Flights to Colombo

From the airport into Colombo

Bandaranaike International is about 32 km north of the city centre. The Colombo–Katunayake Expressway links the two, and a taxi or ride-hailing car usually takes 40 minutes to an hour, longer in rush-hour traffic. Airport buses run to Colombo's main bus station, and many travellers spend their first night in Negombo, just 15 minutes from the terminal, before heading south or inland.

Seafront, temples and bazaars

Galle Face Green, a long seafront lawn, is where families gather in the evening to fly kites and eat street food as the sun sets. Inland, Gangaramaya Temple mixes Sri Lankan, Thai and Chinese styles beside Beira Lake. In Pettah, the old market district, streets are grouped by trade, from spices to fabric, and the red-and-white Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque is one of the city's best-known landmarks. The Lotus Tower, 350 metres high, has an observation deck with views along the coast. Halal restaurants are easy to find in Pettah, Wellawatte and Dehiwala.

Onward from Colombo

Colombo Fort station has trains to Kandy, Galle and the hill country, and the Southern Expressway makes the south coast an easy drive. Mount Lavinia, a beach suburb about 12 km south, has a colonial-era hotel and seafood restaurants on the sand. If you only have a day, a driver can take you to the turtle hatcheries and river safaris around Bentota and back.

When to book

Colombo is warm and humid all year. December to March is the driest spell on the west coast, and also the busiest time for flights, especially around Christmas and February half-term. The south-west monsoon brings heavier rain from May to September, when fares are often lower.

Want to compare SriLankan's non-stop flight with a one-stop fare from your local airport? Call 020 7871 4545 and we'll lay out the options, including luggage.