17. Galle Fort, Sri Lanka

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Why

I fell in love with Galle Fort, Sri Lanka when I visited in 2014 and you will too. It’s a quiet seaside fort town with a fantastic view of the Indian Ocean. Actually its called Galle Fort. Once a Dutch settlement, the town still has remnants of the Dutch presence.

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Where

Galle is in the south of Sri Lanka; really at the bottom of the country.

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How To Get Here

First you have to get to Sri Lanka. International flights will take you into the Colombo Airport (CMB); this is the capital. Once in Colombo, here are some ways to get to Galle.

By Train

You can take the bus south to Colombo Fort (downtown Colombo) then the train to Galle. Rome2Rio.com shows you how to do this. You can also take a cab into the city as well.

By Plane

First fly into Colombo International Airport (CMB). Then you can take another flight on Cinnamon Air (C7) to Koggala Airport (KCT), then take a cab the remaining 7 miles. This is a great flight for aviation geeks as it makes four stops on the way down to Galle taking 2:45. The stops are: Diyawanna Oya Seaplane Base (DWO), Katugastota, Polgolla Reservoir Airport (KDZ),  Mattala Rajapaksa International (HRI) and Mawella Lagoon Airport (DIW). Koggala Airport is on a Lake which is on an Air Force base and the landing is amazing. And as you can see the other airports are on the Lake as well since you are on a float plane. It’s an amazing trip flying on a float plane.

• The following airlines has service to Colombo, Sri Lanka (CMB):
  • Air Asia (AK), Air China (CA), Air India (AI), Austrian Airlines (OS), Cathay Pacific Airways (CX), China Eastern Airlines (MU, Cinnamon Air (C7), Emirates (EK), Etihad Airways (EY), FlyDubai (FZ), Jet Airways (9W), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL), Korean Airlines (KE), Kuwait Airways (KU), Malaysia Airlines (MH), Qatar Airways (QR), Oman Air (WY), Rotana jet (RG), Saudi Arabian Airlines (SV), SilkAir (MI), Singapore Airlines (SQ), Spicejet (SG), SriLankan (UL), Thai Airways (TG), TOR Air (OD), Turkish Airlines (TK) and Ukraine International (PS).

By Bus

There are buses from the bus center in downtown Colombo that will take you to Galle.

By Car

If you are already in the region you can take the drive. Just use a service like Google Maps for directions.

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Where To Stay

I just did a day trip when I went, however, I did explore some places that shows promise. They are still in the existing buildings from the colonial times.

==>> You can find a list of hotels from TripAdvisor here.

==>> Try Airbnb.

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Where To Eat

This is a fishing village, so there are no shortage of seafood places. Just follow your noise and the people.

==>> You can find a list of restaurants from TripAdvisor here.

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What To Do

There is a lot of history in Galle as you will see when you walk around. Check out the Galle Lighthouse.

 

==>> Here is a list of more organized things to do from Trip Advisor.

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Additional Information

1. Sri Lanka Tourism Board
2. Facebook
3. Instagram
4. Twitter

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