Colombo

The seafront is the place to start. Galle Face Green, a long oceanfront promenade laid out along the Indian Ocean, is Colombo's communal living room — at its liveliest in the late afternoon, when kite-sellers, families and courting couples gather and a row of street-food carts grills isso wade and serves achcharu (pickled fruit) as the sun goes down over the water. Behind it, the Fort district is the historic and business core: amid the new high-rises stand handsome heritage buildings from the city's trading past — the ornate Cargills and Millers facades, the red-brick clock-tower lighthouse, and above all the beautifully restored Old Dutch Hospital, the oldest building in the area, reborn as a courtyard precinct of restaurants, bars and boutiques that is one of the nicest places in the city for a meal or a drink. The President's House and the colonnaded heritage streets reward a slow wander.

Just north of Fort, Pettah is Colombo at full volume — the city's great bazaar, a dense grid of narrow streets where each lane specialises in a trade: textiles on one, electronics on another, then spices, gold, hardware and fresh produce, all amid a press of hand-carts, tuk-tuks and porters. It is hot, loud and thrilling, and the best place to feel the commercial pulse of the city (go light, watch your bag and embrace the chaos). Rising above the market is one of Colombo's most photographed landmarks, the Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque — a striking red-and-white candy-striped building from the early 20th century, open to respectful visitors outside prayer times. Around Pettah, the old Dutch-era Wolvendaal Church, Hindu kovils and the Pettah Floating Market reflect the layered, multicultural character of the district.

Away from the bustle, Colombo has a calmer, cultural side. The Gangaramaya Temple, one of the city's most important Buddhist temples, is an eclectic treasure-house of shrines, statues and curios, and its tranquil offshoot, the Seema Malaka, floats on platforms over Beira Lake in a serene composition of pavilions designed by the celebrated architect Geoffrey Bawa — a lovely spot at dusk. Nearby, the colonnaded Independence Memorial Hall stands in a ceremonial park, and the National Museum, Sri Lanka's largest, traces the island's history from ancient kingdoms to the colonial era in a grand whitewashed building. The leafy Viharamahadevi Park, the city's largest green space, and the gracious old quarter of Cinnamon Gardens — with its mansions, galleries, cafés and the best of the city's dining — show Colombo's gentler face, a welcome contrast to the heat and rush of the centre.

Colombo eats exceptionally well, and the food is reason enough to linger. Sri Lankan rice and curry — a spread of small spiced dishes around rice, with coconut sambol and poppadom — is the everyday glory; hoppers (bowl-shaped fermented pancakes, often with an egg) and string hoppers are breakfast and dinner staples; and kottu roti, chopped flatbread stir-fried with vegetables, egg and meat to a clattering rhythm on the griddle, is the city's signature street sound. Fresh seafood, short eats (savoury snacks), and the legacy of Ceylon tea round out a brilliant food culture, from street carts to Bawa-designed fine dining; what each of these dishes actually is, and how it is eaten, is set out on the Sri Lanka food guide. Colombo is also the island's main gateway: Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) and the city's rail and road hubs connect to the rest of Sri Lanka — north to the ancient capitals of the Cultural Triangle, inland and upward into the tea estates along the hill-country line, and south down the coast to Galle and the beaches. A day or two in Colombo pairs naturally with the island beyond.