What to do in Colombo when it rains
Rain in Colombo? Duck into its museums and galleries, find a covered market for a wander, and warm up with a coffee while it passes.
Museums
Spend a few hours in the city's museums — many are free, and a rainy day is the perfect excuse to take your time.
- Colombo National Museum WV56+X9V, Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka Planetarium Prof Stanley Wijesundera Mawatha, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
- Geoffrey Bawa's Residence 11, 33rd Lane, Bagatalle Rd, Colombo 00300, Sri Lanka
- J R Jayawardena Centre, Town Hall 191 Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
- Dutch Museum WVP2+9MJ, Prince Street, Colombo 01100, Sri Lanka
- Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka 117 Sir Chittampalam A Gardiner Mawath, Colombo 00200, Sri Lanka
Art galleries
Duck into the art galleries; they're quiet, warm and rarely busier than on a wet day.
- JDA Perera Gallery 46 Horton Pl, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
- Saskia Fernando Gallery 41 Horton Pl, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
- Plâté Limited 580 Galle Rd, Colombo 00300, Sri Lanka
- Street Art Gallery WV66+J9G, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
- Geoffrey Bawa Space 42/1 Horton Pl, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
- National Art Gallery 106 Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
Historic sites
Explore the indoor historic sites and their covered galleries.
- Colombo Lotus Tower 320 McCallum Rd, Colombo 01000, Sri Lanka
- Independence Square 7 Independence Ave, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
- Pettah Bo Tree WVP3+2HV, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Colombo Katunayake Expressway Monument XV4M+86M, Wattala, Sri Lanka
- PANCHIKAWATTA පංචිකාවත්ත பஞ்சிகாவத்தை Panchikawatta Roundabout, 224 Sri Sangaraja Mawatha, Colombo 01000, Sri Lanka
- Cargills (Ceylon) PLC 40 York St, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Covered markets
Browse the covered market — street-food stalls, local makers and somewhere dry to graze for an hour.
- Pettah Market WVP3+VMM, Keyzer St, Colombo 01100, Sri Lanka
- Floating Market - Pettah WVM4+344, W E Bastian Mawatha, Colombo 01000, Sri Lanka
- ASIAN HARDWARE (PTE) LTD No.23 Maha Vidyalaya Mawatha, Colombo 01300, Sri Lanka
- Simply Strawberries by Jagro Maitland Place 01 Maitland Pl, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
- Aslam Market 188 Keyzer St, Colombo 01100, Sri Lanka
- Pudukada Street Food World 86 Abdul Hameed St, Colombo 01200, Sri Lanka
Cafés
Claim a window seat in a cosy café and watch the rain instead of walking in it.
- Grind Access Towers 2, Colombo 00200, Sri Lanka
- Peppermint Cafe 76 Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
- Seed Cafe 60 Horton Pl, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
- Cafe Kumbuk 3/1 Thambiah Avenue, Independence Ave, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
- The Fab - Colpetty 474 Galle Rd, Colombo 00300, Sri Lanka
- Java Lounge - Barnes Place 76 Barnes Pl, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
Indoor shopping
Hit the covered shopping streets and centres — everything under one roof.
- One Galle Face Mall 1A Centre Road, Colombo 00200, Sri Lanka
- Colombo City Centre Mall and Residences 137 Sir James Pieris Mawatha, Colombo 00200, Sri Lanka
- Liberty Plaza 300 Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 00300, Sri Lanka
- Marino Mall 590 Galle - Colombo Rd, Colombo 00300, Sri Lanka
- Lady J 993 Maradana Rd, Colombo 01000, Sri Lanka
- Arcade Independence Square Independence Square, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
Venue suggestions powered by Google — tap a name for the map, and always check opening times before you go. 36 places listed; the list refreshes regularly.