hop between sights by tuk-tuk. The coastal train to Galle is a scenic, cheap ride worth doing. There is no metro; tuk-tuks via the metered <strong>PickMe</strong> app and cheap local buses cover the city — agree tuk-tuk fares up front or use the app.
🚌
Hop-on-hop-off buses
The <strong>Colombo City Tour</strong> hop-on-hop-off bus loops Galle Face, the Fort and Pettah, Gangaramaya Temple and Independence Square (~LKR 5,000, day ticket) — a comfortable, air-conditioned way to see a spread-out, traffic-heavy city.
💵
Cash & tipping
Carry Sri Lankan rupees for tuk-tuks, markets and small eateries. A 10% service charge is often added at restaurants; rounding up for tuk-tuks and guides is appreciated. Cards work in hotels and malls.
🛂
Visa for Indians
Sri Lanka offers Indian passport holders a free 30-day ETA (2026) — apply online on the official portal before you travel and carry the approval. Confirm the current fee-free policy before booking.
🛕
Temple etiquette
At Buddhist temples remove shoes and hats, cover shoulders and knees, and never turn your back to a Buddha image for a photo. Full-moon (poya) days are public holidays when alcohol isn't sold and some sites are busy.
🍛
Food to try
Rice and curry with many small dishes, kottu roti, hoppers, string hoppers, fresh seafood and a king-coconut drink. Wash it down with Ceylon tea and try the fiery sambols.
🚆
Kandy & Galle
Kandy's Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (~3 hrs inland) and Galle's Dutch Fort (~2 hrs south by expressway or coastal train) are the classic day trips. Both are long days — start early.