Colombo between ODIs: a guide for cricket fans

A one-day series in Colombo moves fast. Games at the R Premadasa Stadium are usually every two or three days, often day-night, which leaves mornings free on match days and whole days in between. Fans who stay for three or more games will have several free days to fill.

The best plan treats match days as half-days, with a short morning outing, and the free days as a mix of city sights and one or two trips out of Colombo. The heat and humidity in Colombo are high all year, so mornings and late afternoons are the best times to be outside.

Schedules change, so confirm which games are in Colombo before booking the city leg.

Colombo's best city day starts with architecture. Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka's most famous architect, lived at Number 11, 33rd Lane, a house of courtyards and gardens that can be visited on guided tours. His Seema Malaka temple on Beira Lake and the Parliament building at Kotte show his public work.

Gangaramaya Temple, the Colombo National Museum and Viharamahadevi Park are close together, and the Dutch Hospital and Pettah's bazaars are 15 minutes north. A tuk-tuk or ride-hailing app makes it easy to string them together.

For a quieter afternoon, the Galle Road through Kollupitiya and Bambalapitiya has design shops, bookshops, tea shops and cafes.

The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, about 30 minutes north-east of central Colombo, is one of the island's most important Buddhist temples, believed to have been visited by the Buddha. Its murals, painted in the mid-20th century, tell the story of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, and the temple is busy and devotional, especially on poya days.

A cooking class is the other good half-day. Several Colombo kitchens run classes that start at a market, then cook four or five curries, a dhal and a sambol. It is the best way to understand the food you will eat for the rest of the tour.

Lankan Stays & Trails can add a guided Kelaniya visit or a cooking class to a Colombo series leg.

Mount Lavinia, about 30 minutes south of Colombo Fort, is the city's beach. The colonial Mount Lavinia Hotel stands on a headland above the sand, and the beach bars below are a popular sunset spot. The sea can be rough from roughly May to September.

Closer in, Galle Face Green fills with families, kites and food stalls at sunset, and the Galle Face Hotel's lawn is a classic place for a drink.

Two easy day trips from Colombo fit a free day between ODIs. Negombo, about an hour north near the airport, has a lagoon, a fish market and Dutch canals, and is a good final stop before a flight. Bentota, about 1.5 hours south by the expressway, has a river safari, Brief Garden and Lunuganga, Bawa's country estate.

Kandy is possible as a long day trip, about three to four hours each way, but better as an overnight.

On a day-night match day, keep the morning light: a museum, a temple or a swim, then lunch and a rest before heading to the R Premadasa Stadium by about 1.30 pm. Traffic near the ground builds from early afternoon.

After the game, the late-night kottu stalls are the classic meal. Arrange a pickup point with your driver, or walk to a quieter street before booking a ride.