A night in a dutch fort city...Galle

Getting to a Dutch fort

Getting to Galle from Unawatuna was  a quick hop on the bus, around 20 minutes, and cost around 18 LKR, it was perhaps the easiest bus journey we had taken in Sri Lanka as there was no main towns between Unawatuna and Galle. Galle is a major city so you will not miss the bus station, its huge and very busy. From the bus station is only about a 250 metre walk to the entrance of the fort. Be advised if you walk into the Fort with your large Backpacks there will be a few people offer to take you to a cheap guesthouse. 

For Galle Fort I would do your research on places to stay and ignore the people offering accommodation. The Fort area is hip and trendy, and is busy all year round so perhaps consider booking before you get there.

Accommodation 

We stayed in a guesthouse on the busy Pedlar St, called Shoba, Travellers Tree It cost us 2200 LKR (no breakfast) in the off season and this was with some bartering. A lot of rooms were asking for 3500. The room was basic, no 'working'  hot water but the bed was comfy and the room came off an internal hallway which meant ..... NO MOSQUITO'S!! All in all the room was OK, and a budget stay in the fort, we read and were told we could get cheaper places outside the walls but decided to make a night of it.

Food & Drink

Opposite our guesthouse was the Pedlars inn coffee shop, which serves good Italian coffee and a very tasty brownie. We  had been looking forward to this coffee, relaxing, reading the kindles (using their WiFi). however, shortly after receiving our beverages,  in the distance we heard drumming and lots of it...... After a short time a Buddhist festival parade was marching past us with Kandyan Drummers and Dancers everywhere and a procession of women dressed in white carrying flowers. This parade also had a helicopter which flew slowly down the street releasing flowers on the parade. This was entertaining to watch as it wasn't as poetic as the parade planners had thought. The downdraft of the helicopter sent the flowers hurtling onto the women in the parade who were running for cover (its ok.... Nobody was hurt and the ladies were laughing)

Whilst we were having our entertaining (not relaxing coffee) we read on Tripadvisor of a place called Lucky Fort. They serve a traditional rice and curry for 2. It had 10 dishes and rice which was plenty for 2 people and was only 950 LKR which is quite high for a 2 person meal in Sri Lanka but good for the fort where most restaurants are looking for 750 LKR and upwards for a main meal. Lucky fort was located about 30 metres off of Pedlar St, off a small side road near Pedlars inn.

After the meal we were stuffed and went for a walk around the Fort walls, stopping to look at the lighthouse and carried on round to the East side of the Fort walls which overlook the sea. 

There are a lot of bars and restaurants overlooking this area in the newly renovated government building on hospital street.It's pricey but has a good atmosphere and Abi had her first glass of wine for over 2 weeks!? A beer and a glass of wine set us back 1200 LKR. But with great views overlooking the harbour and being able to hear the lapping of the sea on the Fort walls, the price tag came as no surprise.

Galle Fort was lovely and a great little reminder of an old fashioned European city. It is an Old Dutch Fort after all. It has plenty of Italian coffee shops for you to relax and unwind in and a stroll around the Fort walls at sunset is a pleasant way to spend the evening.