Galle Fort Walking Tour with Juliet Coombe -Day Tour
Galle Fort Walking Tour with Juliet Coombe -Day Tour
Galle Fort Walking Tour with Juliet Coombe -Day Tour
4.5
This location was reported permanently closed
Full view
Similar Experiences
Galle Fort Walking Tour with Juliet Coombe -Day Tour
Booking unavailable on Tripadvisor
Want other options you can book now?
Show optionsContribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
23 reviews
Excellent
18
Very good
3
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
2
Tan K
Singapore, Singapore197 contributions
Jun 2014 • Family
Juliet is a very good guide and we found her walking tour around the fort a very informative one. She pointed out lots of interesting details that we would not have noticed on our own, such as people in the offices there who are still using typewriters, and why the walls of the fort have huge seashells embedded in them.
She was also friendly and personable and shared with us details of her family life and how she came to marry a Sri Lankan.
However, we found the tour a bit short and were surprised to be brought back to the starting point (Serendipity Arts Cafe) about an hour after we started. We had covered only a small portion of the fort.
She did leave us with a complimentary pot of cinnamon tea for us to enjoy at the cafe after the tour, which was nice.
She was also friendly and personable and shared with us details of her family life and how she came to marry a Sri Lankan.
However, we found the tour a bit short and were surprised to be brought back to the starting point (Serendipity Arts Cafe) about an hour after we started. We had covered only a small portion of the fort.
She did leave us with a complimentary pot of cinnamon tea for us to enjoy at the cafe after the tour, which was nice.
Written 2 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Suzanne N
Launceston, Australia7 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
We had already explored the Galle Fort on our own but learnt so much more on our walk with Juliet. Her background in journalism certainly adds another dimension to your understanding of the very special place Galle Fort is and some insight into how the local people live and more importantly, their family values.
The only surprise was how much the tour cost as The Lonely Planet indicated a lot less. Check first.
The only surprise was how much the tour cost as The Lonely Planet indicated a lot less. Check first.
Written 10 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ian A
Oxted, UK9 contributions
Jan 2016 • Couples
Galle Fort is interesting to wander around (with some great shops) but Juliet brings it to life with a series of fascinating stories about the development of the Fort and the people who live and have lived there. Well worth the time - do it early and you will know where to go back to.
Written 16 February 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
davidN2937XT
Bideford, UK5 contributions
Apr 2016 • Couples
Juliet Coombe’s Galle walks are probably very good, but we never got the chance to find out. We turned up for our pre-arranged walk, only to find the Juliet wasn’t available, and she had sent someone else in her place. Her replacement was understood to be someone who worked for her, but we later found out that this was not the case.
We were looking forward to Juliet’s 3-hour walk, especially the “maze of hidden backstreets, revealing secret unknown spots, extravagant 18th century merchant houses complete with ostentatious gold bedrooms, lavish pools and characters akin to Hemmingway”. As a tour guide myself, I know the experience is much better with someone who had researched and written about it themselves.
What we got, was a 90-minute overview walk around the walls and a cup of tea at the end. Enjoyable though this was, we didn't get much history that we hadn’t already pre-read, and the tour didn’t go into the fort interior at all, so we experienced none of these promised delights.
Over 3 weeks later, all we have had from Juliet is an offer to do this walk next time we return to Galle. We live in the UK, and to fly halfway round the world for a free walk that we paid for anyway, wasn’t a great offer. Our tour company were also so unimpressed by this, that they refunded us themselves. If you are thinking of booking this walk, make sure you get what you paid for, and don't get short-changed or fobbed off like we did.
We were looking forward to Juliet’s 3-hour walk, especially the “maze of hidden backstreets, revealing secret unknown spots, extravagant 18th century merchant houses complete with ostentatious gold bedrooms, lavish pools and characters akin to Hemmingway”. As a tour guide myself, I know the experience is much better with someone who had researched and written about it themselves.
What we got, was a 90-minute overview walk around the walls and a cup of tea at the end. Enjoyable though this was, we didn't get much history that we hadn’t already pre-read, and the tour didn’t go into the fort interior at all, so we experienced none of these promised delights.
Over 3 weeks later, all we have had from Juliet is an offer to do this walk next time we return to Galle. We live in the UK, and to fly halfway round the world for a free walk that we paid for anyway, wasn’t a great offer. Our tour company were also so unimpressed by this, that they refunded us themselves. If you are thinking of booking this walk, make sure you get what you paid for, and don't get short-changed or fobbed off like we did.
Written 29 April 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
皓 严
24 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
Galle is a place where you can have a lot of explorations if you know the right place to go. Juliet Combe is definitely the person who can bring you surprise and more insights about this heritage. She's a passionate person with great charm. Her enthusiastic way of telling stories and showing you the spices when teaching you to cook is very inspiring. She's a photographer, a good guide and a mother of two children.
Written 8 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
middo_hk
32 contributions
Oct 2014 • Friends
This was the highlight of our trip to Sri Lanka. The tour was excellent and even heavy rain failed to dull the enjoyment and wonderment of this ancient Fort. Juliet Coombe is a delight and her knowledge and presentation of the history and inhabitants of the Fort were much enjoyed by everyone on her walking tour. It would be a shame to miss this experience.
Written 2 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stevelynnria
Brierley Hill, UK92 contributions
Nov 2016 • Couples
Spent just 1 how're at this location has we were passing by but I loved the narrow rads full of Jewellery shops Resturonts and more ,walking on the walls round the fort the blue sea and atmosphere this is a place not to miss
Written 12 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tony v
nambour aust4 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
The walking tour is so important as the fort is full of history! Juliet will explain it all to you, she has the ability to find your interests so you are never borded, Juliet knows how the community lives, works and plays, her knowledge of food and spices is incredible, THIS TOUR IS A MUST! ENJOY
Written 16 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
engphile
Traverse City, MI178 contributions
Dec 2014 • Friends
My friend and I did a cooking class followed by a short walking tour with Juliet. We love Sri Lankan food and were thrilled to find a hands on class in which we learned a variety of recipes in addition to information about the ingredients themselves. We took copious notes and bought fresh spices at extremely inexpensive prices right next door.
Juliet is more than knowledgeable, she is passionate about all things related to the Fort. Even a half hour walk left us more knowledgeable about this location than anywhere else we visited on a 3 week tour of the island. There is a good reason so many others have written such glowing reviews,
She is bombarded with emails so don't expect to set anything up this way. We stopped in the cafe and were told when to come back to talk to her. We did and set up a time that worked for all of us.
Juliet is more than knowledgeable, she is passionate about all things related to the Fort. Even a half hour walk left us more knowledgeable about this location than anywhere else we visited on a 3 week tour of the island. There is a good reason so many others have written such glowing reviews,
She is bombarded with emails so don't expect to set anything up this way. We stopped in the cafe and were told when to come back to talk to her. We did and set up a time that worked for all of us.
Written 11 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lynnsie
Toronto33 contributions
Mar 2015 • Friends
Juliet is a dynamo. But also somehow laid back. She led our group of 15 through the streets of Galle and provided both the guidebook and her own personal interpretation of what we were seeing.
We covered a lot of ground, though Galle Fort if pretty small. We went into places I otherwise would not have found. And -- very rare -- we got a sense of what it might be like to be transplanted there.
This is one of the best things we did in Sri Lanka. Oh, and 4 of the women in our group went out and bought the same top Juiliet was wearing so she's a fashion icon too!
We covered a lot of ground, though Galle Fort if pretty small. We went into places I otherwise would not have found. And -- very rare -- we got a sense of what it might be like to be transplanted there.
This is one of the best things we did in Sri Lanka. Oh, and 4 of the women in our group went out and bought the same top Juiliet was wearing so she's a fashion icon too!
Written 27 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The website is down and phone not answering, how to book ?
Written 21 August 2016
How did you book this tour? does she have a website where you can book directly with her?
Many thanks
Janet
Written 26 June 2016
Does anyone know what time of the day the session is run? Just trying to organise but as per the comments on here there is no ability to book online. I'm going to ask my hotel to make the booking.
Written 1 March 2015
Your hotel will probably know - Juliet seems to know everyone in the Fort! She runs tours at different times during the day.
Written 29 March 2015
Showing results 1-3 of 3
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.