Cheap Dates in Colombo: Couple Ideas by Price

Two people can have a very good evening in Colombo for less than the price of one hotel cocktail. The city’s best shared moments are on the seafront and in its street food, and the places that charge real money are worth saving for one night rather than every night.

Free

  • Sunset on Galle Face Green: the long seafront lawn fills with kites and families from late afternoon, and the sun drops straight into the Indian Ocean. It is free, and open around the clock. Sit back from the sea wall; the surf below is rough and nobody swims here.
  • Viharamahadevi Park: a shady walk through Cinnamon Gardens past the white colonial Town Hall, best early in the morning.
  • Barefoot on a Sunday: the gallery and bookshop at 704 Galle Road has free entry and live jazz on Sundays from 11:30 to 15:00.

Under LKR 1,000 for two

  • Isso wade on the green: crisp lentil patties topped with whole prawns, about LKR 150 to 250 each from the carts on Galle Face. Choose the busiest cart, where the oil is hot and the food is fried to order.
  • King coconut: thambili, chilled king coconut water, is about LKR 150 to 200 from street sellers.
  • Beira Lake pedal boat: about LKR 500 a boat for half an hour from the Navam Mawatha jetty, open 08:00 to 18:00. Split two ways, that is about LKR 250 each.
  • The coastal train: an unreserved ticket from Colombo Fort to Mount Lavinia costs LKR 100 to 500 and runs right along the surf; timetables are on Sri Lanka Railways .

The verdict: the best cheap date in Colombo is isso wade on Galle Face Green at sunset. You will struggle to spend LKR 1,000 between you, and nothing in the city’s expensive bars has a better view.

Under LKR 2,000

  • A tea flight for two: the Dilmah t-Lounge on Chatham Street in Fort serves Ceylon tea flights and pairings from about 08:30 to 19:00, with a pot from roughly LKR 800 to 1,500. Share a flight to taste several teas between you.

When you want to splurge

  • Sunset drinks at the Galle Face Hotel: cocktails from about LKR 2,000 to 3,500 on the Chequerboard lawn, served from 17:00, with a bagpiper at flag-lowering.
  • Crab at Ministry of Crab: crab is sold by weight from about LKR 12,000, so ask the price of a crab before it goes in the pot. Book through the restaurant’s site , and note it closes on Poya days.
  • A couples’ Ayurveda treatment: Spa Ceylon’s 60 to 90 minute treatments cost about LKR 12,000 to 25,000.

If you would rather someone else picks the stalls, you can book a Colombo food tour . For a base near the seafront, compare Colombo hotels on Agoda .

Tips

  • Poya, the monthly full moon, stops all alcohol sales, so plan cocktail nights around it.
  • Use PickMe for tuk-tuks after dark; metered fares start around LKR 100 to 120, far below a street-hail quote.

Read more: romantic getaways from Colombo for an overnight by the sea or a night in Galle Fort.