Must-see shopping in Sri Lanka

  • Barefoot

    Colombo

    Designer Barbara Sansoni’s beautifully laid out shop, located in an old villa, is justly popular for its bright hand-loomed textiles, which are fashioned…

  • Shoba Display Gallery

    Galle

    Beautiful lacework made right here. The shop teaches local women dyeing crafts and ensures them a fair price for their work. Even if you’re not buying,…

  • Stick No Bills

    Galle

    Super-stylish reproduction posters (Rs 3000) and postcards (Rs 350) covering Sri Lanka through the decades. Many of the beautiful vintage airline images…

  • Withered Leaves

    Galle

    Specialist tea store with an amazing range of top-quality green teas, white teas, Ceylon garden teas, blended teas and single-estate teas. There's no hard…

  • Plâté

    Colombo

    An engrossing treasure of a store selling antiques, old photos, art, books and more in a genteel, wood-panelled setting. Also has a busy photo studio.

  • Odel

    Colombo

    A high-profile department store that combines international and local brands in one glitzy labyrinth. From fashions to homewares to cosmetics and gift…

  • Odel Luv SL

    Kandy

    Wacky T-shirts, tacky tourist goods, kitsch flip-flops and some good souvenirs: this shop under the arcades of the Queens Hotel has the lot.

  • Arcade Independence Square

    Colombo

    Another massive restoration of a colonial landmark. In this case, the sprawling colonial 'hospital for the insane' has been reborn as an upscale mall…

  • Baba Batik

    The Ancient Cities

    This batik factory and showroom is a great place to see the batik-making process, from the drawing of the designs and multistage dyeing of cloth to the…

  • Paradise Road

    Colombo

    In addition to a variety of colonial and Sri Lankan collectables, you’ll find a vast selection of original homewares and designer items in this crammed-to…

  • Southern Antiques & Reproductions

    South of Colombo

    Anyone with a penchant for interior design will enjoy visiting this Aladdin’s Cave of treasures. Most of the pieces are too big to transport (lots of…

  • Buddhist Publication Society

    Kandy

    The Buddhist Publication Society, on the lakeside 400m northeast of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, is a nonprofit charity that distributes the…

  • Jaffna Market

    Jaffna

    Jaffna’s colourful fruit and vegetable market is west of the bus stand, but the greater market area encompasses several bustling blocks beyond that,…

  • Old Railway

    Galle

    An eclectic, interesting store where most of the clothing, jewellery, bags, toys and gifts are designed in-house, made from locally sourced materials, and…

  • Selyn

    Colombo

    Fairtrade goods made on local handlooms are the main items for sale here; the inventory spans all forms of housewares and is colorful and stylish. The big…

  • House of Fashions

    Colombo

    Colombo's legendary multistorey surplus outlet for the nation’s garment industry is actually a tad upscale. It has unbeatable textile and clothing prices,…

  • Vijitha Yapa Bookshop

    Colombo

    Stocks a comprehensive collection of foreign and local novels, magazines and pictorial tomes on Sri Lanka. There's a second branch in Crescat Boulevard.

  • Dilmah Tea Shop

    Colombo

    Sri Lanka’s top tea brand has its own posh shops, including this outlet in glitzy Odel. A second branch is located in Crescat Boulevard.

  • Jayamali Batiks Studio

    Kandy

    Fine batik clothing and homeware (bedspreads and wall hangings) in modern, artistic styles created by designer Upali Jayakody. It's on the upper floor of…

  • Waruna Antiques

    Kandy

    About 2km southwest of the centre, this warren of an antique shop is a fine place to root around for old masks, jewellery, coins, textiles, maps and art…

  • Barefoot

    Galle

    Chic boutique selling colourful local clothing, jewellery, linen and rugs, crafts and gifts. The book section has an excellent selection of Sri Lanka…

  • Selyn

    Kandy

    Fair-trade textiles, clothing (including saris, sarongs and shirts) and jewellery made of recycled fabric, paper and other materials.

  • Dilmah Tea Shop

    Colombo

    Small shop selling goods from Sri Lanka's top tea producer.

  • Kala Pola Art Market

    Colombo

    Every Sunday morning the broad avenue Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha south of Viharamahadevi Park comes alive with colour as local artists display their…

  • Sri Lanka Cashew Corporation

    Colombo

    Cashews were brought by the Portuguese to Sri Lanka from Brazil in the 16th century. They’ve clearly found the climate agreeable as the nuts are now a…

  • Cultural Triangle Office

    Kandy

    Has a selection of books on the Ancient Cities for sale. Kandy, by Dr Anuradha Seneviratna, is an informative guide to the city’s heritage. Also available…

  • Ratnapura Gem Bureau, Museum & Laboratory

    The Hill Country

    This reputable place to purchase gems adopts a relatively low-pressure approach to sales. There’s a good display of local minerals and precious stones, as…

  • Laksala

    Colombo

    Part of a large government-run chain of arts-and-crafts shops popular with groups, Laksala offers cheap carved elephants, well-crafted handicrafts and…

  • Arpico

    Colombo

    A huge store good for replacing almost anything you left at home. Imported foods (get your Marmite here), cosmetics, sunscreen, a pharmacy, travel gadgets…

  • Olanda Antiques

    Galle

    A vast Aladdin’s cave of antique furniture and perfect reproduction pieces are among the treasures you’ll find in this Dutch colonial house. There’s also…

  • Gandhara

    Colombo

    This stylish designer shop on the trendy stretch of Stratford Ave sells everything from candles to coffee tables. Gift items pegged to the season are…

  • Sri Lanka Tea Board Shop

    Colombo

    One-stop tea shopping: this large but unflashy shop has many of the smaller brands of Ceylon tea that can be hard to find. It also has most of the top…

  • Lakpahana

    Colombo

    The place for mass-produced carved elephants in bulk so you can show everyone back home you care. Traditional souvenirs are sold in profusion and this…

  • PR

    Colombo

    The fashion branch of the Paradise Road design conglomerate is run by Annika Fernando and is housed with her sister Saskia Fernando's eponymous gallery…

  • Zahra Tailors

    Jaffna

    Great little open-front tailor shop in the heart of the market. The talented guys here will mend clothing worn out by your touring while you wait. They…

  • T-Sips

    Ella

    This fair-trade tea shop (selling leaves rather than cups of tea) helps local tea-estate children. It donates 5% of all money made to community projects…

  • Mlesna Tea Centre

    Colombo

    This high-end tea boutique offers a great selection of top-quality Ceylon tea, house-brand teas and tea-making wares. There's a second outlet in Majestic…

  • Batticaloa Market

    Batticaloa

    Stock up with tropical fruit as well as gifts for back home, such as spoons made from coconut shells and palmyra palm jaggery (raw sugar) in laid-back,…

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