Full-Day Colombo City Tour: Private Car Exploration of Culture and History
4.6
61 Ratings
Colombo
Embark on a full-day private car tour of Colombo, immersing yourself in the rich culture and history of the city. Explore bustling streets, vibrant markets, and pristine parks with a knowledgeable guide.
Duration: 10 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Ape Gama - Ape Gama is a replica of a traditional Sri Lankan village, showcasing traditional industries, village life, and the self-sufficient nature of early Sri Lankan society.

  • Parliament Drive - Drive along Diyawanna Lake via Parliament Drive to view the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

  • Diyatha Uyana - Diyatha Uyana (Park) & Diyawanna Oya (Lake)

  • Dehiwala Zoological Garden - The National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka, also known as Colombo Zoo or Dehiwala Zoo, features a wide variety of animals and birds. The zoo focuses on animal conservation, welfare, and education.

  • Gangaramaya (Vihara) Buddhist Temple - Gangaramaya (Buddhist) Temple is one of Colombo’s most significant temples, blending modern architecture with cultural heritage.

  • Independence Square - Independence Memorial Hall & Museum, also known as Independence Commemoration Hall, is a national monument commemorating Sri Lanka’s independence from British rule and the restoration of full governing responsibility.

  • Colombo National Museum - The National Museum of Colombo, also called the Sri Lanka National Museum, is the largest museum in Sri Lanka. Maintained by the Department of National Museum, it houses important collections, including the regalia of the Kandyan monarchs and other exhibits that narrate the story of ancient Sri Lanka.

  • Viharamahadevi Park - Viharamahadevi Park, formerly Victoria Park, is a public park in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, located in front of the colonial-era Town Hall. It is the oldest and largest park in Colombo, originally named after Queen Victoria but renamed after Queen Viharamahadevi, the mother of King Dutugamunu, following independence.

  • Town Hall - The Town Hall of Colombo is the headquarters of the Colombo Municipal Council and the office of the Mayor of Colombo. Situated in front of Viharamahadevi Park, it serves as the meeting place for the elected municipal council.

  • Premadasa & Co. Main Store & Gem Museum - A blend of traditional, classy, and modern styles, this is the flagship store of Premadasa & Co.

  • Wall ART Street - Green Path transforms into an avenue for street artists and craftsmen to showcase their work. The area is brightened by abstract paintings, multi-frame wall art, oil paintings, and other art pieces. Woodworking and metalworking craftsmen, along with other handcrafted item sellers, offer their original products to passersby.

  • Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre - The Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre, often referred to as Nelum Pokuna, was previously known as the National Performing Arts Theatre before being renamed at the opening ceremony. It is named after Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former President of Sri Lanka.

  • Laksala State Gift and Souvenir Boutique - Laksala is the only state-owned gift and souvenir boutique, established under the National Crafts Council and Allied Institutions Act, No. 35 of 1982.

  • Colombo Lotus Tower - The Lotus Tower is the tallest self-supported structure in South Asia and the second tallest structure in South Asia after the guy-wire-supported INS Kattabomman in India. It is the 11th tallest completed tower in Asia and the 19th tallest tower in the world.

  • Pettah - The Pettah Market, also known as Manning Market, is an open market in the suburb of Pettah in Colombo.

  • Pettah Floating Market - The Pettah Floating Markets, located on Bastian Mawatha in Pettah, Colombo, consist of 92 trade stalls, some of which are established on boats on Beira Lake.

  • Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque - Jami-Ul-Alfar (Red) Mosque

  • Sri Ponnambalawaneswarar Kovil - Unlike the ancient Indian temples with their elaborate sculptures and solid black granite construction, the Hindu temples of Sri Lanka, especially in Colombo, do not follow this architectural style.

  • St Anthony’s Shrine - The origins of this church date back to the early Dutch colonial period when Catholicism was banned, and Catholic priests conducted sermons in hiding.

  • Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct - The Old Colombo Dutch Hospital, known as The Dutch Hospital, is the oldest building in the Colombo Fort area, dating back to the Dutch colonial era. It is now a heritage building and a shopping and dining precinct.

  • Galle Face Green - Galle Face is a 5-hectare (12-acre) ocean-side urban park that stretches for 500 meters (1,600 feet) along the coast in the heart of Colombo, the financial and business capital of Sri Lanka.

  • One Galle Face - Colombo’s first prestigious shopping development, offering a premier retail, entertainment, and dining experience for both local and global shoppers.

What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Bottled water
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Parking fees
Additional Information

This comprehensive, full-day guided tour of Colombo will immerse you in the city’s rich culture and history. As you explore, your Private Guide will provide insightful narratives about the sights you visit.

The tour is perfect for those stopping over in Colombo or for those who want a condensed experience of the city. The itinerary for the tour is flexible, making it a convenient way to discover Sri Lanka’s commercial hub. Experience everything from the city’s bustling streets and vibrant markets, filled with haggling vendors, to the upscale boutique eateries and pristine parks. Once a popular trade port for merchants, the city integrates a harmonious mix of religions and cultures.

Your Private Guide will collect you from your hotel or seaport in a private vehicle.

Location
Galle Face
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(61 Ratings)
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Derf123
Apr 19, 2024
Excellent overview of city and surrounds - Thoroughly enjoyable tour with Rumi- he adapted itinerary well to accommodate what we had already seen, hours of opening , our interests and the quite hot conditions. He was knowledgeable and interesting providing good background for our longer island tour starting tomorrow.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Durhamdave2
Mar 6, 2024
Fantastic Day in Colombo - Colombo can be overpowering, even a tad crazy, but this tour took all the stress out of it. We had been offered no end of tours by eager tuk tuk drivers - but this one was in a nice air conditioned car,driven by a knowledgable guide who spoke perfect English. He took trouble to find out what we wanted to see (and didn’t want - the zoo for example). We were very impressed, especially as we only booked late on the day before the tour. Well done Remi
Review provided by Tripadvisor
P5677zprichardh
Feb 28, 2024
Excellent excursion recommended. - Excellent door to door from ship gate was taken by driver to all the major attractions informative guide. Amazing city tour a most do on day one of a two day stay
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leslie_g
Feb 24, 2024
Private Colombo, Sri Lanka tour - Our Private day tour was amazing. Our driver was on time and took us to all of the great sites in the city. He recommended a good place to eat local food, and it was so good and very inexpensive! We had a great day. Thank you. Tom and Leslie.
Review provided by Viator
Williamscew
Feb 21, 2024
Jeerlrry in columbo - Our driver and guide did a great job showing us the whole vith it was a full day and well worth the money. Much better than giving a cruise mote money
Review provided by Viator
Kevin_c
Jan 24, 2024
Fantastic introduction to Colombo - It’s unusual for me to take a tour alone and I felt very safe and cared for the whole time. It’s lovely to see the city through the eyes of a local. We visited all the sites I’d read about. The Buddhist temple was a highlight as was the new Parliament and my first ever drink straight from a coconut. I’d strongly recommend it as a fun way to see a lot in just a day.
Review provided by Viator
327andreih
Jan 16, 2024
Outstanding tour of Colombo with Nipuna! - My family and I had the most amazing tour of Colombo with Nipuna. Nipuna is an outstanding tour guide and wonderful person. He is extremely knowledgeable, kind, and accommodating, and his English is excellent. Additionally, he is quite flexible, allowing us to modify our itinerary throughout the day as we saw fit. I highly recommend you take this tour with Nipuna!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
484shabbira
May 19, 2024
Great service - I had to travel to interior or the island, they were recommended by friend, Very helpful staff , great service and reasonable rate.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Psindia
Jan 21, 2024
Tour at your own pace - We did a very comprehensive tour of the city with Nipuna. The best thing about this tour is that it’s entirely customisable. We had recommendations from the standard itinerary as well as from Nipuna, who is driver-cum-guide. We used these to select what we wanted to focus on, and it worked really well. We saw everything that we wanted to see, and more at our own pace. Nipuna was patient and very helpful. What I particularly appreciated about this company was how the manager, Geemal started reaching out a day before and shared all relevant logistics of the tout in advance. Good planning and communication! Good option to consider!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Linda_j
May 6, 2024
Stood us up! - The guide driver never showed up and we waisted an hour and a half waiting and looking for him. On a more positive note, Viator promptly refunded our money when it learned of this problem, and we then simply rented a taxi for half the price to show us all the same sites during the rest of the day.
Review provided by Viator
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July 2024
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