Sri Lanka | Galle Fort – A Blend of Portuguese, Dutch and British
Galle was our last city in Sri Lanka before we fly out of the country, and due to our short time we only walked around Galle Fort, the most iconic site in the whole of Galle.
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The Portuguese, under the leadership of Lourenço de Almeida, made their first landing in Galle port in 1505. This was the beginning of the fort’s history, which was built by the Portuguese in 1541. The Portuguese later moved to Colombo return to Galle in 1588 following an attack by the Sinhalese King, Raja Singha I of Sitawaka. In 1640, the Dutch entered the fray joining hands with King Rajasinhe II to capture the Galle Fort. The British then took over the fort in 1796, after capturing Colombo. Sri Lanka remained a British colony formally from 1815 untill it became an independent island nation in 1948. The importance of Galle declined after the British developed Colombo as their capital and main port in the mid nineteenth century.
Getting To Galle Fort
From Mirissa, Galle is only an hour ride away by bus. You just need to hop on to any buses bound for Galle and alight at Galle Central Bus Station. From the bus station, Galle Fort is just 20 minutes away on foot.
Galle Central Bus
Address: Colombo Rd, Galle 80000, Sri Lanka
Bus from Mirissa to Galle: 1 hour (bus bound for Galle), LKR 100 per person
Galle Dutch Fort
Address: Galle 80000, Sri Lanka
Walk from Galle Central Bus Station to Galle Fort: 20 minutes
Recommended time for Galle old town: half a day
Highlights of Galle Fort
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| Entrance to the old town of Galle |
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| The inner wall |
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| We choose to walk from the bus station instead of getting a tuk tuk as it wasn't far away |
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| The wall of the fort |
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| My tired face |
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| Another tired face |
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| The map of Galle old town |
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| We checked out the fort on the next day |
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| The ramparts of the outer wall |
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| What is this structure? |
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| The fort overlooking the sea |
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| There weren't many people in the morning |
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| Some local Sri Lanka went down to the beach |
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| We saw some local swimming by the shore |
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| A souvenir shop near the fort |
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| Obligatory tourist shot, I'm looking extremely tired after 12 days in Sri Lanka |
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| Galle Lighthouse |
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| A crow spotted |
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| My travel companions for 12 days |
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| Strong wind = messy hair |
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| Ruins of the fort |
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| Die die must take a shot like this |
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| The Dutch monument |
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| So many people at this side of the beach |
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| The lighthouse up close |
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| Another thing to do in Galle is to shop at Peddlar's Street |
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| A gelato shop |
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| Shopping for magnets and other souvenir here before we went back to Colombo |
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| A mosque? |
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| A restaurant |
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| Restaurants and cafes are also everywhere |
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| Arabic College |
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| A beautiful exterior of a cafe |
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| Shopping heaven |
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| The streets |
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| The streets |
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| Tuk tuk drivers waiting for business? |
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| Tea shop |
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| Guesthouse |
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| Gelato we had to beat the hot weather |
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| All Saint's Church |
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| This way towards to entrance / exit |
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| Some Dutch building |
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| More souvenir shops |
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| Bags anyone? |
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| Beetle |
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| More shops and tuk tuk |
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| Is this a guesthouse or a restaurant? |
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| More shops |
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| Hi ladies! |
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| Another cafe, another beetle |
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| Not mine obviously. I like the tree though |
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| Like the pillars |
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| One last photo before we left for Colombo |
Getting out of Galle
For those doing Sri Lanka clockwise like I did, Galle is likely your last stop before heading back to Colombo to catch your flight. You can either take a bus or train from Galle to Colombo but I would highly recommend the train ride that travels along the coastline. While the Kandy-Ella train offers scenic tea plantation view aboard the train, the one that run along the coastal shores from Galle to Colombo is not to be missed. During the 2nd half of the ride, the track will be right beside the ocean with almost no obstruction between the train and ocean. This gives the passenger a gorgeous view of the sea, more so in the late afternoon when it turns golden thanks to the late afternoon sun.
More about the scenic train ride here >> Sri Lanka | From Galle to Colombo – Get Yourself Spirited Away With This Scenic Train Ride
Galle Railway Station
Address: Galle 80000, Sri Lanka
Train from Galle to Colombo: 3 hours, LKR 100 per person (third class)
Once you arrive in Colombo, you can continue your sight-seeing or take bus 187 to the airport. The bus departs from Pettah Bus Station opposite side of Colombo-Fort Train Station. This air-conditioned bus is the most direct and comfortable ride to the airport as it takes the expressway and drops passengers at the airport entrance.
Pettah Bus Station
Address: Olcott Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Walk from Colombo Fort Railway Station to Pettah Bus Station: 5 minutes
Bus from Colombo to airport (Negombo): 1 hour 30 min (bus 187), LKR 267 per person
Final Words
Originally built by the Portuguese, further extension was made by both the Dutch and British, giving Galle Fort a mix of Portuguese, Dutch and British. It is a historical, archaeological and architectural heritage monument, with a history of more than 432 years, yet still maintaining a polished appearance, due to extensive reconstruction work done Sri Lanka over the years. As we walked around the fort, we were transported to the bygone era of the bygone colonial domination of the city. If you are in Galle, the fort is a must visit!
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