Colombo Sightseeing and Shopping Private Tour Including Lunch
Description
This 8-hour private tour of Colombo City will take around some of the iconic temples and attractions, such as the Gangaramaya Temple, Galle Face Green, and Independence Square. You will also enjoy a Sri Lankan lunch at Rajabojun Grand Buffet and have an opportunity to do some shopping before ending your tour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The exciting day starts with pick up from your hotel by a representative of Sanota Walkers. Then you will be whisked to visit one of Sri Lanka's highly venerated temples called Gangarama Temple which is located on the famous and picturesque Beira Lake in the middle of the city of Colombo. The Gangarama Temple was established about one hundred and twenty (120) years ago and is one of the most important Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka. Originally built to be a small hermitage on a piece of marshy land in the 19th BCE, the temple has grown to include several imposing buildings and become an internationally known place of worship, a centre for learning, as well as an assembly hall for monks while also hosting a museum, a library and a Relic chamber among others.
Seema Malaka is a Buddhist temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The temple is mainly used for meditation and rest, rather than for worship. Situated in the Beira Lake, the temple was originally constructed in the late 19th century.
Once you have had your senses excited with the old and the new at Fort & Pettah, it is now time to visit the world famous Galle Face Greenand relax in the soothing sound of waves lapping at the shores. Overlooking the magnificent Indian Ocean, adjoining the beautiful Galle Face beach and the famous colonial styled Galle Face Hotel (which is known as Asia's Emerald on the Green since 1864) is an elegant promenade lined with swaying palm trees and frequently visited by both locals and visitors alike called the Galle Face Green. The Green, as it is affectionately known, is a meeting ground of the old and the new with cannons, that were once mounted on the rampart of the old fort of Colombo, are now laid out for observance and prestige while families and children play sports, fly kites, health enthusiasts take their evening walks and others indulge in some delicious piping hot local street food sold at numerous food stalls.
St. Anthony's Shrine is a Roman Catholic church in the Archdiocese of Colombo in Sri Lanka. The church is located at Kochchikade, Kotahena, Colombo 13, and is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua. The church is designated a national shrine and minor basilica.
The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara or Kelaniya Temple is a Buddhist temple in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, seven miles from Colombo. The Chief Incumbent is Venerable Professor Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkhitha Thera.
The two notable places to visit are the Fort and Pettah towns. During 16th century, the Portuguese used this area, now known as Fort or Kottuwa(earlier known as (Kolonthota) as one of their trading posts and developed it into a fortified base. Then in the 17th century, the Dutch conquered the fort and demolished part of the fortification and reconstructed to the Dutch specifications. By the 19th century, the British had acquired control and since they considered it unlikely that they would face a direct military threat and that the fort was obstructing urban development of the area, the Colombo Fort was demolished. However, several buildings belonging to the Dutch and British era still remain in existence in the area of Fort including the Dutch Hospital, which is now converted to include high end boutiques and fine dining as well as al-fresco dining restaurants and Old General Post Office building which was constructed in 1895 with Edwardian architecture. Pettahor Pitta – Kottuwa (meaning outer fort) is a busy and vibrant town located close to the Colombo Fort area.
Now let us head on to a very special place called theIndependence Squarelocated just a few minutes away from the Old Parliament building. This building was built to commemorate Sri Lanka’s independence from colonial rule and is situated at the same location where a special podium was constructed in 1948 to mark the ceremony of Sri Lanka’s start of self-rule and new parliament. The Independence Square building also houses a museum displaying a history of all the individuals who struggled and fought for Sri Lanka’s independence.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Meet your cruising excursions representative who will be holding a small sign board of your name near the Gangway. Please do not move out of the meeting area after the Gangway. do not take the shuttle bus and go out of the port promises.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
- A maximum of 15 people per booking
- Note: Itinerary is designed according to time availability. Sanota Walkers will not responsible for any deviation as per client’s/Chauffeur request.
Reviews(12)
The temples were amazing, so atmospheric, one was quite dark with lots of incense burning..and walking barefoot seemed to make the whole experience quite spiritual…loved it. Our guide was full of information, and graciously allowed me to stay in the air conditioned car when I’d flagged a little…although watching the snake charmers from a distance still made for interesting viewing. Great insight into the city finished with a rooftop lunch..nice day
Thank you very much for traveling with our Colombo City Tour! Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we are thrilled to hear you enjoyed your experience. We hope to welcome you back soon
Excellent host/driver. Knowledgeable, courteous. Knows when to engage appropriately and when to let guests relax and enjoy the tour.
Thank you for your kind words! We are thrilled to hear that you had a wonderful experience with our Chauffeur . Providing knowledgeable, courteous service while ensuring our guests' comfort is our top priority. We look forward to welcoming you again for another memorable tour!
We had a wonderful tour of Colombo with our guide, Chamika. He was very friendly and knowledgeable about the city. We visited several temples where Chamika provided very detailed explanations for what we were seeing. After a delicious lunch we visited the Lotus Tower and Independence Square; followed by a driving tour of the city as we made our way back to our cruise ship. The transportation was a very nice air conditioned van with ample space for the four of us. Our pick-up at the port was especially convenient; we were met inside the port near the end of the gangway. This was a very nice surprise! Thanks again to Camika and Lanka Tours for a special day in Colombo
Thank you very much for the great Comment.
The temples and history of Sri Lanka were good to see, and the guide was quite knowledgeable on the temples. The guide (who was also the driver) spoke excellent English, was a very good and safe driver and had a lot of local knowledge. I also enjoyed most of the shopping, especially the Laksala. The only thing to be aware of, is some of the shopping is where they take you to a single shop and the shop tries to pressure you in to buying expensive items at triple the cost they would charge locals - although if you enjoy this type of shopping, then no issues.
i booked my city tour with Sanota Walkers after reading the reviews on TripAdvisor and was certainly not disappointed Chamika was very professional in making the booking and answered all my questions He even changed our pick up time at the last minute Driver was Subash - he was excellent and very patient - answered all our questions and was on time for hotel pick up - very professional Will certainly recommend this company and will use them again on my next visit to Colombo Keep up the good work
Me and my partner had a lovely trip yesterday. We were picked up on time by our tour guide Subash, the car was air conditioned and clean. Subash was very attentive and even made a detour at the end as we had already seen one of the temples. Water was provided in the car and he drove safely and was extremely informative and was happy to answer all our questions. The highlight of the trip was the visit to the Buddhist Temple in Kelaniya this was turkey beautiful. Thank you Subash for a wonderful trip.
good city tour, good driver and good lunch. We had limited time and only had the tour for four hours. Shopping was something we could not do, though the driver was more than willing to do this with us
<p>We took a private tour in Columbo. I use a mobility scooter, but am able to walk short distances,which was not a problem. The guide was extremely helpful, realised my limitations, and gave us a great tour accordingly. We visited 2 temples, and had a city tour. We than had lunch. We then negotiated to extend the tour to Galle, where we saw the fort, the fishermen on stilts, and the amazing turtle sanctuary. Our guide was informative, kind, courteous and polite throughout, cannot recommend him enough. Thank you.</p>
Our driver was at the ship on time so no delays. Car provided was clean and comfortable for my wife and I. We visited all of the temples and other places. Our driver taking us on personal tours of each place we visited. He was very good and attentive and I am sorry that I can't spell his name. We were last in Colombo in 1984 and it was interesting to see how some things had changed and other things remained the same. The lunch venue was very good but be aware that nearly all of the food offered is either a curry or similar. All in all a good day and no problem with recommending this tour
<p>On this tour our fantastic driver/guide showed us some of the most interesting places in Colombo.When one of our friends fell ill he took care of everything.He drove us back to our apartment and made sure that everything was OK before he continued the tour with the rest of us. After the our we got a call from the agency. They wanted to make sure that everything was allright. What a service - excellent. We can highly recommend this tour. Sysser and friends from Denmark</p>
