Glimpse into the time of colonial Galle at the National Maritime Museum. Situated within the Dutch Galle Fort along Queen´s Street, the museum is one of the main tourist attraction places in Galle and is not hard to find; it’s signature yellow walls, which have been an inspiration in the design of The Fortress Resort & Spa, can be seen from quite a distance away.

The building of the museum is an artifact in itself as it belongs to the latter part of the 17th century and was first used as a warehouse by the Dutch. Today, the museum is filled with an eclectic collection of artifacts relating to ancient maritime trade, seafaring, and fishing. It also has a rather curious display of life-size dioramas demonstrating the conventional methods of fishing as well as a ´walk into the sea´ diorama which shows deep-sea fish, natural coral beds and seagrass beds. Five minutes away from the National Maritime Museum is a Baroque Revival masterpiece, the St. Mary´s Cathedral. Founded by Jesuit priests in the latter part of the 19th Century, the cathedral is a landmark of a building with an impressive interior and exterior.