Pettah Market

Pettah is a neighborhood located east of Colombo Fort near the railway station that’s famous for the Pettah Market, a sprawling and animated bazaar that encompasses practically the entire neighborhood. Like most traditional bazaars, the Pettah Market is divided by trades, with some streets devoted entirely to fabric vendors, others to fruit and vegetables, and countless others dedicated to everything from toys to hardware equipment to shoes.

I’d suggest figuring out what you’re interested in buying first as arriving and then improvising can be a pretty confusing task (trust me on that), especially when many of the streets aren’t named and you’re constantly dodging trucks, motorcycles, and porters unloading goods. It’s a local market so if you’re looking for souvenir-style handicrafts, it’s not the best place. However, it is an excellent place if you’re looking to buy a nice Sri Lankan sari. Saris are kind of colorful dress-wrap hybrid popular among Sri Lankan women and they’re absolutely beautiful. Many of the tourist-oriented places sell cheaply made and over-priced saris with lackluster designs and poor craftsmanship. If you want a good one, here’s what you should do: head down to the fabric street in Pettah and see where the local women are going (if the women look wealthy, that’s a good sign). There, you’ll be able to find high-end and gorgeous sari fabrics at local prices. Afterwards, you can take the fabric to a tailor (get a recommendation at the store) who’ll make you a sari, skirt, and jacket for a good price. That’s what my wife and I did and it came out incredible.