Like many first time visitors to Sri Lanka, we mistakenly presumed that Bandaranaike Airport was in Colombo. Imagine our surprise when we landed at 05:00 a.m. realising that we had to somehow make our way to our hotel in Colombo. Many readers have contacted us asking how to get from Negombo to Colombo so we thought we would answer all your questions in a blog post.
Negombo To Colombo
Negombo to Colombo Train
If you want to take the train from Negombo to Colombo you have two options. You can go directly from Negombo to Colombo for £1 and it will take around 1hr and 30 mins. Or you can take a short 10-minute taxi ride to Katunayake South Train Station which should cost around £4. From Katunayake South Train Station to Colombo Fort station the train costs around £1 and takes 1 hour.
Negombo to Colombo Train Information:
Journey Time: Taxi 10 minutes, Train 1 hour or 1hr 30 mins.
Cost: £4 for the taxi, £1 for the train.
Frequency: Every 2 hours.
Website: Sri Lanka Railways
Negombo To Colombo Bus
The main Bus Stop in Negombo is at Greens Road, after passing the Negombo Railway Station. A One-way fare to Colombo-Pettah is about £1. The bus number is 240. The travel time is approximately 1.5 hours.
Negombo to Colombo Bus Information:
Journey Time: Bus journey time around 1.5 hours.
Cost: £1.
Frequency: Every 30-minutes.
Website: Sri Lanka Transport Board
Negombo To Colombo Taxi
A taxi from Negombo to Colombo takes roughly 35-minutes and should cost about £12.
Negombo to Colombo Taxi Information:
Journey Time: 35-minutes
Cost: £12
Frequency: It depends on the time of day, like most places, taxis become scarcer the later it is.
Negombo to Colombo by Uber
Yes, UBER is now in Sri Lanka so if you want to use a familiar service you can do just like you would at home. The journey time is the same as a regular taxi (obviously) and the price should be around £7.
Is Negombo in Colombo?
This is another frequent question we get from our readers. No, Negombo is a separate city further up the coast from Colombo. The distance is just under 24 miles. As it is slightly closer to Bandaranaike Airport many travellers stay in Negombo for a night or two before catching their flights. We did this on our last night in Sri Lanka and had a great night out. There is a wide choice of accommodation in Negombo to suit any budget.
What is the cheapest way to get from Negombo to Colombo?
Both bus and train travel to Colombo from Negombo is very cheap with the price around the £1 mark.
What is the fastest way to get from Negombo to Colombo?
Taking a taxi or an UBER is by far the quickest way to get to Colombo from Negombo with a journey time of around 35 minutes.
Shall I stay in Negombo or Colombo?
As we were only in Negombo for one night it is hard to compare it with Colombo. We have a love/hate relationship with Colombo. We love the restaurant scene in Colombo and we have many friends who live there but the traffic and mayhem send us crazy. We simply haven’t seen enough of Negombo to compare.
If you are heading to Sri Lanka you might also like these posts:
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*Some images are from the creative commons. All information was correct at the time of going live.
[…] How to get from Negombo to Colombo – How To Get From Negombo to Colombo By Train, Bus Or Taxi. If you are heading to Sri Lanka and was wondering how to get from Negombo or the airport to Colombo please read our post for all the travel information you need. […]