48 Hours In: Colombo, Sri Lanka

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WHY GO NOW?

If you don't mind the occasional downpour, Sri Lanka's attractive capital is as pleasant an out-of-season stopover destination as it is during the hotter, drier months of the UK winter. Colombo is an appealing mixture of crumbling colonial architecture and chaotic bazaars, and its citizens are unfailingly friendly.

TOUCH DOWN

SriLankan flies daily from Heathrow to Colombo. Three times a week it also flies via the Maldives. During the summer, fares should be available for less than £600 through agents such as Sri Lanka Tours (020-7734 9078; www.srilankatours.co.uk). SriLankan's partner, Emirates (0870 243 2222; www.emirates.com), flies from Gatwick, Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow via Dubai.

Air-conditioned buses connect Bandaranaike airport with Bastian Mawatha bus station (1) in around an hour, for a fare of 50 rupees (Rs50/13p). A pre-paid taxi into the city centre costs around Rs1,500 (£8).

GET YOUR BEARINGS

The Indian Ocean forms the western border of the city, and Galle Road, its main artery, runs parallel with the ocean. The key to finding your way around is to master the postcodes by which each district is usually referred to. Fort, the historic centre, is Colombo 1; the Pettah district, with its shops and markets, where the bus and train stations are located, is Colombo 11; Slave Island is Colombo 2. The more upmarket Kollupitiya is Colombo 3. The tourist office (2) is located here, at 80 Galle Road (00 94 11 243 7055; www.srilankatourism.org). It opens 8.30am-4.15pm Monday-Friday. There is also a small branch at the airport; open 24 hours.

CHECK IN

It is hard to imagine a lovelier hotel, or one in a better location, than the elegant, colonial-style Galle Face Hotel (3) at 2 Galle Road (00 94 11 254 1010; www.gallefacehotel.com). Poised at the end of Galle Face Green (4), it is the only hotel in the city beside the Indian Ocean. Rooms here start at US$77 (£45); breakfast is $8 (£4.70). A more modern alternative at 77 Galle Road is the Cinnamon Grand Hotel (5) (00 94 11 243 7437; www.cinnamonhotels.com). Double rooms here start at $153 (£90), singles at $108 (£64), and breakfast costs $10 (£6). For a budget option, the Central YMCA (6) has a convenient location at 39 Bristol Street (00 94 11 232 5252), it charges Rs800 (£4.20) for doubles with en-suite facilities.

TAKE A RIDE

Although the centre of Colombo is an easy place to walk around, it is fun to take a ride on a three-wheeler. These scruffy vehicles are effective and ubiquitous: you'll probably be approached by a driver before you have time to flag one down. Agree the price before you begin the ride; Rs200 (£1) will take you a fair distance. And as the driver negotiates the anarchic traffic, just be thankful you decided against hiring a car.

TAKE A HIKE

Start your walk beside Beira lake, outside the old Parliament building (7), an imposing colonial structure that contrasts with the more modern architecture immediately to its north. Walk past the cannons along the sea road as far as the stupa (8), a white building shaped like a handbell. Now closed for security reasons, it also marks the point at which the roadblocks will force you to retrace your steps as far as the Ceylon Continental Hotel at the bottom of Janadhipathi Mawatha. Walk up as far as the 19th-century lighthouse (9), now the naval headquarters. From here, turn right on to Chatham Street, go past the mosque, and turn left into York Street. On the left-hand side are Laksala, the state handicrafts store, and the red-brick buildings that were once the stylish department stores, Millers and Cargills. Finish your walk in the Harbour Room on the fourth floor of the Grand Oriental Hotel (10) at 2 York Street (00 94 11 232 0320; www.grandoriental.com), from where there is an excellent view.

LUNCH ON THE RUN

The midday meal in Colombo offers myriad possibilities, from an egg hopper - a crisp pancake containing a fried egg - to a lamprai, or a mixture of chicken, fish, egg and pickle wrapped in banana leaves. Many of the local specialities are available in the buffet (Rs550/£3) at Raja Bojun (11), in the Seylan Tower at 90 Galle Road (00 94 11 295 2657).

CULTURAL AFTERNOON

The Independence Memorial Hall (12) marks the spot where Sri Lankan independence from British rule was signed and sealed in 1948. For a perspective on Sri Lanka's past, head to the National Museum (13) (00 94 11 269 5366). The exhibits chart different aspects of the country's cultural history, including the introduction of Buddhism and Hinduism, with artefacts that range from a ninth-century manuscript engraved on gold leaves to a collection of theatrical masks. Open 9am-5pm daily except Friday; Rs500 (£3).

WINDOW SHOPPING

The textile industry is very important in Sri Lanka, and many of the clothes sold on British high streets are made here. So while you are in Colombo, look out for surplus stocks sold at vastly cheaper prices, in places like Odel (14) at 5 Alexandra Place, or House of Fashion (15) on Duplication Road, a street parallel with Galle Road and marked on many maps as R A de Mel Mawatha. There are several shopping malls, the most appealing of which is the Crescat Boulevard next to the Cinnamon Grand Hotel (5), which also has a good food hall in the basement. Attractive, reasonably-priced gifts are available in the shop attached to the Gallery Café (16) at 2 Alfred House Road (00 94 11 258 2162).

AN APERITIF

There are few better places from which to watch the sun dissolve into the Indian Ocean than the Checker Board Terrace at the Galle Face Hotel (3). Sip a tropical fruit cocktail, or a glass of the local Lion beer. On nights when the moon is full, no alcohol is served.

DINING WITH THE LOCALS

The Gallery Café (16) is a former architect's studio turned into a bar, restaurant and gallery-cum-shop. The decor is oriental and the food an appealing mix of Mediterranean and Sri Lankan fare, with dishes like seer fish and prawn curry with coconut risotto bridging the two styles.

SUNDAY MORNING: GO TO CHURCH

The Wolfendahl church (17) on Wolfendahl Street is the oldest in Colombo, built by the Dutch Reformists and still operating; services are held in English at 9.30am every Sunday. If you attend or visit, look out for the gravestones of former Dutch governors, and an old pipe organ, still operated by a hand pump.

Three-quarters of the local people are Buddhist. Their most important place of worship is the Gangaramaya Temple (18) on Sir James Peiris Mawatha, a complex that contains the temple itself, a monastery, shrine room, stupa and museum. It opens from 6.30am to around 9pm daily, and a donation is expected.

OUT TO BRUNCH

The Cricket Club Café (19) at 34 Queen's Road (00 94 11 250 1384) is actually 7km from Colombo's cricket ground - and, according to a signpost in the garden, 8,715km from Lord's. But it is a shrine to Sri Lanka's national sport and a relaxing choice for brunch, from 9am every Sunday for Rs395 (£2).

A WALK IN THE PARK

Under British rule, Galle Face Green (4) was a golf course and then a horse-racing track, but now it is the space that Sri Lankans flock to when they want to relax. The grass is more sandy than green these days, but this long strip along the ocean is ideal for walking, picnicking, flying a kite or just enjoying some sea air.

THE ICING ON THE CAKE

Mount Lavinia is a seaside town 10km from Fort Station (20), and the half-hour train journey costs Rs14 (7p) for a return ticket. The Mount Lavinia Hotel is arguably the finest in the country, and is two minutes from the station at 100 Hotel Road (00 94 11 271 5221; www.mountlaviniahotel.com). Order a drink in the Terrace Bar and look back at the Colombo skyline in the distance. And then, as you are likely to fall in love with the place, book a room for the night. Doubles start at $130 (£76), singles at $125 (£74) with an extra $9 (£5.30) for breakfast.

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