Galle
Discover Galle
Galle is in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Galle's old town with its fortifications have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Galle has been an important port for centuries. Long before European colonisers arrived, traders from Persia, Arabia, Greece, Rome, China, India, and Malaysia conducted business through Galle’s port. Around the 12th and 13th centuries, Sinhalese refugees escaping northern conflicts settled in the area. The famous Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta stopped by in 1342, and in 1411, Admiral Zheng He left the Galle Trilingual Inscription—a tablet engraved in Chinese, Tamil, and Persian.
Taste of Galle...
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. Chikungunya disease, a mosquito-borne viral infection, was reported by travellers in Galle in October 2025. Its symptoms are painful and long-lasting. Wear DEET-based insect repellent and cover your skin where possible.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsFrom Colombo you can take one of many southern line trains to Galle, or the bus. Both routes follow the coastline and have beautiful views. By bus from Colombo: at Kotuwa bus station, Terminal 2, platform 12/13, "luxury" air con 22 seater mini coach, price Rs 715. Large non A/C old type bus, ticket Rs 400. There are 2 options for bus transport between Colombo and the main bus station in Galle: 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 (May 2018). Trains travel several times every day and can be crowded: 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. You will find the best tourist shopping inside the Fort....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
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. You will find the best tourist shopping inside the Fort. But you will need to go into town if you want fresh fruit, veggies or clothing 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. Chikungunya disease, a mosquito-borne viral infection, was reported by travellers in Galle in October 2025. Its symptoms are painful and long-lasting.
Where to Stay
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. Chikungunya disease, a mosquito-borne viral infection, was reported by travellers in Galle in October 2025. Its symptoms are painful and long-lasting. Wear DEET-based insect repellent and cover your skin where possible.
Money & Budget
You will find the best tourist shopping inside the Fort. But you will need to go into town if you want fresh fruit, veggies or clothing 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. Chikungunya disease, a mosquito-borne viral infection, was reported by travellers in Galle in October 2025. Its symptoms are painful and long-lasting. Wear DEET-based insect repellent and cover your skin where possible.