Local retail giant Cargills once had its main store on York St. The now mostly empty ornate 1906 red building still shows its faded elegance in its long arcades with old store signage such as the one noting ‘toilet requisites’. Ground-floor colonnades like those here were once a feature across colonial Colombo, allowing people to get around sheltered from monsoon deluges. There's a tiny modern Cargills convenience store inside with tables where you can pause for a cool drink.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.21 MILES
This terracotta-tiled, Dutch-era structure dates back to the early 1600s. Beautifully restored, it's now home to trendy shops, cafes and restaurants. In…
2.07 MILES
Offering a captivating walk through Sri Lankan history, this delightful Colombo museum sprawls across a gleaming white, neo-Baroque building constructed…
0.87 MILES
This long open space traditionally faced a narrow beach and the sea. It was originally cleared by the Dutch to give the cannons of Fort a clear line of…
1.94 MILES
Colombo’s biggest park was originally called Victoria Park, but was renamed in the 1950s after the mother of King Dutugemunu. It’s notable for its superb…
0.47 MILES
This unique museum was originally the 17th-century residence of the Dutch governor and has since been used as a Catholic seminary, a military hospital, a…
Federation of Self Employees Market
0.62 MILES
The concentrated and manic commerce of Pettah is concentrated even further in its markets. Stretching along 5th Cross St, this don't-miss market is a hive…
0.67 MILES
Dating to 1865, this municipal building from the British era is mostly empty today, save for some old trucks and municipal equipment on display in the…
2.53 MILES
At the end of this quiet little street is the house where the renowned architect Bawa lived from 1960 to 1970. The house combines his usual love for…
Nearby Colombo attractions
0.09 MILES
Sir Baron Jayathilaka Mawatha has the grandly restored Lloyd’s Buildings. Several other imposing colonial piles on the street are also in various stages…
0.12 MILES
Reached along the arcade on the north side of the Grand Oriental Hotel, this converted Dutch governor’s banquet hall was first used as a church in 1821…
0.12 MILES
The venerable Grand Oriental Hotel has an iconic statue on the small traffic circle in front of its entry that defies political correctness. A wiry local…
0.15 MILES
In the heart of Fort, this fenced colonial estate is where the president lives.
0.16 MILES
Chatham St is seeing the ongoing renovations of old buildings, one of the grandest being the old colonnaded 1914 Central Bank building known as Central…
0.16 MILES
The restored clock tower at the junction of Chatham St and Janadhipathi Mawatha (once Queen St) was originally a lighthouse that was built in 1857. It's…
0.21 MILES
This terracotta-tiled, Dutch-era structure dates back to the early 1600s. Beautifully restored, it's now home to trendy shops, cafes and restaurants. In…
0.22 MILES
Opened in 1996, this was one of the first modern office towers in Colombo.