Colombo Port City

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The huge dredges you see working offshore of Fort and Galle Face Green are building the initial stages of this enormous 269-hectare addition to the city. At an untold cost of billions to the Chinese investors, this glossy new neighbourhood is envisaged to be a home of commercial high rises, glossy condos, canals, recreation areas and much more. It's already blocking views of the Indian Ocean and could well make Fort a landlocked precinct.

The investors cite the famous artificial Palm Islands of Dubai as their inspiration.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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    Dutch Hospital

    0.28 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…

  • National Museum of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

    National Museum

    2.07 MILES

    Offering a captivating walk through Sri Lankan history, this delightful Colombo museum sprawls across a gleaming white, neo-Baroque building constructed…

  • Galle Face Green with World Trade Centre in background.

    Galle Face Green

    0.69 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…

  • The Town Hall, Colombo, Sri Lanka

    Viharamahadevi Park

    1.98 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…

  • Dutch Period Museum in Colombo

    Dutch Period Museum

    0.88 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…

  • Fish for sale at a road side stall.

    Federation of Self Employees Market

    1.02 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…

  • Colonial Town Hall in Colombo - Sri Lanka

    Old City Hall

    1.11 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…

  • Geoffrey Bawa House

    Geoffrey Bawa House

    2.43 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…

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Nearby Colombo attractions

1. Pelican Perches

0.18 MILES

Huge pelicans perch on light poles and otherwise lounge about at this roundabout. Watch where you walk.

2. Dutch Hospital

0.28 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…

3. Clock Tower

0.3 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…

4. Central Point

0.3 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…

5. World Trade Center

0.32 MILES

Opened in 1996, this was one of the first modern office towers in Colombo.

6. Old Galle Buck Lighthouse

0.32 MILES

Climb up onto the large central terrace of this 1954 lighthouse for views of the ocean, and the rapidly expanding commercial port and mega offshore…

7. President's House

0.36 MILES

In the heart of Fort, this fenced colonial estate is where the president lives.

8. Lloyd's Buildings

0.44 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…