Travelbeingdom · Colombo and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
A private air-conditioned car and driver-guide take you round Colombo for a full day: the Parliament on its lake, Gangaramaya temple, the Red Mosque, Pettah and Galle Face Green. Choose it when you want the whole city in comfort, with no long drive out of town.
Travelbeingdom picks you up at your hotel or a meeting point in Colombo. If you're more than 5 km outside the city limits there's an extra charge, and from the airport or a transit hotel nearby it's USD 30, paid to the driver in cash. The car is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible, with water and parking fees included.
The listing is long, so treat it as a menu. It starts with the Ape Gama folk village and the Parliament drive in Kotte, the Diyatha Uyana park, Dehiwala zoo, Gangaramaya temple and Independence Square, then the National Museum, a jewellery shop, the Wall Art street, the Laksala state gift shop and the Lotus Tower. Pettah follows, with the Red Mosque, the Ponnambalavaneswarar kovil and St Anthony's shrine, and you end at Galle Face Green and the One Galle Face mall.
Two warnings from the reviews. Paid sites are on you: the Dehiwala zoo is USD 17.70 for a foreign adult, the Lotus Tower USD 20, the museum about LKR 1,500. And one guest called it "a drive by tour only", another got a driver but no guide. Most guests had a good guide, but tell the operator up front which places you want to walk into.
Or at the port for cruise guests. Airport pickups cost USD 30 extra, in cash.
Ape Gama folk village, the Parliament drive and Diyatha Uyana park.
Gangaramaya, Independence Square and the National Museum. Lunch where your guide suggests.
The Red Mosque, the Hindu kovil and St Anthony's shrine.
Sunset on the seafront, then One Galle Face before the drive back.
★★★★★It’s unusual for me to take a tour alone and I felt very safe and cared for the whole time. [...] The Buddhist temple was a highlight as was the new Parliament and my first ever drink straight from a coconut.
★★★★★As you would expect with any private tour, the guide makes it or breaks it. In this case our guide, Rumi, was excellent. He asked us what we wanted to do, gave us a list of options and put together the perfect day of sightseeing.
★★★★★Our driver was great! Very friendly, professional and flexible. He listened to our desires and flexed our journey to accommodate and it made for a perfect day.
★★★★★Colombo is a big city so this is a good way to get a Quick Look around. Also good being able to customise aspects based on preference.
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8 to 10 hours, private. Cruise guests can ask for a shorter day that fits their all-aboard time.
Parking and water are included. You pay the zoo (USD 17.70), the Lotus Tower (USD 20), the National Museum (about LKR 1,500) and Gangaramaya (about LKR 500) if you go in. Our fees guide lists them all.
Yes, for USD 30 extra, paid to the driver in cash. The same applies to transit hotels near the airport.
The car is better in the heat, in rain or with limited mobility, and covers more ground. The tuk-tuk tour is shorter, cheaper and includes a meal.
Ready to book
A full day of Colombo's sights in an air-conditioned car with a driver-guide. Good for cruise days.
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