BEST THINGS TO DO IN GALLE SRI LANKA – Complete Guide
Galle is a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site situated along the south coast of Sri Lanka. With its charming and narrow laneways, imposing Dutch-colonial buildings, ancient mosques, churches and the famous lighthouse, there are many interesting places to explore in this old town. You can walk over the thick ramparts built by the Dutch merchants that controlled the city in the 17th century. And there are also lots of cute boutique shops and cosy cafes and restaurants to fuel your body. Read in this blog post about all the best things to do in Galle Sri Lanka!
Best tours in and around Galle
- Galle Fort and Madu River Guided Tour with Boat Trip. Discover the wonders of Southern Sri Lanka on this guided trip to Galle Fort and the Madu River, a Ramsar wetland. Explore Galle on foot and relax on a cruise amongst lush greenery and wildlife.
- Private Safari Day Trip to Yala & Udawalawe w/ Picnic from Galle. See incredible nature and wildlife on a private guided full-day jeep safari adventure to two national parks, Yala and Udawalawe. Enjoy a picnic lunch and benefit from hotel pickup and drop-off.
- 2-Day Southern Sri Lanka Tour including whale watching from Colombo. During the 2 day tour you will see some of the most interesting places in southern Sri Lanka and enjoy spectacular whale watching.
- Transfer to Ella with Udawalawe Safari from Mirissa. Enjoy a convenient shuttle service from Mirissa, Weligama, Unawatuna or Galle to Ella with a safari through Udawalawe National Park on the way. See wildlife in their natural habitat and enjoy a meal.
- Private Day Trip to Turtle Hatchery & Madu Ganga From Galle. Experience the natural biodiversity of Sri Lanka on a private day trip from Galle. Visit Lunuganga Geoffrey Bawa’s Country Estate, a turtle hatchery, Balapitya, and take a boat tour on the Madu Ganga.
- From Galle: Yala Safari with Lunch at Campsite. Experience a private full-day tour to Yala National Park from Galle. Witness leopards, bears, elephants, deer, crocodiles, and many more. Then enjoy a 4-course lunch with beer at Leopard Nest campsite in the jungle.
- Turtle Hatchery Visit, Boat Safari, and Galle Tour. Discover the wonders of southern Sri Lanka on a day trip from Kalutara. See baby turtles up close at the Kosgoda Hatchery, enjoy a boat ride along the Madu River in Balapitiya, and soak up the historic atmosphere on a guided tour of Galle.
- Galle and Bentota Day-Tour From Colombo. Discover Sri Lanka’s Madu Ganga River Region on this boat safari tour. Visit a cinnamon garden. See stilt fishermen at work. Learn about local wildlife at a turtle hatchery, and explore the Galle Fort— a UNESCO heritage site.
Galle history
First conquered by the Portuguese in the late 16th century, Galle was then quickly overtaken by the Dutch in the 17th century. It then became an incredibly important spice trading port for over 200 years.
The 300-year-old Dutch atmosphere is still very much alive around the fort amidst its many historical buildings. Nowadays the town has grown greatly and spreads into the surroundings. But the Dutch Fort is and will always be the beating heart of Galle’s history. The walled city has stood since the early 16th century and still has the authentic vibe. Galle is a melting pot of culture, religion and interesting Dutch-colonial buildings.
The Galle lighthouse and Fort Meeran Jumma Masjid
Galle lighthouse
If you only have the time to visit one thing in Galle, it has to be the famous Galle Fort Lighthouse. The beautiful, picture perfect lighthouse, fringed by palm trees with the Emerald blue Indian Ocean in the background, is the postcard-perfect Sri Lanka picture. The Galle Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in Sri Lanka and was built in 1848. But unfortunately it was completely destroyed by a fire in 1934 because of its wooden construction. Luckily the British rebuilt it in 1939 and nowadays the 26.5 meters high lighthouse is still in use!
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Go shopping at the boutique shops
The shopaholic in you will go crazy in Galle, especially after days of only seeing local markets and souvenirs. The beautiful boutiques of Galle, located in colonial buildings, are a welcome novelty. Galle is one of the, if not THE, best shopping in Sri Lanka if you ask us. Some of the boutique shops almost look like an art gallery, and all of them sell fabulous stuff like dresses, scarves, sandals, paintings and jewellery. There are literally hundreds of boutiques, art galleries, spice stores and handicrafts dotted throughout Galle Fort. If you want to go to the main shopping street, go to Pedlar St where you will find most of the boutique shops.
Walk on the ramparts and of Galle Fort
The total walk on the ramparts is about 2kms long, and best done early in the morning or late in the afternoon. But if you want to watch a phenomenal sunset from the fort walls, you should go in the afternoon! So if you’re up for exploring all corners of Galle Fort, you have to follow the ‘Fort Walk’. The starting point is at the historic Galle fort Clock Tower, before moving onto the Main Gate, head south where you will go inside Galle Fort. There you will pass the Dutch Reformed Church until you reach the western section of the old Dutch Hospital. From there, continue south towards the famous Galle Lighthouse, before following the fort walls to Meeran Mosque, the Flag Rock bastion and Triton Bastion. There you will overlook the northern coast towards Hikkaduwa and you can watch a beautiful sunset.
Along the walk you can spot locals playing cricket in the Galle international cricket stadium, eat a selection of the many tasty street food options and cool off in one of the many fort bars. You can also pay a visit to the National Maritime Museum and Saints Anglican Church. With this walk you already experienced some of the best things to do in Galle.
Wander through the cute laneways of Galle
One of our favourite things to do in Galle was getting lost amongst the historic laneways and beautiful Dutch colonial-style buildings in the centre of Galle. It almost feels as if you’re in Europe because of the cobblestone streets. During the horrible 2004 tsunami Sri Lanka was also hit. But thankfully, due to the high ramparts of the Fort wall, much of the area of Galle survived. This means there are still plenty of beautiful remnants to spot from the ancient Portuguese and Dutch colonial times. Just like the Galle Fort Hotel which was originally constructed in the 17th century. You can also book a cycling tour to explore Galle and its surroundings. The tour passes lagoons, paddy fields, the Galle town outskirts and the fruit, vegetable and fish markets. You guide will explain everything about what you will see.
Get ready to be transported back into time when you visit Galle!
Eat at one of the tasty cafes or restaurants
There are many great cafes and restaurants in Galle and we’d read that Poonies Kitchen was one of the coolest cafes in town. Serving incredible and fresh organic produced and photogenic salad bowls. But also Thai Prawn Soups, and many other different dishes. They also have fresh juices available at around 500 rupee. The food is really good and the garden of the restaurant is a great spot to relax after exploring Galle. Situated on Pedlar Street, it is the perfect location to take a break after all the exploring and or shopping!
Explore Unawatuna beach
If you stay in Galle and you’re in for some beach time, relaxing at Unawatuna beach is a nice day trip. You can get a Tuk Tuk which will bring you in just 10 minutes to Unawatuna beach. In and around Unuwatuna there are plenty of other things to do. So if you’re looking for a nice day trip, Unawatuna might be the place to go! Read here about the best things to do at Unawatuna beach.
Unawatuna beach is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Sri Lanka and is some of the most famous beaches on the island. Fringed by waving green palm trees, this beautiful crescent moon shaped beach with golden sand and turquoise water is a true paradise. But because this beach is one of the better known beaches in Sri Lanka, it is also one of the busier places.
Head to Jungle beach to relax
Close to Unawatuna beach after a 7 minute drive you will find Jungle Beach. If you prefer a more relaxing beach with not that much people as on Unawatuna, you can better head to Jungle beach. With lots of wildlife like monkeys and monitor lizards, you will feel as if you’ve arrived in the jungle. There is one restaurant, so if you’re hungry you can order some great curries here. It’s a bit of an adventure to get down the beach via the steep hill and some stairs, but that’s part of the adventure. And most of the time you will find the best hidden gems, beaches in this case, after some effort! That’s also the reason why this beach is less crowded than Unawatuna beach.
Visit the Japanese Peace pagoda in Unawatuna
The next stop after Jungle beach might be a visit to the Japanese Peace Pagoda. Very close to Unawatuna beach in the forest on the hillside you will find the impressive Japanese Peace Pagoda. Constructed in 2005 by Japanese monks to build peace temples in conflict zones, the monument is a symbol of hope for people all over the world. It’s now a popular tourist attraction and with incredible views over the bay of Galle the perfect place to take in the impressive Sri Lankan sunsets.
Go on a day trip to Mirissa for Whale watching
Mirissa is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Sri Lanka and an easy day trip from Galle. This small village has become famous for the stilt fishermen, and is a prime location to spot dolphins and whales. The whale watching season in Mirissa runs from November to April, but for your best chance to see a whale you have to visit in March or April.There are many tour companies where you can book a whale and dolphin watching tour. If you are lucky you can spot many different types of whales and dolphins. Blue whales, Bryde’s whales, Sperm whales, Fin whales and Orca’s can be seen along the coast of Mirissa. Other species which can be seen are Common dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Spinner dolphins, Risso’s dolphins and Striped dolphins. You also have the chance of seeing turtles and various fish species like Bluefin tuna and flying fish. There are lots of options to spot marine life during a whale watching tour in Mirissa, but you have to be a bit lucky for whales!
Read in our complete guide about the best things to do in Mirissa
Go scuba diving
Scuba diving is one of the best things to do in Sri Lanka and Unawatuna is one of the best places to go for this sport. The center of Unawatuna is only a 10-minute drive from Galle city. The diving institutes offer different levels of courses. You can go open water diving, refresh dive course, master level diving, reef diving, night diving and many more. If you love scuba diving, this might be a great thing to do while you stay in Galle.
More Sri Lanka travel inspiration
We hope you got some inspiration to explore the best things to do in Galle Sri Lanka. You should definitely put Galle on your Sri Lanka itinerary as it’s one of the most interesting places to visit along Sri Lanka’s south coast.
For more Sri Lanka travel inspiration, head over to our other Sri Lanka blog posts.
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