Sri Lanka’s fourth-largest city and best-preserved colonial town, Galle sits near the island’s southernmost tip. At its heart lies the Fort – a UNESCO World Heritage Site built by the Portuguese in 1588 and later expanded by the Dutch – so sturdily constructed that it survived the 2004 tsunami largely unscathed.
Inside the ramparts, cobbled lanes wind past centuries-old villas, a working lighthouse, the Dutch Reformed Church and the National Maritime Museum, housed in a 17th-century warehouse. Cafes, boutique shops and small art galleries have since moved in, giving the Fort a relaxed, creative energy that rewards slow exploration on foot.
- Galle Fort’s 16th and 17th-century ramparts
- The National Maritime Museum’s naval history exhibits
- The Dutch Reformed Church, one of Sri Lanka’s oldest
- Boutique cafes and craft shops within the walls