Skippable local beach city with a touristy “Dutch Fort”, close to better spots in south Sri Lanka.
This city isn’t a worthy tourist destination. No beautiful beaches, mostly all local areas and local food (good if you want cheap food). It’s for passing by when you’re going between other southern coastal cities in Sri Lanka.
The only thing here is to check out the Dutch Fort, take pictures around the walls. And maybe buy or pickup things that can only be found in a bigger city. There are much more markets here and options to choose from. A friend went here to find bigger repair shops for his broken mobile phone.
A 2-hour pitstop is more than enough for me.
Where to stay:
- I wouldn’t. But I guess anywhere cheap along the road would be ideal so you can leave!
Neighborhoods & Walking areas:
- Dutch Fort
- Town center – around the bus station and the main streets with the shopping stores.
- Road along the water
Really ain’t much to see or do.
Activities to do:
- Buildings & architecture –
- Galle Fort – aka “Dutch Fort”. The most picturesque thing here. And not all that special if you’ve already seen similar in South America.
- Temples – there are some Hindu temples if you’re curious
- Parks, gardens, green spaces –
- Beaches, bridges, water-points –
- Markets, shopping –
- Good for shopping at local stores, on that one main street just a block off and running parallel to the bus station river.
- Arts & museums –
- Viewpoints, landmarks, sunsets –
- Tours –
- Watch a cricket game at Galle Fort International Stadium.
Restaurants & Cafes:
- Hungry Restaurant Galle – this is the one we found and were happy with it. Good food in big portions. Reasonable pricing.
- King and Queen Cantina (Thalpe) – nice restaurant with good food by the river past the train tracks. Depending on the hour you go, it’s actually a nice place and becomes kind of like a party place (the main one of this Hikkaduwa and Galle area). We went during the day when it was totally quiet and we were the only ones there.
Bars & Clubs:
Miscellaneous tips:
Nearby towns:
Unfiltered notes:
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