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Colombo National Museum — Colombo

Cover photo: Randika Premaratne (Unsplash)

District

Colombo

Province

Western

Best for

History buffs and rainy-day visitors; regal artefacts and Kandyan-era exhibits

Map

See it on the map

Take a tuk or bus to Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Colombo 7; open roughly 9am-5pm but closed on Mondays and public holidays. Allow 1.5-2 hours and pair it with Viharamahadevi Park next door. Foreigner ticket is around a dozen US dollars equivalent; keep the ticket for the natural-history section.

About this place

Take a tuk or bus to Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Colombo 7; open daily roughly 9am-5pm. Allow 1.5-2 hours and pair it with Viharamahadevi Park next door. Foreigner ticket is a few dollars; keep the ticket for the natural-history section.

Visitor brief

Good to know before you go

• Closed on Mondays and public holidays; otherwise roughly 9am-5pm.
• Allow 1.5-2 hours; the Kandyan regalia (crown and throne) are the highlight galleries.
• Photography permits cost extra and flash is restricted in galleries.
• Pair with Viharamahadevi Park next door and the Natural History Museum on the same ticket option.
• Carry water; the building is large and Colombo 7 is hot by midday.

How to travel there

Colombo 7 base stop: tuk-tuk, taxi or bus to Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha; walkable from Viharamahadevi Park.

Where to stay

Colombo 7 (Cinnamon Gardens), Kollupitiya or Fort; mid-range and upscale city hotels.

Nearby places

Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo National Museum of Natural History, Gangaramaya Temple and Seema Malaka, Pettah Market and Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque

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