Colombo Port City

Colombo


The huge dredges you see working offshore of Fort and Galle Face Green are building the initial stages of this enormous 269-hectare addition to the city. At an untold cost of billions to the Chinese investors, this glossy new neighbourhood is envisaged to be a home of commercial high rises, glossy condos, canals, recreation areas and much more. It's already blocking views of the Indian Ocean and could well make Fort a landlocked precinct.

The investors cite the famous artificial Palm Islands of Dubai as their inspiration.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Colombo attractions

1. Pelican Perches

0.18 MILES

Huge pelicans perch on light poles and otherwise lounge about at this roundabout. Watch where you walk.

2. Dutch Hospital

0.28 MILES

This terracotta-tiled, Dutch-era structure dates back to the early 1600s. Beautifully restored, it's now home to trendy shops, cafes and restaurants. In…

3. Clock Tower

0.3 MILES

The restored clock tower at the junction of Chatham St and Janadhipathi Mawatha (once Queen St) was originally a lighthouse that was built in 1857. It's…

4. Central Point

0.3 MILES

Chatham St is seeing the ongoing renovations of old buildings, one of the grandest being the old colonnaded 1914 Central Bank building known as Central…

5. World Trade Center

0.32 MILES

Opened in 1996, this was one of the first modern office towers in Colombo.

6. Old Galle Buck Lighthouse

0.32 MILES

Climb up onto the large central terrace of this 1954 lighthouse for views of the ocean, and the rapidly expanding commercial port and mega offshore…

7. President's House

0.36 MILES

In the heart of Fort, this fenced colonial estate is where the president lives.

8. Lloyd's Buildings

0.44 MILES

Sir Baron Jayathilaka Mawatha has the grandly restored Lloyd’s Buildings. Several other imposing colonial piles on the street are also in various stages…