Colombo.

When I was first in Colombo 5 years ago, the city was almost in ruins and not really a place for visitors. But things have changed for the better now.

My first visit to Colombo was 5 years ago. Sri Lanka had just emerged out of 26 years of civil war. And that had taken it’s turn on Colombo. It was back then a city I would not recommend for visiting foreigners. Large parts of the city center were closed off, because it had suffered attacks from the Tamil Tigers during the civil war. Especially the old part of Colombo was barely accessible.

Downtown Colombo.

But the city has really made a comeback. Today I personally love to visit Colombo and hang out in the city center. Sure, you still have many parts of the city that needs to be restored. But there has been a lot of progress made recently.

Some parts of the city are still hustle and bustle.

Old buildings are being restored. New buildings are popping up. And the city is starting to have a vibrant scene at night too.

Not like 5 years ago.

On my last visit to Colombo, a couple of weeks ago, I was especially pleased to visit the old Nippon Hotel. I stayed at this old hotel 5 years ago. And it was a ruin. But now, the old building has been restored. I went in and asked to see the hotel. And the rooms are now nicely restored. The cafe is super nice. And the facade, once again, looks the way such an old building should.

Hotel Nippon is looking fine again.

I would also recommend the area around the old Dutch Hospital. This is a part of the city with many cafes and restaurants. And it’s very lively in the evening.

So do not let yourself deter from visiting Colombo. If people tell you that it’s not that worth visiting, then it might just be because they have not been there recently. The city has really made progress recently and i shall return again one more time before returning back to Europe by the end of this week.

A fascinating city with contrasts.