Hotels near Viharamahadevi Park

Viharamahadevi Park spreads across 55 hectares opposite Colombo Town Hall and dates to 1865, when the British laid it out as Victoria Park. It was renamed in the 1950s after the mother of King Dutugemunu. Flame trees line the main avenues and turn orange from March to May. A gilded Buddha statue faces the Colombo National Museum across the southern lawn.

The park is free and opens 6am to 6pm. Inside you will find a walking track used heavily at dawn, a children's play area, a small animal enclosure and an open-air amphitheatre that hosts occasional concerts. Vendors sell king coconut for about LKR 150, roughly 0.45 EUR. Shade matters here between 11am and 3pm, when Colombo regularly sits above 30 degrees with high humidity.

Pro Tip: Enter from the Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha side to hit the flame tree avenue first. Give the park a day or two after heavy monsoon rain, when the lower lawns stay waterlogged.