Hotels near The Old Dutch Hospital in Fort

The Old Dutch Hospital is the oldest building still standing in Colombo Fort, dating to the Dutch East India Company period of the early 1600s when it treated company staff arriving by sea. Its two colonnaded courtyards were restored in 2011 and now hold restaurants, a spice shop and craft stores. Stone floors, metre-thick walls and the original timber roof beams all survive.

Walking in costs nothing and the precinct stays open late, which makes it the most reliable evening stop in Fort once the office district empties out. Prices inside run high by Colombo standards, so treat it as somewhere to wander and photograph rather than a place to eat cheaply. The 1857 Colombo Lighthouse Clock Tower stands two minutes away at the Chatham Street junction.

Pro Tip: Come between 6pm and 8pm when the courtyards are lit and the day's heat has dropped. Security screens bags at both entrances, so travel light through Fort.