Galle

Galle Fort is a walled town on a headland on the south coast, and it is the most complete colonial fortification in South Asia. The Portuguese built the first defences in 1588; the Dutch rebuilt them properly from 1649; the British took it in 1796 and largely left it alone. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

What makes it unusual is that it is still lived in. Behind the ramparts is a working neighbourhood of narrow streets, Dutch-era houses with deep verandas, mosques, churches, and a growing number of galleries and cafés. It is a place to walk rather than a site to tick off.

Walking the ramparts

The ramparts run about three kilometres and you can walk the whole circuit in an hour, or make a relaxed half day of it with stops. Start at the clock tower on the northern wall, follow the sea round past the lighthouse at the southeast corner, then Flag Rock and Triton Bastion on the western side.

Late afternoon is the time to do it. The stone holds heat all day, the light is better, and Flag Rock is where the town gathers for sunset. There is no entrance fee and no ticket office — you simply walk in through the main gate.

Inside the walls

The Dutch Reformed Church on Church Street dates from 1755 and has a floor paved with gravestones. The Old Dutch Hospital, on the seaward side, has been restored into a colonnaded row of shops and restaurants and is the easiest place to eat. Meeran Mosque sits on the western wall looking out to sea, a white building in a style that borrows from both mosque and church architecture.

The streets are the point more than any single building. An hour spent wandering Pedlar Street, Leyn Baan Street and Church Cross Street is the best use of your time.

When to go

Galle is on the south-west coast, which puts it in the December to April dry season. May to September brings the south-west monsoon: heavy afternoon rain, rough seas and a lot of humidity. The fort is still walkable in the wet months and the crowds are thinner, but the beaches nearby are not at their best.

How it fits into a trip

Galle is two hours from Colombo on the southern expressway, which makes it a genuine option on a first or last day. Most people use it as the anchor for the south coast: Unawatuna and Dalawella beaches are ten minutes east, Mirissa and the whale boats about 45 minutes, Yala around three hours further on.

Staying inside the fort for a night is worth it. The day-trip coaches leave by five and the walled town becomes quiet in a way it never is at noon.