Negombo

A lagoon fishing town minutes from the airport.

What makes Negombo.

Negombo sits just north of the international airport, making it the gentlest possible first or last stop on a Sri Lankan trip. It is a working fishing town with a Dutch-era canal, a vivid morning fish market and a long, broad beach lined with hotels. The lagoon and its prawn farms, the many Catholic churches that earned it the nickname 'Little Rome', and the colourful oruwa outrigger fleet give Negombo far more character than a simple transit beach. Boat trips explore the mangrove-lined lagoon, while the old Dutch fort gate and the bustling Lellama fish auction round out an easy day.

A lagoon fishing town minutes from the airport.

November – April (south-west dry season)Best time
6Spots to see
~600KVisitors / year

What to see

Where to explore in Negombo.

The landmarks and corners worth carving out time for. Each one a reason this place earns its place on the route.

01
Negombo fish market (Lellama)
A teeming morning market where the outrigger fleet lands its catch on the sand.
02
Dutch Canal
A colonial-era waterway running through town, lined with fishing boats and churches.
03
Negombo Lagoon
A broad mangrove-fringed lagoon explored by boat for birdlife and prawn farms.
04
St Mary's Church
A vast neoclassical church with a painted ceiling, the grandest of 'Little Rome'.
05
Dutch Fort gate & Old Town
The surviving 1672 fort gateway and lanes of faded colonial-era Negombo.
06
Negombo Beach
A long, broad strip of west-coast sand and the closest beach to the airport.