Colombo City Walk

Your tour starts at the Old Dutch Hospital where you will meet your guide and other travellers taking part in the tour. Colombo’s Fort area is home to some of the city’s most historic buildings. A highlight of this part of the tour is a refreshing break for tea at the city’s oldest hotel, overlooking the grandiose harbour. After exploring the Fort, your tour continues in neighbouring Pettah, the largest wholesale market in the country, which sells everything imaginable from electronics and haberdashery, to spices and locally grown fruit and vegetables. The market is a complete contrast to the relative tranquility of the Fort and encompasses many streets, each of which specialises in a different product; buyers from across Sri Lanka come here to stock up on goods for their stores.

The market is chaotic from dawn until dusk, but your guide will lead you down the most interesting streets, and if there’s time, to some of the area’s hidden gems such as the Red Mosque and the Dutch Period Museum. Bring your camera and expect to be impressed by the sights, sounds and smells of this fascinating market. Walking tours are the best way to experience Colombo and learn about its intriguing colonial history. Each tour is customisable, so you could choose just to focus on the Fort or Pettah Market, rather than a combination of both. On Sundays and Poya Days (full moon holidays) the markets are closed so your tour will center around Colombo Fort instead. On Sunday’s traffic in the Fort area is very much reduced so this is a good day for photography