The small city of Galle is really lovely and peaceful, full of color and texture. The city is like no other city in Sri Lanka, and wandering around!
The Fort of Galle is a historic location that has seen many communities and ethnicities and, despite the changes made throughout the centuries, managed to hold its sense of glory and history. It has been praised as the ‘best example of a fortified city with a fusion of European architecture and South Asian traditions built by Europeans in South and Southeast Asia’. It has many secrets to tell and even more to hide.
When the Dutch ran the East India Company out of Galle Fort, they left behind plenty of constructions. The ramparts themselves are a pretty impressive architectural construction, but there are others worth seeing. The Maritime Archaeology Museum in a building inside the ramparts was once the Dutch Warehouse. Another great example of Dutch architecture is the Groote Kerk and the Amangalla hotel.
There are plenty of restaurants and relaxing spots along the beach in Unawatuna. Have a dip, walk along the shore, drink some king coconuts, eat some seafood, sip on a beer and simply relax. Unawatuna is perfect for families as well, if you are looking for a kid-friendly beach in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is an island which means its coastline provides endless adventures including surfing and scuba diving. You can head about half an hour outside Galle to Hikkaduwa, which was once a fishing village and is now a popular surf town. Unawatuna, meanwhile, offers terrific scuba diving opportunities. You can approach the Unawatuna Diving Center, which is a PADI 5 Star IDC Dive resort.
No vacation is complete without a luxurious spa treatment and Sri Lanka offers travellers numerous choices. One of the best things to do around Galle is to head to the spa in Galle Fort. You can get a facial, a full body massage or choose a combo treatment that includes a scrub, massage and facial. If there’s a special occasion like a birthday, hen party or a wedding, you can opt for a treatment to make you feel extra pampered.
Located on the legendary Rumassala hill of Unawatuna, the Rumassala sanctuary is a nature lover’s paradise since it boasts a variety of rare plants and medicinal herbs along with endemic species of birds in the country. The hill, deeply embedded in the epic ‘Ramayana’, which describes the rescue of Princess Sita by Rama of India, provides another great reason to explore the sanctuary.
Unawatuna is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Sri Lanka and is the most “famous” beach in the country. It is a lovely banana-shaped beach of golden sand and turquoise water, surrounded by green palm trees! It is a great beach to relax and enjoy a cocktail or two.
Built with the help of Japanese monks, the peace pagoda on Rumasalla Hill is one of three Buddhist stupas in Sri Lanka. Stupas are monuments that serve as beacons of peace for people of all nationalities and creeds, and the clean, rounded design of the Unawatuna pagoda exemplifies this. Visitors can walk or drive the shaded path to the Peace Pagoda and they will be rewarded with a towering, white bell-like structure surrounded by gold-painted statues. Sets of steps also lead to a walkway encircling the shrine which offers a 360-degree view of the jungle and bay.
Filled with cosy cafes, small shops and restaurants, a day trip to Galle should be on every visitor’s to Sri Lanka’s list. To get direct contact of villas on rent in Galle, we have several properties listed with us that provide nothing but good vibes.
