Being the capital of Sri Lanka, it is also its largest city and has the kind of nightlife in the five-star hotels that can be found in most countries around the world. Besides the hotels there are also a few popular pubs that can be recommended.

Clancy's Irish Bar: Clancy's is located on Maitland Crescent a short distance from Independence Square in Colombo Area 7. It may not be very Irish besides the shamrock above the door, but it has a great ambience. Lots of music, drinks and fun, including a half price happy hour in the evening. There is also live music and local band Wildfire is a popular crowd puller. There is even a shooters pool hall upstairs should you be interested. The food is reasonably priced and the menu is spiced with names of celebrities.

Molly's Bar: The bar is named after the song 'Sweet Molly Malone' and has a genuine Irish landlady, named Annette. She runs the place with her friendly Sri Lankan husband. The place is rather similar to Clancy's and is popular with both the locals and expats. It is tucked away in Nawam Mawatha in Colombo area 2 near Beria Lake around the back of Crescat Shopping Centre. Hunting for it is a bit difficult if you are unfamiliar with the area, but ask for directions and you'll be there in no time.

Casinos: If you are looking for a spot of gambling, head over to the casinos in town. Bellagio's, MGM and Bally's are classy places to visit. You will find the Ritz cheaper, but it can also seem somewhat sleazy although you will still have fun there. Stardust is somewhat unfriendly. You can expect to place minimum bets of 20 to 50 Sri Lankan rupees and the crowd is usually a mix of expats, and Asian businessmen; there will be very few Sri Lankan women around – probably part of the staff.

Cascades: Cascades is located behind Colombo Plaza next to Crescat Boulevard on the landside of Galle road in Colombo Area 3. It is a popular night club with an ambience similar to any in a western country. Dancing goes on till 05:00 in the morning to hip hop, R&B and other dance music in the restricted space available. It can get crowded and you might step on a few toes. It is supposed to be for couples and members only, but the rules are not that strict although you do have to adhere to the dress code and no shorts and sandals are allowed.

Other venues related:

Night Clubs & Discos:-

• Mawby's Clillout Pub : No 112, New Buller's Road, Colombo 05, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• Blue Leopard Harbour Room : Grand Oriental Hotel 2, York Street, Colombo 01
  
  
• The Library : Trans Asia Hotel, 155 Sir Chittampalam Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 02, Sri lanka.
  
  
• The Hut : Mount Lavinia Hotel, 102, Hotel Road, Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• My Kind of Place : Taj Samudra Hotel 25, Galle Face Centre Road, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• Rhythm & Blues : No. 19/1, Daisy Villa Avenue, Colombo 04, Sri Lanka.

• Bradman Bar - Cricket Club Cafe : 34, Queens Road, Off Duplication Road, Colombo 02, Sri lanka.
  
  
• Cheers : Colombo Plaza, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• Bistro Latino : Duplication Road, Colombo 05, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• Karaoke Lounge, Lobby Bar : Galadari Hotel 64, Lotus Road, Colombo 01, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• Cyclone : 29, Maitland Crescent, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• Don Stanley's : 42, Navam Mw., Colombo 02, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• Echelon Pub, Karaoke Bar , Thorana Lounge : Colombo Hilton, Sir Chittambalam A. Gardiner Mw, Colombo 02, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• White Horse : 2 Navam Mawatha, Colombo 02, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• Inn on the Green : Galle Road, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka.

• Ballys Colombo : No: 34 D R Wijayawardena Mawatha, Colombo 10, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• Stardust Casino : No. 9, 15th Lane, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• The Bellagio : No. 430, Duplication Road, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka.
  
  
• M G M Casino : 772, Galle Road, Colombo 04, Sri lanka.

In the city of Galle the closest thing to nightlife can be found 10 km east of town at the Unawatuna Beach Resort. You can find a semblance of nightlife here, otherwise in Galle after the sun goes down, there is precious little to do.

Le Garage: The main night club is called Le Garage, and it rocks at weekends in Le Kandyan hotel. It is some distance from the main part of town and you will need to hire a taxi or a tuk tuk to get you there. Located on the road to Perediniya, the music is good and on weekends the crowd is lively. Not too much happening on week nights, though.

Old Trinitians Sports Club (OTSC): The OTSC or Old Trinitians Sports Club is a good place to head down for the weekends. There's music and dance here from 20:00 onwards on Fridays and Saturdays. It is a members-only club, but for a nominal fee you can enter as a guest. There's also a pool table which you can use. They do have a dress code so don't go in your flip flops and shorts.

The Pub: The Pub is located a few feet from Queen's Hotel in central Kandy. It is bang on top of a shop called The Bake House. One of the two pubs in the city, it has decent food along with two good bars. The one downstairs has a big screen TV and is very popular during sports competitions especially if the Sri Lankan national team is playing cricket.

Despite having the distinction of being the second largest-city in Sri Lanka after Colombo, Kandy doesn't have too much of a nightlife. It is a relatively quiet and peaceful town.

If you are into dancing, then Ceysands, a floating discotheque located between the Bentota River and the sea, is ideal. You get there in a ferry and can literally dance the night away under the stars.

As such there is no nightlife in Beruwela. The beachfront has a few cafes which are reasonable enough and provide fresh seafood. Ypsylon is a hotel with a great garden and a good restaurant located on Beruwela Beach.

Definitely not the place for a wild and crazy night out, Negombo offers a few bars located on the Beach Road.

There is not much nightlife to talk about here. The usual bars exist in the top hotels and as for dining, there are a few decent eateries where you can get a good meal.

Most eateries offer fresh, wholesome and tasty Sri Lankan food. This usually consists of spicy curries eaten with rice. Some restaurants also serve western dishes like burgers and pizzas, but even these are influenced by Sri Lankan cuisine. There is no nightlife worth mentioning in Sigiriya.