What To Do On Christmas Eve In Galle Sri Lanka

Galle is a city south of Colombo where you can spend a few lazy days during your Sri Lankan escapade. A sunny city full of history and culture, close enough to a lively beach, it’s the best place to have a Tropical Christmas! If you are thinking of spending Christmas Eve in Galle, Sri Lanka, here are some ideas on what to do.

Christmas shopping at the Galle Fort

This area of Galle is walled and full of boutique hotels, coffee shops, souvenir shops and jewellery shops. You can truly find something for everyone at the Galle Fort, including traditional Sri Lankan demon masks, batik dresses, ruby and sapphire earrings, handmade notebooks and recycled wood pencils. If these gifts aren’t for someone you are travelling with, the shopkeepers will pack it all up ready for safe travel back home.

The kind of jewellery you can find in Galle

Take a stroll along the ramparts

The ramparts are the walls that surround the Galle Fort. They are so thick that you can walk on top of them. You will see the fort, the ocean crashing against the cliffs, the lighthouse and if you want, the Maritime Museum. See the Amangalla Hotel, where two Duran Duran videos were filmed in the eighties. Have a king coconut from the street sellers on bikes before going to lunch at Church Street Social in the Fort Bazaar hotel.

Church Street Social at The Fort Bazaar, 26 Church Street, Galle Fort, +94 077 363 8381

Urban escape! Finally a descent cup of coffee☕️ Church Street social, Galle Fort??
A post shared by Kristine Lind-Solstad (@k_2_yoga) on Nov 8, 2017 at 6:46pm PST

Have High Tea at Amangalla Hotel

A great tradition that you might want to incorporate into your Sri Lankan Christmas Eve festivities is a High Tea experience at the Amangalla Hotel. Delicious pastries accompany a steaming pot of real Ceylon tea. This is an experience to be shared, even the kids will love it as long as they are careful with the china!

Go surfing at Unawatuna

If you aren’t up for any resting, then why not go catch some waves at Unawatuna. If you don’t have your own board you can rent some from the Nalu Surf Shop. Not an expert? Not to worry, they can show you the ropes with fun boards. Perfect for families with children.
We teach all ages at Nalu Surf so it’s perfect for a family day out! . . . . . . . #surf #family #unawatuna #srilanka #holiday #fun #sunshine #beach #ocean #asia #backpacker #travel #beginner #lesson #nalusurf
A post shared by Nalu Surf Shop Unawatuna (@nalusurfshopunawatunasrilanka) on Nov 28, 2017 at 10:59pm PST

Dinner and fireworks at Unawatuna Beach

Hotel

After discovering the hidden gems of Galle Fort, take a few hours break at your hotel before dinner. Unawatuna is the beach area a few kilometres from Galle Fort. Along the beach in Unawatuna, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from for dinner. Most restaurants will have dinner specials. Try Thaproban, Lucky Tuna, Kingfisher or Tartaruga. At midnight on Christmas Eve, everyone lights firecrackers and some places might have some fireworks.

Party all night at Villawaterlily

Unawatuna is the electronic party capital of Sri Lanka. One of the favourite places for these parties is Villawaterlily in Unawatuna. This year, they are having a pool party on Christmas Eve. This one is for the real party lovers!

About the author

Orana Velarde

Sri Lanka Hub Writer

As Self Proclaimed Renaissance Nomad, I spend my time as a Freelance Writer and Graphic Designer. I Slow Travels the world with my family while Worldschooling our children on the go. I am the creator of the Crazy Little Family Adventure Blog where I share the stories of traveling as a family. I love good coffee and the mountainside. Check out my antics on my website: www.oranavelarde.com