Colombo Trip Overview
Visit Galle and explore through the town’s various attractions combining religious places of worship, historic buildings that date back to the colonial period and museums to preserve artifacts and relics from a bygone era. Admire the pristine lighthouse, bricked clock-tower and more, as you stroll along the ramparts of Galle Fort. Built by the Portuguese and later fortified by the Dutch and British, the Galle Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site offering travelers a plethora of things to explore from a bygone era. Visit historic monuments as you stroll along the ancient ramparts of the fort. This old, culturally harmonious town resembles a quaint European village with cobble-stoned streets lined with cafes, bistros, restaurants, boutique retail outlets and more.
Additional Info
Duration: 11 to 13 hours
Starts: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Colombo Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Visit Galle and explore through the town’s various attractions combining religious places of worship, historic buildings that date back to the colonial period and museums to preserve artifacts and relics from a bygone era. Admire the pristine lighthouse, bricked clock-tower and more, as you stroll along the ramparts of Galle Fort. Built by the Portuguese and later fortified by the Dutch and British, the Galle Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site offering travelers a plethora of things to explore from a bygone era. Visit historic monuments as you stroll along the ancient ramparts of the fort. This old, culturally harmonious town resembles a quaint European village with cobble-stoned streets lined with cafes, bistros, restaurants, boutique retail outlets and more.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Galle Fort, Church Street, Galle 80000 Sri Lanka
Galle Fort is one of Sri Lanka’s five historic UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and is the largest fortress in Asia that was built by Europeans invaders. For 200 years, it served as a major seaport for ships travelling between Europe and Asia. The fort was originally built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, but their design of the structure was focused on the defence of the northern land-side entry point to Galle. They believed the seaward side to be impenetrable and therefore did not fortify it, focusing their efforts instead on constructing palisades, a rampart and three bastions. However, when Sri Lanka was under Dutch rule, these defences were deemed insufficient and Galle Fort was fully encircled by fortifications; 14 bastions built of coral and granite stones lined a perimeter containing 130 acres and defended the Galle Fort from attacks on all sides.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Galle Fort – Dutch Reformed Church, 26H8+8R5, Galle 80000, Sri Lanka
The first Dutch Reformed Church in Galle Fort is said to have stood where the clock tower is currently positioned, before the growing congregation at the time dictated a need for a larger space. The churchgoers were moved to a larger and more elaborate building, opposite where the Groote Kerk is currently located, but this too was deemed insufficient. Foundations for a new church building were laid down in 1682, but the actual construction of the church wasn’t complete until after the Commandeur of Galle and his wife donated the necessary funds more than 60 years later, in honour of the birth of their long-awaited daughter. They did not baptize the child until after the church’s construction was complete.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct, Hospital St Old Hospital Bldg, Galle 80000 Sri Lanka
The Dutch Hospital (also known as the Old Galle Dutch Hospital) is a restored two-storey colonial building situated on the eastern side of the historic Galle Fort in the Bay of Galle, which is currently the home of a popular shopping and dining precinct. Located on the aptly named Hospital Road, the building was originally built in the 17th century as a hospital in order to look after the health of the personnel (both officers and other staff) that served the Dutch East India Company, and was constructed on what was originally the site of the Portuguese mint. Following a series of renovations that preserved the historic architecture of the building, the Old Galle Dutch Hospital was formally opened as a shopping and dining precinct in 2014 by then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa. There are a number of restaurants, bars, coffee-shops and souvenir stores to be found inside spread over both floors, as well as great views over the ocean.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Galle National Museum, Church St, Galle 80000 Sri Lanka
The Galle National Museum is one of Sri Lanka’s major national museums, and is located within the oldest standing Dutch building in the Galle Fort. Established by Sri Lanka’s Department of National Museums in 1986, it hosts a collection of exhibitions that showcases objects from Sri Lanka’s time under Portuguese, Dutch and then British rule, as well as a range of important artefacts inherited from Southern Sri Lanka. These include equipment from aboard the Dutch ships that came into Galle’s harbour, porcelain artefacts and a range of weapons used by the Dutch soldiers.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Japanese Peace Pagoda, Rumassala, Unawatuna 80600 Sri Lanka
Hidden amongst the trees of the Unawatuna rainforests and yet visible across the water from the historic Galle Fort in the Bay of Galle is the “Sama Ceitya”, one of four Japanese Peace Pagodas that can be found in Sri Lanka. Situated on Rummasala Hill, it was built with the assistance of Japanese Buddhist monks in 2005 (when Sri Lanka was still in the midst of fighting a devastating civil war) as part of a plan to build temples of peace in conflict zones. Today, it acts as a symbol of peace for the Buddhist-majority country of Sri Lanka, but its clean, rounded design is intended to represent harmony between people of any and all backgrounds. The immense white stupa that rises out of the Japanese Peace Pagoda is surrounded by statues painted in gold, while a nearby flight of stairs leads to a walkway that goes around the shrine, offering breath-taking views of the jungle, the sea, and the stunning Galle Fort.
Duration: 1 hour
