Stretching for fifty miles either side of Colombo, the West Coast is the island’s most densely populated, developed region and its principal gateway. All international flights land at Bandaranaike Airport, so you’ll pass through at least twice in the course of your trip.

For anyone wanting a rounded picture of island life, we recommend a couple of nights in the capital, exploring its evocative colonial monuments and bustling markets, and sampling the city’s famously tasty cuisine, whether spicy street-food along Galle Face Green, or fancy Fusion cooking in one of Colombo’s many hip, new restaurants.

Conurbation extends in an unbroken belt along this built-up coastline, but tucked away among the resorts we’ve found a handful of delightful corners within an hour’s drive of the airport that make perfect first landfalls after you’ve just arrived, or final stops before catching your flight home.

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