Galle

Galle Fort is the most atmospheric town on the south coast — a compact peninsula of Dutch-colonial mansions, churches and cobbled lanes wrapped in sea-battered ramparts first built by the Portuguese and greatly extended by the Dutch in the seventeenth century. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it is the best-preserved colonial sea fortress in South Asia, and inside the walls boutique hotels, cafés, galleries and gem dealers fill the restored merchant houses. The lighthouse, the old gate, the bastions and the rampart walk are the set pieces, but Galle's real pleasure is simply wandering its quiet, palm-shaded streets as the town turns out to walk the walls at golden hour. It is also the launch point for the wider south coast, with surf, whales and beaches all within a short drive.