Matara

Matara is a city in the south of Sri Lanka. It is on the main railway network that travels to Colombo - Galle - Matara. You can get there from the capital in six hours, and Galle is only two hours away. In the past, the city was called Mahathota. It is bordered by the Nilwala River and there is a part that is near the beach on the other side of the river, where there are beautiful old colonial houses. The city was run by Portuguese between the years of 1790 and 1795, then the Dutch overtook it and finally the English until 1948. There are still some Dutch buildings that remain. The town is very quiet and has a good assortment of hotels and hostals for you to stay in.