Colombo with Kids: Ideas by Age

A three-year-old and a fourteen-year-old want different things from Colombo, and the city happens to have a short list for each. Match the outing to the age, keep the hot middle of the day for indoor stops, and most families can fill two or three days without a long drive.

Under 5: short, shady and close

  • Viharamahadevi Park in Cinnamon Gardens has wide lawns and shaded paths past the white colonial Town Hall. Go early, before the heat, and let them run.
  • Galle Face Green after 17:00 means kites overhead and room to toddle. Hold small hands near the sea wall: there are boulders and heavy surf below, and the water is not for swimming.
  • Excel World, near Beira Lake, has a toddler play zone among its pay-per-attraction rooms, and it is an indoor escape on a sticky afternoon. Weekday opening is 14:00, weekends and public holidays 11:00; see the Excel World activity list for current prices.
  • Mount Lavinia beach, about 10 km south, is for sandcastles and paddling at the very edge. From May to September the rip currents are strong, so red flags mean out of the water entirely.

Ages 5 to 11: animals, heights and trains

  • Beddagana Wetland Park in Kotte puts children on raised boardwalks over the marsh, looking for purple-faced langurs in the trees and water monitors below. Over 50 bird species have been recorded. It opens at 06:00, which is when to go; entry for foreign adults is about LKR 1,000 to 1,500, and the Urban Development Authority runs it.
  • The Lotus Tower wins on the fast lift ride and the LED light shows that play across the tower after dark. The deck is about 244 meters up; foreign adults pay about $20, and ticket categories are on the tower’s own site . Skip-the-queue entries can be compared on Viator’s Lotus Tower ticket listings .
  • The coastal train from Colombo Fort to Mount Lavinia runs alongside the surf, with unreserved tickets from LKR 100 to 500. Times are with Sri Lanka Railways .

The verdict: for this age group, the coastal train to Mount Lavinia is the best family outing in Colombo. It costs very little, the sea is right outside the window, and there is a beach at the end, plus the 1805 Mount Lavinia Hotel’s terrace for a cold soda afterwards.

Teens: hands-on and on the move

  • Excel World again, but for bowling (about LKR 900 each) and laser tag (most attractions LKR 500 to 2,000).
  • The National Museum on Albert Crescent, with the jewelled throne and regalia of the last King of Kandy, is open Tuesday to Sunday; children pay LKR 600, foreign adults LKR 1,200.
  • Pettah’s market lanes suit teenagers who like noise and bargaining: Sea Street’s goldsmiths, 5th Cross Street’s spice sacks, and a fresh king coconut for LKR 150 to 200. Go before 10:00.
  • A swan pedal boat on Beira Lake, about LKR 500 for half an hour, lets them do the work.

Elephants

Children often ask, so plan it. The elephant show at Dehiwala Zoo uses trick-trained elephants and has drawn years of criticism from welfare groups over chaining and bullhooks. The better answer is the Elephant Transit Home at Udawalawe, where orphaned calves are fed in front of a viewing platform with no riding or touching. A child ticket is reported at about $3. It is several hours from Colombo, so it needs a night away.

Keeping everyone well

  • Dengue is the main health risk. Mosquitoes bite in daylight, so use DEET-based repellent and light long sleeves. If a child develops a fever, give paracetamol, not aspirin or ibuprofen, and get a blood test at a private hospital such as Asiri Central or Lanka Hospitals.
  • Use bottled water with an unbroken seal, including for brushing teeth.
  • A PickMe car fits a family and a buggy better than a tuk-tuk, and the fare is metered.
  • For a base near the beach, compare Colombo hotels on Agoda .

Read more: animal activities in Colombo for wildlife further afield, and the 3-day Colombo itinerary for a plan with room for these.

Ride on the sea side of the coastal train heading south, and keep children well back from the open carriage doors.