Galle

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From Colombo you can take the train in the direction Mirissa or bus. Both travel along the coastline and have beautiful views.

There are 2 options for bus transport between Colombo and the main bus station in Galle: private a/c minibus and luxury Southern Expressway bus.

• Private a/c minibus. Smaller than the typical big buses, it seats only about 25 people (plus another 7 people will be jammed inside standing). 3 hours in normal conditions; more than 4 hours if Colombo traffic is bad. This option is more convenient than the Southern Expressway bus if you need to start or end in central Colombo. Also more comfortable than the train: on the bus, you can be sure to get a seat if you start at either Galle main bus station or Colombo Fort, whereas getting a seat on the train is a matter of luck (and ability to push). Beautiful ocean views during almost the entire trip (the road is even closer to the ocean than the train tracks and spends much more time on the edge of the water). Rs 270. (updated Nov 2022)
• Southern Expressway bus. 1½ hr. Bus goes from Maharagama station, not Colombo Fort. Direct, comfortable "luxury" bus runs every 20 minutes in both directions. Travels via the Southern Expressway, a very modern, smooth and essentially empty toll highway. Views of forests (many palm trees), but no ocean views. Much faster and direct than the private a/c buses which start and end at Colombo Fort, but not so convenient for tourists who want to be at Colombo Fort. Colombo Fort to Maharagama is around 60 minutes or more on the crowded public buses; luggage bigger than a small bag can be very difficult, but definitely easier than on the private a/c minibus. Rs 370. (updated Nov 2022)

Trains travel several times every day and can be crowded:

• 🌍 Galle Railway Station, Colombo Rd (right on the seashore). Train timetable. The 115km journey from Colombo takes beteween 1½ hr - 3½ hr depending on the train taken. Rs 120 - 220 (depending on class). 

From Ella/Badulla:

There is one public bus in the morning from Badulla at 6:30AM and Ella around 7AM to Galle. From Badulla the ticket costs Rs 346 (as of May 2018).

Tuk Tuk or on foot is your best bet if you are traveling in Galle or close by. The Old Town of Galle and its fortifications are within walking distance from the central bus station, so it's better to walk rather than to take a tuk-tuk.

The bus is an easy and cheap way to get to Matara, Unawatuna or Hikkaduwa from Galle.

• 🌍 Tourist Information Center, Colombo Rd (NE corner of the Dharmapala Park). 

• 🌍 All Saint's Church, Church St, Fort. Massses: F Su 8AM. Anglican Church 
• Kalutara temple. is a place you must not miss 
• Seenigama temple. Always make a donation and say a prayer for good luck. 

• 🌍 Fort's walls, Rampart Rd. A walk here at sunset is very pleasant if you don't mind being hassled to buy table cloths, fake antique 'Dutch' coins, or powdered milk. Be wary of unauthorized local or foreign guides who offer you a walk round the Fort for a fee. Walking round the Fort is free for everybody.. (updated Oct 2021)
• Peace Pagoda. the view from on a clear day is also quite lovely 
• 🌍 Galle Port, Matara Rd (1 km east from the Bus Station). 
• 🌍 Meeran Masjid, Fort Galle, Rampart St. 
• 🌍 National Sea Museum, Queens Street, ☏ +94 91 22 42261. It is housed in the old Dutch East India Company VOC Warehouse in Galle Fort. 
• 🌍 Dutch Reformed church, Church Street (Middle St corner). Look inside. 
• 🌍 St-Mary's Cathedral (Kaluwella Catholic Church), Kaluwella, between Templers Rd and Prison Rd. 
• 🌍 Arabic College (Al Bahjathul Ibrahimiya Arabic College), New Lane 2 (In the Fort, Church St corner). Found: 1892. 
• 🌍 Historical Mansion Museum, 31-39, Layn Baan St, Fort (near Front Cross St). 
• Small Green Mosque. 

• Walk around the ramparts of Galle Fort, wander the streets inside the fort shopping for gems and antiques
• Visit one of the turtle hatcheries along the coast
• 🌍 Dharmapala Park, Colombo Road (Opposite to the Galle Railway Station). 
• 🌍 Galle International Cricket Stadium, Colombo Road (Opposite to the Galle Central Bus Station). 
• 🌍 Galle Library, Church St. 
• 🌍 Talpe Beach, 1042, Matara Rd, Thalpe. Beach club with great vibe and excellent drinks. Bring your towel and enjoy the day there. 
• If you're staying in the Fort get a bit of brisk exercise by walking around the ramparts first thing in the morning, as a lot of the locals do. The evenings are lovely too.
• Galle Fort, Galle Fort. Hear all the interesting stories about the Galle Fort. Audios will play automatically as you explore the ramparts using the curated route maps. Will work offline once downloaded. $1. (updated Jan 2023)

• Seafood Restraurant (Fish Market Street at the corner of Dickson Road). Literally a hole in the wall located just behind the main Galle Fish Market. it's a tiny, one family-operation: father cooks, mother prepares plates and cleans. Only 5 plastic chairs and a small counter, not enough space to turn around. For adventurous travelers looking for a truly local restaurant outside the typical tourist restaurants or the made-only-for-foreigners "authentic cooking experiences", it's by far the best option for seafood in Galle. Buy your seafood fresh yourself, either at the market directly in front of this restaurant or at any other market. Bring your seafood to this restaurant around lunchtime, and the owner will cook it for you with spices and coconut curry. 1 kg of crabs costs around Rs 700 in the market, pay the restaurant Rs 500 more, so for Rs 1200 total, you have a huge feast for 2 people: 1kg of freshly cooked crabs in coconut curry with unlimited rice, dahl (lentils) and vegetable curries. Nowhere in Galle or the surrounding beach towns offers such a good deal, neither in price or in taste. Tuna, prawns, squid... you choose whatever you want, you can get it fresh and cooked in delicious coconut curry. 
• Anura's Restaurant (Inside the fort). serves a mixture of local foods, pizzas, sandwiches and other snacks. 
• 🌍 Karunadasa Restaurant, 23 Light House St (in the Fort). 
• Mama's. Authentic Sri Lanken food. Mama and her daughter run two cooking classes daily (morning and noon) which includes sitting down to eat the food you learn to cook. It is often difficult to get a table at the roof top restaurant, but it might be easier to book the afternoon cooking class including dinner. The cooking class was a highlight of Galle. 
• Serindipity. A good option for dessert. It can be quite hard to get them to serve you food as they often close their kitchen for cooking classes during the day and also closes quite early at night (before 9 PM). 
• 🌍 Cafe The Pedler's Inn, 92, Pedler Street (In the Fort), azeez@pedlarsinn.com. The milkshakes are a must for a hot day, and the sandwiches are pretty good, too! If staying for dinner be sure to finish it off with the home made chocolate brownies with ice cream. 
• Ice cream parlour signed by a large 'Dairy King' poster, Church street. The products are a mixture of home made and bought produce. The home made mango and the home made coconut is particularly good. The brownies are better at the "Fort Galle Hotel". 
• Lighthouse Hotel, See at 'Stay' chapter. For a treat, try the all-you-can eat buffet at this ultra posh palce for only about R1200/-. (You might not get any further than the hors d'oeuvres.) 

• 🌍 Rampart Hotel, Rampart St (inside the fort on the south ramparts). does good local and "international" meals and serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. It is quite expensive by local standards though at about R1600/- (US$15) for a meal with a couple of drinks. 
• The Sydney Hotel, No. 10, Gamini Mawatha (near the bus station opposite the International Galle Cricket Stadium), ☏ +94 91 2226840. (updated Apr 2016)

Galle has quite a few small boutique hotels, budget hotels and hostels and more seem to be cropping up after the tsunami. Within the Galle Fort there is Amangalla (within the renovated Oriental Hotel) and the Galle Fort Hotel. On the outskirts of Galle there is the Sun House.

On the road into Galle from Colombo there is the Lighthouse Resort designed by Bawa, famous architect.

• 🌍 Internet Cafe, Church St (Between Small Cross St and New Lane 1). 
• 🌍 Galle Main Post Office, Main Street (east to the Galle Central Bus Station), ☏ +94 91 2 223250. 
• 🌍 Sri Lanka Telecom & Mobitel, Wackwella Road (500 m North of the Galle Central Bus Station), ☏ +94 91 2 222231, fax: +94 91 2234231, uiananda@slt.com.lk. Services:Fault Reporting, New Connection, Prepaid Cards, Purchase CDMA, Bill Payment 

• Unawatuna 5 km to the southeast on Route A2. A beautiful beach - take a swim; enjoy the best eating places. Buses run every 10–15 minutes in both directions, cost Rs 20, take 10–15 minutes. Can be very crowded and play loud music. Tuk-tuks ask for Rs 400–500, can usually be bargained down to Rs 250–300.
• Matara, end of railway line from Colombo, approximately 50 km south following the coastline.
• Mirissa the tourist-friendly beachside town is easily reached by train, bus or tuk-tuk
• Hikkaduwa 20 km north following the coast
• Madu River, 40 km north following the coast across the Balapitiya area, Take a boat tour. This extraordinary estuary with a cluster of 64 small islands scattered along its impressive breadth, most of which are covered with mangroves and uninhabited, and is also a haven for crocodiles.
• Kanneliya Forest Reserve — (Galle district). The waterfall “Naranga Ella” is one of the highlights. There is a safe place for bathing in Nannikitha also close to the entry to the Forest Reserve. There is a nature trial to Kabbale Kanda Mountain.
• Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage — is home to the biggest captive herd of elephants in the world. - Bathing times (10AM and 2PM) are a particular treat, as the elephants are led down to the nearby river.
• Sinharaja Forest Reserve — (districts of Ratnapura, Matara and Galle) is one of the least disturbed and biologically unique lowland rainforest in Sri Lanka. A World Heritage Site since 1989.
• Yala National Park — (141 km away) is open to the public, and is mostly made up of parkland and scrub jungle but also contains beaches, lagoons, freshwater lakes, rivers, enormous rocky outcrops and dense jungle.
• Ratnapura — Udawalawe National Park near Ratnapura is an area just over 308 km² and consists of dry lowland forest, thorny scrub jungle and grassland; several areas of the park have been planted with teak. One of its main attractions is the majestic Udawalawa Reservoir. There are also several large herds of Asian elephants, and species of large animals such as deer and buffalo.