Places / North & Central America / Jamaica
Kingston
Visited in September 2009
At a glance
- Country
- Jamaica
- Region
- Surrey County
- Population
- 937,700
- Best time to go
- December to April
- Main airport
- Kingston Norman Manley International (KIN)
- Coordinates
- 17.98°N, 76.80°W
Country visited City visited Still to go Click a pin or country to read more. Zoom with + and −, a double-click or a pinch.
Overview
Kingston is Jamaica's capital and its cultural engine, the city that gave the world ska, rocksteady, reggae and dancehall. It sits between one of the world's largest natural harbours and the steep green wall of the Blue Mountains.
Few holidaymakers stay long, which is a shame. Come for the music, the galleries and the food, take local advice on where to go after dark, and head up into the cool mountains for a day or two.
Things to see
-
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. RsAzevedo assumed (base, Public domain Bob Marley Museum
The singer's home and studio on Hope Road, with his rooms, gold records and the bullet holes from the 1976 attack.
Tickets and tours -
Photo: Dwayne Lyttle, CC BY-SA 4.0 National Gallery of Jamaica
The best collection of Jamaican art anywhere, from Edna Manley's sculpture to intuitive painters such as Kapo.
Tickets and tours -
Photo: Unknown photographer, CC BY-SA 3.0 Devon House
A 19th-century mansion built by Jamaica's first Black millionaire, now with gardens, shops and a famous ice-cream parlour.
-
Photo: Raychristofer, CC BY-SA 4.0 Port Royal
The old pirate town at the tip of the Palisadoes, largely swallowed by an earthquake in 1692, with Fort Charles still standing.
-
Photo: YardEdge, CC BY 2.0 Trench Town Culture Yard
The government yard where Bob Marley lived as a young man, now a small community-run museum.
Things to do
-
Photo: Diego Tirira from Quito, Ecuador, CC BY-SA 2.0 Blue Mountains
Stay in a mountain guesthouse, visit a coffee estate and climb Blue Mountain Peak before dawn for the sunrise.
-
Photo: The original uploader was Gmanacsa at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 2.0 Boat to Lime Cay
A small sandy cay off Port Royal, reached by local boat, where Kingstonians head at weekends.
-
Photo: Op. Deo at English Wikipedia, Public domain Fried fish at Hellshire
Eat fresh fried fish and festival dumplings in the beach shacks at Hellshire, west of the city.
-
Photo: Haldain James, CC BY-SA 4.0 Catch a sound system
Street dances and weekly sound-system nights are the heart of Kingston music; go with someone who knows the scene.
Where to stay
New Kingston
The main hotel district, with restaurants and bars and easy access to Hope Road.
Hotels in New KingstonLiguanea and Hope Road
Uptown, leafy and close to the Bob Marley Museum and the university.
Hotels in Liguanea and Hope RoadBlue Mountains
Coffee-farm guesthouses and lodges for cool air, birdlife and hiking.
Hotels in Blue Mountains
Getting around
Use licensed taxis with red PPV number plates or ride-hailing apps rather than hailing cars on the street. Driving is busy and confident, and a four-wheel drive is wise in the mountains.
Norman Manley airport sits on the Palisadoes spit, around 30 minutes by taxi from New Kingston.
When to go
December to April is drier and slightly cooler. The hurricane season runs from June to November, with the greatest risk from August to October. February brings reggae events around Bob Marley's birthday.
Plan your trip to Kingston
- HotelsBooking.com
- Tours and ticketsGetYourGuide
- FlightsKiwi.com
- Attraction ticketsTiqets
- Airport parking, lounges and transfersHoliday Extras
- Car hireAuto Europe
- Mobile data (eSIM)AiraloCode DAN9406 for money off
- GuidebooksAmazon
Some of these are affiliate links: if you book through them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. More about this.
Guide last checked October 2026. Opening times and prices change, so check before you go.