Galle Fort
Galle Fort Ramparts
17th-century Dutch-built sea walls encircling the old town, best walked at sunset for views over the Indian Ocean.
A LivingColonial Town.
First fortified by the Portuguese and later rebuilt by the Dutch in the 17th century, Galle Fort is one of the best-preserved examples of a European-built fortress town anywhere in South Asia. Its ramparts still ring the peninsula, and inside them the streets are lined with converted merchant houses, boutique hotels and independent galleries.
A short walk takes in the lighthouse, the old Dutch Reformed Church and a rampart-top sunset, while the surrounding streets stay busy with cafés and craft shops well into the evening.
