The historic port city of Galle lies on Sri Lanka’s south western coast, and is the gateway to a string of intimate sandy bays carved out of the island’s exotic southern coastline. Most come here to visit Galle’s 17th century fort, home to a striking collection of colonial buildings dating back to the British, Dutch and Portuguese colonial eras.

Galle Fort’s quaint streets offer some of the island’s most rewarding urban strolls, not only for the historic buildings that flank the fort’s cobbled streets but the little boutiques, cafes and gelaterias that lie in wait. The coral and limestone ramparts are a hive of activity, particularly towards the day’s end when impromptu cricket games break out and people from all walks of life converge on the western ramparts to watch an Indian Ocean sunset.

Galle offers very easy access to stunning local beaches for swimming, diving and surfing, and for embarking on coastal cruises to observe whales and dolphins in the deep sea. Galle’s verdant palm-dominated interior home to lowland tea factories, centuries-old Buddhist temples, ageing rain forests and vast cinnamon-edged Koggala Lake also beg to be explored.