Colombo: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Colombo is the capital of Sri Lanka (Western Province), 7 m (23 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Colombo Ratmalana International Airport (RML), 13 km (8 mi) from the centre. It has 3 railway stations on record, including Maradana Railway Station. Our booking partner lists 553 places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Colombo runs from about 11 h 46 min a day in late December to 12 h 34 min in late June (computed for 6.94° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Colombo is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Colombo Ratmalana International Airport (RML), 13 km (8 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 6,013 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB, 28 km).
Flights to Colombo: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Maradana Railway Station, Colombo Terminus Station, Dematagoda Railway Station. Trains to Colombo
Buses to Colombo · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 553 places to stay in Colombo. Of the 345 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (153), and 28 are five-star. Across 168 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.4 out of 10. Guests have left 122,384 reviews in total.
Hotels in Colombo: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Madurai, 382 km (India) — flights
- Tirunelveli, 311 km (India) — flights
- Thiruvananthapuram, 363 km (India) — flights
- Thoothukudi, 278 km (India)
- Sivakasi, 359 km (India)
- Nāgercoil, 300 km (India)
- Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, 11 km
- Maharagama, 13 km
- Kāraikkudi, 368 km (India)
- Jaffna, 304 km — buses · car rental
Twin towns and sister cities: Biratnagar, Saint Petersburg, Shanghai, Leeds, Ulaanbaatar, Malé, Leeds.
Common questions
Which airport serves Colombo?
Colombo Ratmalana International Airport (RML), 13 km (8 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Colombo?
About 648,034 people live in Colombo, across 37,321,728 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Colombo in?
Asia/Colombo, currently UTC+5:30.
What currency is used in Colombo?
The Rupee (LKR). Traffic drives on the left.
How many hotels are there in Colombo?
Our booking partner lists 553 places to stay in Colombo, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Colombo?
Madurai (382 km), Tirunelveli (311 km), Thiruvananthapuram (363 km), Thoothukudi (278 km), Sivakasi (359 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.