For foreigners, online booking is availableĪ secondary international airport "Rajapaksa International" is located in the southernmost city of Hambantota a 5 hour drive to Colombo. Train timetable info is also available on a Government site. Trains run only once a day and at different schedules on each day of the week. A single one way trip costs LKR500 per person. Trains operate from nearby Katunayaka South Railway to Fort, Colombo. Foreigners can get away with claiming they're re-entering (but you will need to know a recent flight that has arrived and perhaps an excuse such as foreign exchange). If you plan to meet a friend, bear this in mind.
Note: There is a charge of 300 rupees to get into the arrivals hall (no matter what your skin colour) from outside. The journey to Colombo will take about an hour by taxi with heavy traffic and just half an hour otherwise. Sri Lanka's prime international airport, Bandaranaike International, is at Katunayake, close to Negombo, on the coast north of Colombo. British Airways have direct flights from Gatwick Airport to Colombo. Other airlines include Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Etihad and Emirates with transits typically in middle-eastern countries. Flights are available from origins throughout Europe, United States, Southeast Asia, Australia, China, Japan, the Middle East, India, and Pakistan.
There is air service to and from Colombo provided by the national airline, Sri Lankan Airlines. Another ATM available outside the airport in the drop-off / pick-up area leave the building and turn left. There are currency exchanges in the arrivals hall with an ATM. In case of the latter, say you will get a visa (paying with a credit card, of course!), leave the Immigration counter and head back towards the VOA desk and speak with the head of Immigration on duty in the office adjacent to the VOA desk. If you are transiting, you may leave the airport for up to 24 hours (the transit time allowed is 48 hours) without a visa but the immigration officials would try to persuade you to get one, unless you have a hotel voucher supplied by Sri Lankan Airlines or ask for a bribe - typically half the cost of the visa. Visa is valid for two entries within a 30 day period. For VOA at the airport most OECD nationals will have to pay for a USD35 visitor's visa prior to going through passport control at the airport. In Colombo you will experience tradition blending with progressive values with English being spoken widely.Įlectronic Visa (ETA) Electronic Travel Authorisation System can be obtained prior to arrival at a cost of USD35. Sri Lankans are very friendly, highly educated and worldly. The city boasts an incredible level of cultural diversity that can be experienced through its eclectic architecture and cuisine.
Colombo as a city has been discussed in historical records for over two millenia. The traffic can feel somewhat overwhelming at first but it is organised and much more manageable when compared to other major cities of South and Southeast Asia. Colombo remains both the commercial and financial capital of Sri Lanka even after the administrative capital has been moved to Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, a suburb east of the city.Ĭolombo is a huge, sprawling city, which can be visited any time of year due to its tropical climate.