Explore Western Province, Sri Lanka

Top places and hidden gems in Western Province, ready to drop into your itinerary.

Places to visit

A restored colonial-era complex at Independence Square containing shops, restaurants and public spaces.

A historic lake in central Colombo surrounded by major city landmarks and urban recreational areas.

Rising 351.5 metres above Colombo, the Lotus Tower has been the tallest self-supported structure in South Asia since it was completed in…

Sri Lanka’s oldest national museum, established in Colombo in 1877, with collections covering the island’s history, art and archaeology.

Sri Lanka’s long-established zoological garden in Dehiwala.

A landscaped public park beside the Diyawanna Oya in Battaramulla.

A seafront urban promenade in central Colombo used for walking, recreation and enjoying views of the Indian Ocean.

A well-known complex in central Colombo with museum-style collections and eclectic architecture.

A historic canal linking coastal settlements north of Colombo.

A national monument in Colombo’s Independence Square, built to commemorate Sri Lanka’s independence from British rule in 1948.

Built between 1908 and 1909 by architect H.L. Saibo Lebbe for Pettah's Indian trading community, the Red Mosque earned its nickname from…

A historic temple in Kelaniya near Colombo, known for its murals and long history.

A broad urban beach on Sri Lanka’s west coast near the international airport, forming part of Negombo’s tourism and fishing area.

The ruined gateway and ramparts of a 17th-century Dutch fort, now beside a working prison in central Negombo.

A lagoon and network of Dutch-era canals around Negombo, explored by small boat for birdlife and village scenery.

A large cave site associated with prehistoric archaeological discoveries in Sri Lanka.

A market complex beside Beira Lake and the Pettah area, combining small shops, food and public spaces over and beside the water.

Pettah is less a single market than an entire district turned into one, a grid of streets just outside old Colombo Fort where each lane…

A calm lakeside meditation pavilion on Beira Lake, designed by Geoffrey Bawa and linked to Gangaramaya Temple.

A historic temple and rock cave complex in the Gampaha area.

A historic Dutch-era church in Colombo dating from the Dutch colonial period.