2-day itinerary: historical and religious visit of Sri Lanka's capital

The red mosque, striped with bright colours

In the morning, we set off for the red mosque, Jami Ul-Alfar. This enormous mosque is painted in white and red stripes, giving it an atypical aesthetic. This place of worship for Colombo's Muslim community was built in 1910, in the lively Pettah district.

It is possible to visit the interior of the mosque, provided that you are dressed soberly and respectfully. The mosque is open every day except Friday. Prayers are held 5 times a day. Opening times: 4am to 9pm, Saturday to Thursday, outside prayer times.

St Lucia Cathedral, a Catholic building in a Buddhist country

In the second half of the morning, we head north to visit St Lucia Cathedral. A 10-minute tuk-tuk ride from the Red Mosque, the cathedral is perched on a small hill overlooking the city of Colombo. It is the largest cathedral in the country and is home to Colombo's Christian community.

We visit the cathedral garden and the interior of the building. On either side of the central aisle, statues of saints lead us to Saint Lucy, depicted with her eyes in her hands.

Opening times: 5 am to 8 pm, daily.

Where to have lunch in Colombo?

🍴 Aluthkade Streetfood

We walk back down from the cathedral via Colombo 12, where we stop at Aluthkade Streetfood, a street full of street vendors, to share a thali.

The Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Kovil Hindu Temple

The afternoon begins with a visit to the Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Kovil Hindu Temple. Also known as the Capitan's Garden Hindu Temple, it is the oldest Hindu temple in Colombo and is as colourful on the outside as it is on the inside. Watching the processions that take place there discreetly throughout the day is a real pleasure. Opening times: 6 am to 10 am in the morning and 5 pm to 9 pm in the evening.

The Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple, on the town's lake.

We decide to take a gentle walk south along the Galle Face Green. The walk takes around 30 minutes. We arrive at the Gangaramaya Buddhist temple in the late afternoon and visit the Buddha temple, admiring the golden statues reflecting the last rays of the sun. To finish our day, we rest in the shade of the sacred tree where Buddha experienced enlightenment: the bodhi.

The historic Fort district

We start our second day in the capital with breakfast in the Fort district. We chose the Graze Kitchen in the Hilton Hotel for its shady terrace overlooking a small lake.

We take a stroll through the historic quarter of Colombo and visit various monuments over the course of the morning:

• The Lighthouse Clock Tower ;
• Colombo Lighthouse ;
• Colombo Fort railway station.

Old Colombo Ducth hospital, the restaurant and bar district

We're eating at the Old Colombo dutch hospital, a festive, cute and tasty place where restaurants and bars have their terraces together.

National Museum of Sri Lanka

It's a hot afternoon and we decide to spend it at the National Museum in Colombo. Built in 1877, the museum houses and preserves traditional objects, relics of civilisations, weapons dating from the country's colonial period and royal jewels. We spend our visit wandering around the museum grounds and discovering the history of this magical country.

Viharamahadevi Park, a place to relax away from the hustle and bustle

In the late afternoon, when the sun is not so hot, we walk to Viharamahadevi Park to relax. The journey takes 15 minutes.

We admire the fountains and the golden Buddha statue that dominates the park, see the locals taking wedding photos and relax as we take in the world around us.