Colombo city tour is a short program specially designed for travellers who can spend only 8 hours for sightseeing. The tour starts at 0800 hrs from the pick-up location in Colombo. This 8 hours Colombo city tour covers many interesting places in Colombo and it covers many shopping malls and historical sites.
COLOMBO
In the novel Gamperaliya, veteran novelist martin Wikramsinghe’s Colombo is a place of glamour and destitution – a small city where spectacular wealth and poverty live side by side. This lethal combination develops a thriving underbelly, which Martin Wickramasinghe brings to life in the small portion of his novel that he dedicates to talk about Colombo. However, Martin Wikramsinghe did not highlight the fascinating blend of history and modernity in the city, which makes a fascinating blend and visible to any travellers on the first glimpse on this metropolis.
History and modernity, wealth and poverty all are converging in the populated city, which is also home to many interesting tourist attractions, luxurious hotels, shopping malls, and places for recreation activities. Foreign governments around the world advised their citizens to avoid Colombo during the thirty years civil war, which was ended in 2009. Colombo was a dangerous place to hang around due to the unexpected bomb blasts. Business folk, tourist, Gangsters, drug dealers, and civilians rub their shoulder in this populated neighbourhood.
Colombo city had been a well-known city in the region among the Arabian, Chinese, Indian, Persian, and Roman traders as early as a pre-Christian era. Sri Lanka is located in the East-West sea route and visited by traders in order to exchange their goods with the local traders. Even though Colombo was a well-known city among the ancient traders 2,000 years ago, the capital city of the country had been Anuradhapura. There was an Arabian settlement in the city of Colombo at the mouth of Kelani River. Arab traders were exporting the goods from the port of Colombo. Goods such as Cinnamon, ivory, gems, elephants were exported by the king of Kotte with the help of Arabs. With the beginning of the British colonial period, Colombo city received a prominent place as the capital of Ceylon. Colombo was the capital of the island from 1815 to 1978 until the administrative capital was moved to Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte.
The Colombo city tour takes the visitors through bustling Pettah to Colombo 7 better known as Cinnamon garden, the neighborhood of the rich Colombo residents, where stupendous mansions and beautiful gardens take the center stage. Fame of the cinnamon garden begins with the arrival of British colonial rulers, who built their living quarters in Cinnamon garden.
<p>GALLE FACE</p><p>This had been a well-known Racecourse during the British colonial period in the country. This race course which located bordering the Indian Ocean had to be abandoned later on due to the Sea crabs, which are making holes in the track. Afterwards it was developed as a promenade for the city dwellers and named as Galle face green. Today Galle face green contains an open theatre, spacious open space for a picnic, sports and walking.</p><p></p><p>BUDDHIST TEMPLE GANGARAMA</p><p>It is considered to be one of the most sacred places in the country. Temple is one of the three places where Buddha visited in the 6th century B.C. well known Kelaniya dagoba is located on the border of the temple. Kalyani River, which flows next to the temple, adds more value to the scenic beauty of the temple. This temple holds the reputation for its attractive wall, which considered being the best painting of the Modern Era.</p><p></p><p>VIHARAMAHADEVI PARK</p><p>Viharamahadevi is located in the Colombo 7 or Cinnamon gardens. It is the largest and most popular park in the city. It is believed that there had been a twenty square kilometre cinnamon plantation in the area. Today most of the palaces of wealthy people can be seen in the area and Colombo 7 is the most picturesque part of the city.</p><p></p><p>WOLFENDAAL CHURCH</p><p>The Wolvendaal church is located In Fort and walking distance from the centre of the city. It has a large collection of tombstones of important Dutch personalities. Fort is made in the highest point of the city and dates back to 1813. The church is built in the doricstyle of the period. In the form of Greek cross, with five feet thick walls and the gables raised over. The transepts are roofed with brick barrel arches and a centre dome.</p><p></p><p>AUKANA BUDDHA STATUE / INDEPENDENCE HALL / PETTAH AND BMICH</p><p>Facing the Bandaranayke Memorial International Conference Hall stands a beautifully executed statue of the Buddha in the standing posture. The statue is 36 feet tall and is the largest Buddha statue in the city of Colombo. It is a replica of the Avukana Statue on the banks of the Kalawewa Anurdhapura.</p><p></p><p>CITY & SHOPPING</p><p>The City Tour will also include places of Tourist interest such as </p><p>Old parliament</p><p>Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall</p><p>Buddhist Hindu Temple and Town Hall. </p><p>Devatagaha mosque</p><p>Pettah area</p><p>Galle face green</p><p>Cinnamon garden</p><p>Colombo museum</p><p>Beira lake</p><p> </p><p>Shopping at </p><p>Odel</p><p>House of Fashion</p><p>Bare foot and etc</p>
