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Colombo National Museum

Albert Crescent, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Ranked #10 of 33 attractions in Colombo
Type: Speciality Museums, History Museums
Description: This museum of Asian civilizations is one of the oldest in Sri Lanka.
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162 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    36
    65
    38
    19
    4
Date Rating
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Top Contributor
84 reviews 84 reviews
44 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 May 2013 NEW

Situated at Albert Crescent, Colombo 7 and is good to visit to gain some knowledge of the culture and history of Sri Lanka.

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See 42 more reviews by Treshi for Colombo
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Senior Contributor
25 reviews 25 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 May 2013

Not too pricey (200 RS I believe). Very quite on the day I visited. Not always a lot of explanations to go with the artifacts. Has a bit of a dark and dusty feel to it but there are some pretty things hidden among the rest.

Was this review helpful? Yes 1
Castricum, The Netherlands
Top Contributor
59 reviews 59 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 47 cities Reviews in 47 cities
44 helpful votes 44 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 May 2013

This museum is a perfect introduction to a tour over the lovely island of Sri Lanka. Some galleries are a bit oldfashioned but the overall quality of the objects shown and the information given on the history and art forms is very good

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See 4 more reviews by Pensionado for Colombo
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 May 2013 via mobile

There is a lot of great history here that helps explain to new comers about Sri Lankan history. There are some great relics here including Buddhist and Hindu artwork, the Sri Lankan national throne, crown and scepter taken by the English and then returned, a great collection of ancient stone carved pillars, religious figures and (yeah get this:) squat loos.... More

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See 3 more reviews by BizOrPleasure for Colombo
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
10 attraction reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 May 2013

If you dont have time to go and see the ruined cities in Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa you may at least go and see what you can see in those places. Also if you wish to see the throne and the crown of the last Sri lankan King dont miss this place. If you are a foreign traveler on a short... More

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See 2 more reviews by srilankantraveler for Colombo
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Top Contributor
68 reviews 68 reviews
9 attraction reviews
Reviews in 38 cities Reviews in 38 cities
71 helpful votes 71 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 April 2013

The museum is only covering the Buddhist Sri Lankan kingdoms but nothing else. It is therefore not complete as the last 2 hundred years are only mentioned very briefly. The main focus is on Buddhism. I did expect more than that. Also the rooms are not air conditioned and we had to rush through as our baby had problems with... More

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See 2 more reviews by SAT33 for Colombo
London, United Kingdom
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 April 2013

I nearly didn't go to this Museum as I had seen some bad reviews but I did go and I am so pleased I did, I really enjoyed my visit and had a great couple of hours here. I went on a Friday so only 3 rooms were open but they were large and had many stunning artifacts on display.... More

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See 2 more reviews by Lexi S for Colombo
Bamberg, Germany
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 April 2013

It's a nice location amidst situated in the heart of City. Beautiful large land, green and beautifully landscaped but the real historical & valuable artifacts and not protected. But it's a great place to know about strong history of Sri Lanka. This place shows the proud history.

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See 4 more reviews by Mitchel C for Colombo
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Senior Contributor
31 reviews 31 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 April 2013

Having viewed the Dutch museum in Pettah I was not sure if the Colombo Museum was going to be a disappointment. I was actually quite pleased with the display of things and the descriptions. Thanks to funding, especially from HSBC, the museum's rooms were very well organised. It was a pity that the overall museum did not have a printed... More

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See 11 more reviews by Malaka T for Colombo
Venice, Florida
Senior Contributor
31 reviews 31 reviews
11 attraction reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 April 2013

After reading some of the older reviews I almost did not go to the museum and so I feel the need to write a favorable review. The building and the grounds are beautiful, and the building was being painted so I imagine it will only get better. Yes, it is hot inside, but if you dislike being hot and sweaty... More

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