Pettah is Colombo's oldest and most chaotic market district, immediately east of the Fort. It is a sensory overload by any standard: covered bazaar streets each dedicated to a different trade (electronics, fabric, spices, household goods), an unending stream of buses and trucks, vendors spilling onto the road, and overhead wires criss-crossing everything. The Red Mosque's candy-cane minaret is the visual landmark.
The best reason to come to Pettah is also the simplest: to walk through it and feel the energy. The street food here is among the best in Colombo — particularly the short eats (savoury pastries) at the Muslim-owned shops near the mosque, and the fruit stalls selling king coconuts, wood apples, and local mangoes. Pettah closes early on Friday afternoons.