Colombo - is it actually worth spending 2 days or should I just treat it as a transit city?

I've lived in Colombo my whole life and I take genuine pleasure in showing people the city that most tourists sprint through. Two days is the right amount of time and here's how to use them well.

Neighbourhoods worth your time:

Pettah is the old bazaar district - chaotic, dense, no tourists, and extraordinary for the senses. The main market streets are divided roughly by product: electronics in one street, fabrics in another, spices in another. The Sea Street gold market (the Jaffna Tamil gold jewellery district) is worth walking through even if you're not buying. Go in the morning on a weekday when it's operating at full intensity.

Col 07 (Colombo 7) is the old colonial residential area and the neighbourhood around Viharamahadevi Park. The Independence Memorial Hall, the National Museum, and the Gangaramaya Temple (an eclectic Buddhist temple with an extraordinary collection of donations from around the world) are all within walking range of the park.

Colombo 3 (Colpetty) and the Galle Face Green: the seafront promenade is where Colombo comes in the evenings - families, kite flyers, corn cob vendors, and the long view out to sea. The Galle Face Hotel veranda is worth a drink even if you are not staying there. The Dutch Hospital shopping precinct nearby has some of the best restaurants in Colombo in a restored 17th century building.

The food: do not eat at hotel restaurants. Go to Ministry of Crab in the Dutch Hospital for the most celebrated restaurant in the city (book a week in advance). For street food, hoppers and kottu from roadside spots near Bambalapitiya in the evening. For coffee, the new wave of Colombo cafes in Colombo 3 and 7 are excellent.

Is it walkable: within individual neighbourhoods yes. Between Pettah and Colombo 3 you need a tuk-tuk or the PickMe app. Traffic in Colombo is genuinely bad 7:30-9:30am and 4:30-7pm - plan around it.

Skip: the Lotus Tower is expensive and the view is not particularly worth it. The Beira Lake is fine for a walk but not a highlight. Most of the Colombo 1 Fort area is now modern development.

One versus two days: one day is enough to see the highlights. Two days lets you go slowly, eat well, and explore Pettah properly. If you arrive jet-lagged and want to ease into Sri Lanka at city pace before heading inland, two days makes good sense.