Sri Lanka's architectural styles were obviously influenced by the European architecture during the alternative occupations of the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British. The legacy form the Portuguese is the tiled-roof building with its verandah, the Catholic churches as well as the forts.

Under the Dutch rule, the Portuguese forts were changed into Dutch style; the historic fort in Galle is excellent one of the Dutch legacy. The British followed the tradition by changing also the Dutch forts into their clerical and secular architectural styles. The building in the hill stations such as Nuwara Eliya is one of the dominant British legacies.