Colombo
The arrival city — worth a day rather than a transit.
Most itineraries treat Colombo as an airport and drive straight out, which is a small waste. The city has changed a great deal in the past decade, and a day here at the start or end of a trip is a gentler way to arrive or decompress than a four-hour transfer on landing. The Pettah markets are the loud version of the city, best in the morning. The Dutch Hospital precinct and Galle Face Green are the calm version, best at dusk when the whole city seems to walk along the seafront. Between them sit the Gangaramaya temple, a scattering of colonial and art-deco architecture, and some of the best food on the island. Bandaranaike International Airport is about forty minutes north of the city on the expressway, longer in traffic.