Port of Spain
Getty Images/Photon RM
Overview
Spreading back from the Gulf of Paria and cradled by the Northern Range foothills, Port of Spain is a mishmash of the pretty and the gritty, with the green expanse of uptown Queen's Park Savannah and a host of gorgeous fretworked buildings alongside a frenetic, gridlocked downtown area, its waterfront mostly hidden behind grimy industrial sprawl. But the city's explosive development has created a savvy, metropolitan verve that sets it apart from the average Caribbean capital. This isn’t a place that kowtows to the tourist dollar, and it’s all the richer for it. There may not be many designated ‘sights’, but there’s plenty of atmosphere downtown, with its market stalls and shady squares, while outlying Woodbrook harbors a host of eternally busy restaurants, bars and clubs. And during Carnival season, huge outdoor 'fetes' rock all corners, steel-pan music fills the air and the atmosphere is electric.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Port of Spain
Once part of a sugar plantation, formerly home to a racecourse and now the epicenter of the annual Carnival, this public park is encircled by a 3.7km…
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Port of Spain
Get a truly spectacular bird's-eye view of the Port of Spain cityscape and the Gulf of Paria from this colonial-era fort, with stone-built defensive walls…
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Port of Spain
Housed in a classic colonial building, the rather dry historical exhibits range from the oil industry to Amerindian settlers, the colonial era and…
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Port of Spain
Resplendent with exotic trees and plants, and networked by paved paths, the Botanical Gardens date from 1818. Take a stroll or relax in one of the…
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Port of Spain
This grassy square with its central Eros and Aphrodite fountain and ornate bandstand is the symbolic center of downtown Port of Spain. Dr Eric Williams,…
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Port of Spain
The hustle and bustle of downtown culminates along Independence Sq, two parallel streets that flank the central Brian Lara Promenade, named for Trinidad's…
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Port of Spain
Newly refurbished and with ferocious air-con that provides a welcome break from the downtown heat, the Money Museum is a surprisingly absorbing affair,…
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Port of Spain
Named for its burgundy paintwork, this imposing Renaissance-style parliament was constructed in 1906, having been rebuilt after it was destroyed by fire…
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