10 Reasons Why Your Next Trip Should Be To Galle! 

The Galle Literary Festival creates a lot of hype and that is definitely the weekend where the highest number of locals visit the city. I love Galle regardless of the season, day or time. It is by far my most favourite place in the island. It is the perfect mix of history, culture and of course fun. If you haven’t been to Galle already, it should definitely be next on your list! 

1. The History 

Knowing the historical significance of the place definitely adds to the experience. It gives you a distinct feeling of pride about our motherland. Galle had been a prominent seaport long before Western rule in the country. Persians, Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Malays, Indians, and Chinese were doing business through the Galle port from as early as 1400 BC. The "modern" history of Galle starts in 1502, when a small fleet of Portuguese ships, under the command of Lorenzo de Almeida, led to them colonizing us. In 1640, the Portuguese had to surrender to the Dutch East India Company. 

 

2. The Fort 

The Dutch built the present fort in the year 1663. After the British took over the country, they preserved the fort unchanged. The Fort, is definitely the paramount reason why I love Galle. If you don’t stop by at the Fort, there is no point visiting the city. And you must walk through the streets to really enjoy the Fort. One of the experiences I will never forget is of the divers jumping from the Fort to precisely in between two rocks! My friends and I held our breath every time they jumped! 

3. The Cafés 

All the streets of the Fort are filled with adorable little cafés. Most of them serve you with yummy drinks and amazing food! You can have all three meals inside the Fort from these cafés. They are perfect to relax and wind down whilst having a chat or while reading a book. 

4. The Shopping Experience 

If you love to shop, the Galle Fort is the place to go! You get everything from clothes to craft items to beautiful jewellery! And all of them are in designs that are unique to our country. Every time I go to Galle I end up buying something even though I wasn’t planning to go shopping at all! 

5. The Maritime Museum 

This is situated inside the Fort. If you have the time, it is a museum worth your time. There are beautiful installations of equipment used by the colonizers and the locals for sea fare. They have also displayed the machinery that was used by the foreigners to fight the enemy. 

6. The Religious Sites 

I love that our country is a multi-national and multi-religious nation. As soon as you enter the Fort there is a Buddhist temple with a beautiful view of the sea. The Fort also has a magnificent mosque, overlooking the sea. It has quite a few churches of which the Dutch Reformed Church is the most significant, as it is the oldest one in the city. This church even has a secret tunnel that leads to the sea! The governors used this tunnel to escape in case there was any trouble. It also has another underground tunnel that was used to keep prisoners. The Buddhist temple in Rumassala, is also visited by many who go on pilgrimages. 

7. The Secret Cove named Jungle Beach 

Do you ever go to the beach and feel like its overcrowded? And not have a sea bath as a result of it? Then Jungle Beach is the place to go. It is almost like a small bay with its own private beach. And it’s absolutely beautiful. There is one shop with the beach, and they sell the best food and drinks. It is also a beach where you can go snorkelling in. The equipment is available to rent. 

8. The Fun and Exciting Unawatuna Beach 

This is the beach for you if you like to party. The whole stretch is filled with many restaurants that play loud music and they serve you with enough beverages and yummy food. There is one restaurant that even offers jet skis! (I haven’t been on one yet, so I can’t recommend it’s level of safety.) But I have been on the boat ride that they offer. They take you on glass bottom boats that allow you to see the vibrant coloured fish! And believe it or not there are even ruins of a shipwreck! 

 

9. The Cricket Stadium 

If you are a Sri Lankan, it is mandatory that you love cricket. This stadium is one of the best of its kind. Simply because we have won most of the matches that we have played there! This is one ground that allows you to watch the match without even buying a ticket! You can watch it from the fence or from the top of the Fort! 

10. The Easy Travel 

The fact that there many options to travel to Galle and within Galle is also one of my favourite things about the city. If you are a person that loves to get to places soon you can use the Southern Expressway in your private vehicle or the bus, which will take you there in 45 minutes! You can use public transport, the bus or the train on Galle Road which is also a beautiful ride along the coastline. Once you get to Galle there are numerous options! You can go about in tuk tuks! Or hire bikes for the day! Bike rides inside the Fort is a must! 

I am sorry If you feel like I have rambled on and on about Galle. I can’t help it. It is my favourite place in Sri Lanka and I want everyone to go see it and fall in love with it as I did. Honestly, there is no place I’d rather be. 

By Jithendri Gomes