When you walk into the Colombo Fort Railway Station you feel like you are right in the middle of Sri Lankan travel. This old train station is in the part of downtown Colombo. It is where every famous train trip in the country starts. The British built it in 1917. It has a big open area with a nice old design. Every year millions of people walk under its high metal roof. You hear the sounds of trains, announcements and people selling food.

Getting around the station is exciting. You need to be patient and ready for an adventure. The main door faces the streets of the Fort area. Inside there is a room where you can buy tickets. The old wooden counters are still there. If you want to sit on the trains to Kandy and Ella or the coastal line to Galle you should buy your tickets early. There are also boards and a helpful office that can tell you which train to take.

After you buy your ticket you can go to the platforms. There are red trains and new modern ones. You can buy tea, fruit juice and traditional Sri Lankan food like fish buns and lentil snacks. If you have a first-class ticket you can wait in a air-conditioned room. The station is like a run machine. Local people and travelers sit together on benches waiting for their trains.

The station is in a location so you can easily visit other places in Colombo. Outside you can walk around the busy markets of Pettah, where people sell spices, clothes and more. You can take a ride, to the old buildings of the Fort area the nice walkway of Galle Face Green or the peaceful Beira Lake. Whether you are taking the train or arriving after a long trip the station is a special place that shows the hospitality and spirit of Sri Lanka.

If you need help planning your train trip let me know. I can tell you how to buy tickets online which train routes are the beautiful or what the train schedules are.