Colombo Attraction Tours: Tickets and Days
The most common way to waste a morning in Colombo is to turn up at a museum on a Monday. The city’s state museums share one weekly closing day, its most interesting house can only be seen on a booked tour, and its liveliest district has no ticket at all. Sort the days and the bookings first and the rest is easy.
The sheet
| Attraction | Open | Foreign adult | How to get in |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Museum of Colombo, Albert Crescent, Colombo 7 | Tue to Sun 09:00 to 18:00 | LKR 1,200 (LKR 1,500 with Natural History); child LKR 600 | Counter on the day |
| Number 11, 11 Bagatelle Road, Colombo 3 | Mon to Fri 10:00, 14:00, 15:30; Sat 11:00, 16:00; Sun 11:00 | LKR 5,000 | Pre-booked guided tour only |
| Dutch Period Museum, Prince Street, Pettah | Tue to Sun; closed public holidays | Check at the door | Walk in |
| Pettah market grid | Daily, busiest mid-morning | Free | On foot, or with a guide |
| Barefoot Gallery, 704 Galle Road, Colombo 3 | Mon to Sat 10:00 to 19:00; Sun 11:00 to 18:00 | Free | Walk in |
National Museum: the regalia
Founded in 1877, the museum is worth the trip for one room above all: the gilded, jewel-set throne and regalia of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the last King of Kandy. Ancient Polonnaruwa bronzes and 9th-century Bodhisattva figures fill the galleries around it. Give it two hours, and come in the morning so you are not rushing the afternoon.
Number 11: book it first
Geoffrey Bawa’s own residence and studio, Number 11, can be seen only on a 45-minute guided tour. Locals pay LKR 2,500 and local students LKR 500; foreign adults pay LKR 5,000. The schedule changes by day, and Sunday has a single slot, so reserve with the Geoffrey Bawa Trust as soon as your dates are fixed.
Dutch Period Museum: Pettah’s quiet corner
The 17th-century former governor’s mansion on Prince Street reopened in July 2024 after renovation and now keeps Tuesday to Sunday hours, closed on Mondays and public holidays. It sits inside the market district, which makes it an easy first or last stop on a Pettah walk. Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry has a short history of the building .
Pettah: worth a guide
Pettah has no ticket desk, and that is why a guide earns their fee here. The grid runs from Sea Street’s Tamil goldsmiths and the Old and New Kathiresan Kovils to the cinnamon and chili warehouses of 5th Cross Street and the fruit market. A private guide costs roughly $20 to 35. Browse options by searching Pettah guided tours , or join a wider half day through Viator’s Colombo heritage tours .
At the kovils, shoes come off at the gate, and men are traditionally expected to remove their shirts before the inner sanctum; women should cover shoulders and ankles. No photos inside the sanctum. At the Red Mosque on 2nd Cross Street, non-Muslim visitors are welcome outside prayers, roughly 09:00 to 12:00, then 14:00 to 16:30; women are given a wrap at reception.
Barefoot Gallery: a free finish
The gallery and bookshop on Galle Road costs nothing to enter, and on Sundays there is jazz from 11:30 to 15:00. It is the easy stop after a Saturday Number 11 slot or a Sunday morning tour.
The verdict
Number 11 is the one attraction in Colombo that needs booking ahead; everything else can be decided the night before. For a single paid ticket, it beats the National Museum for anyone with an eye for buildings, and the museum wins for anyone travelling on to Kandy who wants the royal story first.
Getting around
The National Museum, Barefoot Gallery and Number 11 sit within a short PickMe ride of each other in Colombo 3 and 7. Pettah and the Dutch Period Museum are north, beside Fort station. The Sri Lanka Tourism site lists the main attractions.
Read more: sightseeing in Colombo for the temple and tower, and the 3-day Colombo itinerary for a plan that puts the museums on the right days.
Carry LKR cash in small notes: the museum counters and Pettah’s stalls are much easier without a card.