Pettah

Probably everyone in Sri Lanka knows the Pettah market, as the Pettah Bus Station, and the Pettah Railway station is in the close proximity Pettah becomes a transit for many locals travelling to various parts of the country. Pettah is a mix of everything. There are a ton of small stalls selling anything you can imagine. 

Pettah can look quite complex, but if you did some reading before you go it is not that complex to navigate through. It is laid out in a grid where all the other smaller streets connect to either the Pettah Main Street or the Bodhiraja Mawatha (street). If you keep those names as landmarks you can't go wrong. Each of these streets have specific types of stalls, 

• Maliban street is known for stationatires and wedding invitation cards
• Prince Street is known for glassware & mirrors 
• Main street and Olcott Mawatha are known for fabrics and anything to do with textiles
• Bankshall Street is pretty colourful with all kids of flower stalls.
• Malwatta Road is known for shoes, leather bags, travel bags, also there are many stalls which sell cheap CDs and DVDs, name any new movies you can sure find a DVD copy
• Gabos Lane is known for baking ingredients and bakery equipments
• If you are looking for any particular glassware look no further than the Titus store in the main street, they do also have glass laboratory equipment like test tubes, pipettes, beakers etc.  
• You can buy any watch brand in the Wimaladharma Brothers

If you are planning to take a stroll on the Pettah market prepare for the loads of crowds, prepare for the heat and carry some water. While you are there you can probably find the Red Mosque, and the Old City Hall which are two main attractions in the area.