The Dutch Colonial Fort of the South
Galle is built around a remarkable 36-hectare fortification constructed by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century on the foundations of an earlier Portuguese fort. It is the finest example of European colonial architecture in Asia — a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has been continually inhabited since the Dutch built it in 1663. Unlike many ancient sites, Galle Fort is alive: it is a real neighbourhood where families live, boutique hotels fill the old merchant houses, and cats sleep on the cannon emplacements of the ramparts.
The fort walls give the best sunset views on the south coast — a 30-minute circuit of the ramparts above the crashing Indian Ocean. Inside the walls, the Dutch Reformed Church, the old Dutch hospital (now a shopping arcade), the National Maritime Museum, and the lighthouse occupy buildings that have barely changed since the 18th century. The streets are home to jewellery workshops, gem traders, tailors, and some of Sri Lanka's finest restaurants and boutique guesthouses.
Fort Ramparts at Sunset
Walk the full circuit of the fort walls above the Indian Ocean — one of Sri Lanka's finest evening experiences.
Dutch Reformed Church
One of the oldest Dutch Reformed churches in Asia (1755), with a remarkable floor of gravestones from the colonial era.
Old Dutch Hospital
The 17th-century hospital converted into a buzzing arcade of restaurants and boutiques — the social centre of the fort.
Galle Lighthouse
The oldest lighthouse in Sri Lanka (1848 in its current form), at the southern tip of the ramparts.
Unawatuna Beach
3 km east of Galle — a beautiful crescent bay with coral reef, calm waters, and a row of laid-back beach restaurants.
Best Time to Visit
November to April — the south-west monsoon is quiet and the seas are calm. May to October brings larger surf.
Getting There
Approximately 2—2.5 hours from Colombo by road or by the coastal train, which runs along the beachfront south of Colombo.
