Negombo, the lagoon town by the airport, the back story

About Negombo, the lagoon town by the airport, the back story

By the ULTIMATE Sri Lanka Editorial Team · Editor: Tara de la Motte

Negombo has a long beach, a lagoon full of fishing boats, Dutch canals and many churches; it is close to Bandaranaike International Airport.

The lagoon town

Negombo grew up on the mouth of a wide lagoon, a fishing port since long before the Europeans arrived. Its outrigger canoes and the morning fish market are still the heart of the town.

Little Rome

The Portuguese, and later the Dutch, made Negombo a centre of the cinnamon trade, and many local families became Catholic: the town is nicknamed “Little Rome” for its many churches, with St Mary’s the grandest.

Negombo is where Sri Lanka begins and ends for many travellers.

The Dutch canal

The Dutch dug a canal along the coast to carry cinnamon and goods, and the British later extended it; in Negombo it is still lined with fishing boats. The remains of the Dutch fort stand near the lagoon mouth.

The beach

North of the town, the long beach is lined with hotels and restaurants, the closest beach stay to the international airport.

Getting there

Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake is only about 10 km away, around 20–30 minutes by car, which makes Negombo the easiest place to spend a first or last night. Colombo is about an hour away by road.

Our advice: spend your first night in Negombo to recover from the flight, take a lagoon boat trip at sunrise, visit the fish market and St Mary’s, and then head inland or down the coast.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Negombo, the lagoon town by the airport, the back story before you go.