Where to stay in Galle

The UNESCO-listed Fort is a compact grid of Dutch-era streets, whitewashed villas, cafés, galleries and boutiques enclosed by ramparts you can walk right around, with the white lighthouse at its seaward tip. It is the most atmospheric and walkable base on the south coast, its old merchant houses now some of the island's loveliest boutique hotels, though it is a heritage town rather than a beach, prices are the highest around, and cars are restricted inside the walls.

The crescent bay a few kilometres south-east of Galle, long the coast's most popular beach for its calm, swimmable water, its cafés and its easygoing nightlife. It is the natural beach base if you want sand within reach of the Fort, with the pretty cove of Jungle Beach and a hilltop pagoda nearby, though years of development and big crowds have taken some of the shine off, and the beach can feel narrow and busy in season.

The string of quieter beaches just east of Unawatuna, Dalawella with its famous rope swing and turtle-filled reef, then Thalpe and Habaraduwa, lined with private villas, boutique hotels and reef-sheltered swimming coves. Calmer and more upmarket than Unawatuna, they suit couples and families wanting a peaceful, palm-fringed beach base with the Fort a short drive away, though the stays are spread out and you'll want transport for dining out.

The laid-back surf coast running east from Galle, where Ahangama and Midigama's reef breaks draw surfers, Weligama's long beginner-friendly bay hosts the surf schools, and the stilt fishermen pose on their poles between them. A relaxed, increasingly hip base of surf camps, cafés and co-working stays with a young international crowd, best for surfers and slow travellers, and a 30-to-45-minute drive from Galle Fort.