Galle
Galle is a major city on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km (74 mi) south of Colombo.
Galle is a major city on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km (74 mi) south of Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Southern Province, Sri Lanka and is the capital of Galle District.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Galle
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Galle Fort
Galle Fort, in the Bay of Galle on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese, then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards. It is a historical, archaeological and architectural heritage monument, which even after more than 437 years maintains a polished appearance, due to extensive reconstruction work done by the Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka.
600 m · historic military fortress in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 02Roman Catholic Diocese of Galle
The Diocese of Galle is a Latin Catholic diocese of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Erected as the Diocese of Galle in 1893, the diocese is suffragan to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Colombo.
500 m · diocese of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 03Galle International Stadium
Galle International Stadium is a cricket stadium in Galle, Sri Lanka, situated near Galle Fort and fringed on two sides by the Indian Ocean. It is considered to be one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world.
200 m · cricket stadium in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 04Galle Lighthouse
The Galle Lighthouse is an onshore lighthouse in Galle, Sri Lanka and is operated and maintained by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority. It is Sri Lanka's oldest light station.
1 km · lighthouse in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 05St. Mary's Cathedral, Galle
The Cathedral of St. Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galle.
500 m · Cathedral in Galle, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 06Meeran Jumma Mosque
The Meeran Jumma Mosque, commonly known as Galle Fort Mosque, is a mosque located within Galle Fort, Southern Province, Sri Lanka.
1 km · mosque in Galle, Southern, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 07National Museum of Galle
The National Museum of Galle is one of the national museums of Sri Lanka. It is located in the oldest remaining Dutch building in the Galle fort, Galle, a single storey colonnaded Dutch building built in 1656 as the commissariat store for the Dutch garrison at the fort.
400 m · museum in Galle, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 08National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum or National Maritime Archaeology Museum in Galle, Sri Lanka is situated within Galle Fort. It was first opened to the public on 9 May 1992 and is located in a 1671 Dutch Warehouse above the Old Gate of Galle Fort.
600 m · museum in Galle, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 09Galle Fort Hotel
The Galle Fort Hotel in Sri Lanka is a 12-room boutique hotel, situated inside Galle Fort, Galle. The building was originally constructed in the 17th century, during the Dutch colonial period, as a private dwelling.
700 m · building in Galle, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 10Wakwella Bridge
Wakwella Bridge is a bridge in Galle District near Thelikada, Sri Lanka. It is around 152.5 m long and crosses the Gin River.
8.6 km · bridge in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
- 01All Saint's Church
- 02Fort's
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.
- 03Galle Port
Matara Rd (1 km east from the Bus Station).
- 04Meeran Masjid
Fort Galle, Rampart St.
- 05National Sea Museum
It is housed in the old Dutch East India Company VOC Warehouse in Galle Fort.
- 06Dutch Reformed
Church Street (Middle St corner).
From Wikivoyage: Galle, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
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
- 01Dharmapala Park
Colombo Road (opposite to the Galle Railway Station).
- 02Galle International Cricket Stadium
Colombo Road (opposite to the Galle Central Bus Station).
- 03Galle Library
Church St.
- 04Talpe Beach
Beach club with great vibe and excellent drinks.
From Wikivoyage: Galle, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Seafood Restaurant (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.
- 01Karunadasa Restaurant
Mama and her daughter run two cooking classes daily (morning and noon) which includes sitting down to eat the food you learn to cook.
- 02Cafe The Pedler's Inn
92, Pedler Street (in the Fort), azeez@pedlarsinn.com.
From Wikivoyage: Galle, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Galle
- Airports
- Colombo Ratmalana (RML), 95 km · Bandaranaike International Colombo (CMB), 133 km
- Stations
- Galle Harbour, 300 m · Galle Railway Station, 300 m
- Colombo → Galle107 km · quickest by road, 2h 46m · Rs1,190–1,590
- Jaffna → Galle403 km · quickest by road, 10h 45m · Rs4,740–6,350
- Thiruvananthapuram → Galle450 km · quickest by air, 8h 49m · ₹15,760–24,010
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Galle
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Galle. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get aroundTuk Tuk or on foot is your best bet if you are traveling in Galle or close by.
- Get aroundThe 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.
- Go nextTuk-tuks ask for Rs 400–500, can usually be bargained down to Rs 250–300.
- Go nextMirissa, 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.
From Wikivoyage: Galle, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01131 km
- 02507 km
- 03512 km
- 04557 km
- 05565 km
If you know how people move in Galle – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.