Places to Visit in Colombo City (12 places)

This video features the following twelve suggested places to visit in Colombo City.
1. Independence Memorial Hall. Located at Independence Square (formerly Torrington Square) in Colombo 7. It was built to commemorate the independence of Sri Lanka from British rule in 1948. It also houses the Independence Memorial Museum. Adjoining the Hall is the Independence Square Park.
2. Gangaramaya Temple. Located at Sri Jinarathana Road, Colombo 2. One of the oldest Buddhist temples in Colombo. Started by the famous scholar monk Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera in the late 19th Century. A popular tourist hot spot.
3. Colombo National Museum. Located at Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha (formerly Edinburgh Crescent), Colombo 7. Established in 1877 and founded by Sir William Henry Gregory, the then British Governor of Ceylon. The largest museum in Sri Lanka. The star attraction is the throne of Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, the last king of kandy, and his regalia.
4. Dutch Hospital. Located in the Fort. It was built as a hospital by the Dutch and is believed to have existed since 1681. Used for several different purposes over the years. The Dutch established the Colombo Hospital to look after the health of the officers and other staff serving under the Dutch East India Company. The hospital's close proximity to the Harbor allowed it to serve Dutch seafarers.
The building was the Colombo Fort Police Station from the early 1980s to 1990s prior to which it housed the Colombo Apothecaries.
The building reflects seventeenth-century Dutch colonial architecture. The building has five wings forming two courtyards. It is designed to keep out the heat and humidity and provide a comfortable environment within.
In 2011, it was transformed by the Urban Development Authority into a shopping and dining precincts with the historic architecture preserved. (Source: UDA website.)
5. Port City (now renamed Colombo International Financial City). Located in the Fort adjacent to the Galle Face Green, Port City is a special economic zone and international financial centre still under construction on 269 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea.
At present the general public have access to its Marine Promenade and the artificial beach.
6. Galle Face Green. A 12 acre ocean-side urban park, stretching for for 500 along the coast in the heart of Colombo City. The promenade was initially laid out in 1859 by Governor Sir Henry George Ward, although the original Galle Face Green extended over a much larger area than is seen today. The Galle Face Green was initially used for horse racing and as a golf course, but was also used for cricket, polo, football, tennis, and rugby.
7. Colombo Maritime Museum. Located in Chaitya Road, Fort and housed in an old Dutch warehouse built in 1676. Maintained by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.
8. Colombo Lotus Tower. A 350 meters high tower located in D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha (McCallum Road) in Colombo 10. South Asia’s tallest self-supported structure and Sri Lanka’s tallest skyscraper. Its Observation Deck on the 29th floor affords panoramic views of Colombo City.
9. Red Mosque (Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque). Located at 2st Cross Street, Pettah. Original completed construction dates back to 1909. One of the oldest mosques in Colombo and a popular tourist site. It has five upper stories serving as prayer halls.
10. Located at Reclamation Road in Kochchikade, Sri Ponnambalavaneswarar Hindu temple (Ramanathan Kovil) was established by the family members of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan. Known as the ‘Gal Kovila’ (literally, "Stone Kovil") due to the granite which is the primary material used in its construction.
11. Wolvendahl (spelt "Wolvendaal by some) Church. Located at Wovendahl street, Pettah. Built in the Dutch period in 1749, one of the oldest Christian churches in Sri Lanka. Presently used by The Dutch Reformed Church (currently known as the Christian Reformed Church of Sri Lanka).
12. Commonwealth War Graves at Torrington Avenue, Jawatte, Colombo. Also known as Liveramentu Cemetery. The war graves plot is in the rear left corner of the municipal cemetery.
War dead from the first and the second world war (mostly the latter) are buried and/or commemorated here.
Filmed and edited by Leonard Jayawardena.