Down on the island´s southwestern tip, about 2½ hours from Colombo, this historic port city with a population of a bit over 100,000 was even before the arrivals of Europeas an important trading harbor linked to Indian Ocean routes, with connections to merchants from Arabia, India, and possibly even the Roman world—though few visible structures from this early period survive. The Portuguese fortified the site in the 16th century, but it was the Dutch who a century later built the UNESCO World Heritage Galle Fort (pictured here), a grid of streets, bastions, and walls that still defines the city. The British later took control in 1796, adding administrative buildings, churches, and elements of colonial civic life, many of which remain in use. These days Galle has a relaxed, atmospheric feel, with cobbled streets, boutique hotels, and ocean views from the ramparts. Key landmarks include the Galle Lighthouse, the Dutch Reformed Church, Galle (1755), and the National Maritime Museum, Galle, which explores Sri Lanka’s seafaring history.

Read more in Tripatini contributor Travel Guide´s post Stupendous Sri Lanka and 7 of its Top Destinations.