Negombo – quick travel guide

Popular beach city just north of capital city Colombo (and next to the airport). Very westernized, touristy with all big city comforts, and creditcard accepted everywhere.

Feels like a proper beach city with many hotels, restaurants, shops, and westernized touristy area. Everything is very comfy and convenient. The price is expensive compared to the rest of Sri Lanka, but still very cheap by western standards. I also noticed this area tends to be much more full of Germans, rather than Russian (in the south).

The best reason to go here is to be close to the airport and out of Colombo (which everyone recommends you skip). If you check the map, you’ll see CMB airport is actually in Negombo. Making this your perfect final stop in Sri Lanka. It’s not a necessary destination at all (very low unique tourism value).

But can be a nice stop for some days before you fly out of CMB. Luckily, they accept card everywhere here so you don’t have to pull out more cash.

Where to stay:

• Eththukala (Ethukala) – triangle area on the map with its pointy part closest to the beach. The best area, most expensive and most touristy (although affordable accommodations still exist). Nice beach, nice restaurants and shops. We went here off-season and found some pretty awesome spots at last minute bargain prices. You can find even cheaper places by looking south of here, or more east (away from the water).
• Kudapaduwa – exactly south of also known as “the place south of Ethukala”. It’s just a few minutes more walking from the fancier Ethukala but still touristy with nice restaurants and cafes, shops, and also cheaper accommodations. If you love the places here like Zen Cafe (like my friend absolutely loved), it could actually be a better location for you. Restaurants here tend to be cheaper-priced as well.

Hostels & Hotels:

• Hotel Dorset (aka “Hub by Dorset”) – nice rooms! Comfy bed, beautiful design and furniture, plenty of space and storage, nice enough bathroom with lots of space, working WIFI, working AC & fan, doors and windows are perfectly sealed against mosquitos. What more could you want? (Price can be a bit pricey.)
• Reshani Guest House – I didn’t stay here but it looked nice. Nice rooms, I also saw good seals all around windows and doors, no gaps for mosquitos. Good price and good location.
• Tropical Garden Negombo – nice enough hostel, hotel. Super chill vibe. Friendly staff (owner?), good location in the city. Internet is really crappy.

Neighborhoods, walking areas, public squares:

• I only walked around the Negombo Beach area and nowhere else. Negombo was a lazy resting stop for my final days in Sri Lanka, and not like an adventure stop.

Activities to do:

• Viewpoints, landmarks, sunsets, hikes:
  • I usually spend sunsets right on the beach.
• Beaches, bridges, water-points:
  • Negombo Beach
    • This was a nice-enough beach to me. I do agree with everything said about this place, good and bad. Yes…it can be a nice beach and has nicer areas and good view of sunset, swimmable waters, and lots of locals enjoying the water. But some areas do have trash, and there are many annoying vendors bothering you every minute.
  • I didn’t go but I heard the Negombo lagoon, canals, and other beaches are worth checking out.
• Arts & museums:
• Markets, shopping:
  • I felt many of the big tourist souvenir shops here were totally overpriced compared elsewhere in Sri Lanka. Big turnoff.
  • The one souvenir shop I saw that had lower prices was the one right next to the Lava Pub and Restaurant (just south of it).
  • You can find many clothing stores as well, all ranges from lowend to highend.
• Tours:
• Massages – there are many affordable massage places in Negombo. We didn’t try any but we were tempted by the Jasmin Villa advertising boards (which seem to be all over the city)…some of them with the Jasmin Villa name, some without. Beware because I saw many bad reviews about them.

Restaurants & Cafes:

• Lords Restaurant Complex – heard many good things but didn’t get a chance to go.
• Leonardo by Bella Vita Italian restaurant – solid good Italian food. Good pizza, pasta, etc.
• Zen Cafe – classic Western brunch cafe designed like a cute outdoor garden with plants and pond. Good food, many veg options, and owner on site who goes around making sure everyone is having a 5-star experience. No wonder, this place is completely packed with foreigners. Solid place to be…my friend insisted on going here every single day.
• BOHO – classic Western style pretty restaurant, with good (enough) food displayed in Instagrammy manner, and good friendly service. My favorite thing is it’s indoors so you can eat here when you don’t want to be bugged by mosquitos. Good for brunch or dinner.
• Lucky Restaurant – good food but really small portions. No!
• Buhari Hotel – looks like a small takeout restaurant but was mega packed as hell with foreigners, locals, and PickMe drivers when I walked by
• Amra Leaf – good food. I had the special Hawaiian mixed kottu and loved it. Kinda tastes like the Sri Lankan version of pad thai.

Bars, clubs, and nightlife:

• There are many bars and nightlife in the Ethukala area. Just listen and you’ll hear the live music coming from every direction…Rodeo Pub, Toro, etc. How late it goes, I would say depends on the season. Things shut down anywhere from 10:30pm to 12am (maybe later, I don’t know since I didn’t stay out too late).

Miscellaneous tips:

• General travel tips for Sri Lanka.
• Cards accepted everywhere – thankfully, Negombo is very touristy and caters to western foreigners so it seems like every place here takes card…unlike the rest of the country, which seems to be cash everywhere.

Itinerary:

• DAY 1 (half day) –
• DAY 2 (full day) –

Nearby towns:

• Colombo –

Unfiltered notes:

• https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g297897-i9960-k12174968-Which_part_of_beach_is_best_to_stay_in_Negombo-Negombo_Western_Province.html
• https://theculturetrip.com/asia/sri-lanka/articles/6-reasons-you-should-visit-negombo-over-colombo