Kingston Attractions

Print a Kingston travel guide • Email this guide • Write a review on Kingston

Bob Marley Museum

Bob Marley Museum

Jamaica's world famous son, singer-songwriter Bob Marley, was responsible for making reggae music a global phenomenon. The popular Rastafarian became a cult figure even before his death caused by cancer in 1981 when he was 36 years old. The museum devoted to his memory is the most-visited sight in Kingston. The simple clapboard house was where Marley lived and recorded his music until he died, and is now packed with Marley memorabilia. There are also screenings of a movie about the singer's life.

Address: 56 Hope Road; Telephone: 927 9152; Website: www.bobmarley-foundation.com/museum.html; Opening time: Monday to Saturday from 9.30am until 4pm (tours run every hour); Admission: J$500 (adults), J$400 (students and children 13-18), J$200 (children 4-12)

National Gallery

Jamaica's important art collection is often overlooked by tourists, but is well worth visiting. The gallery displays the works of Jamaica's talented artists, particularly that of Edna Manley, 19th century sculptor and wife of a former prime minister of Jamaica. Manley's acclaimed Ghetto Mother stands in the main lobby of the national gallery, along with a bronze statue by Christopher Gonzalez of reggae singer Bob Marley. Other highlights of the collection are the religious works of Mallica Reynolds, who has been hailed by art critics as a modern genius.

Address: Roy West Building, Kingston Mall, 12 Ocean Boulevard; Telephone: 922 1561; Website: www.galleryjamaica.com; Opening time: Tuesday to Thursday 10am to 4.30pm, Friday 10am to 4pm, Saturday 10am to 3pm. Guided tours are available; Admission: J$100 (adults), concessions available

Devon House © Jamaica Tourist Board

Devon House

Devon House is one of numerous preserved historic mansions in Jamaica that depict the glory of days gone by. This house was built in 1881 by George Stiebel, a wealthy Jamaican who became one of the first black millionaires in the Caribbean on the strength of his mining interests in South America. In the grounds are craft shops, restaurants, a bakery and pastry shop. The venue is also famous for its delicious ice cream.

Address: 26 Hope Road; Telephone: 929 6602; E-mail: devonhouse@cwjamaica.com; Website: www.devonhousejamaica.com; Opening time: Tours are from Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 5pm. The shops are open Mondays to Saturdays from 10am to 6pm, the restaurants close at 10pm. Public garden and park is open daily 9.30am to 10pm; Admission: J$300, (adults), J$100 (children under 12); including guided tour

Hope Botanical Gardens © Jamaica Tourist Board

Hope Botanical Gardens

This 20-hectare (50-acre) oasis of beauty in the middle of downtown Kingston features pleasant paths that meander past manicured lawns and tranquil gardens, including a cactus garden, orchid house, a forest garden and an ornamental pond. The gardens are situated next to the campus of the University of the West Indies, and also contain a small zoo and interesting aviary.

Address: Old Hope Road; Telephone: 927 1257; Opening time: Gardens: daily 6am to 6pm. Zoo daily 10.30am to 5pm; Admission: Gardens: free. Zoo: J$20 (adults), J$10 (children 4-12)

Spanish Town

The neighbourhood known as Spanish Town is on the western outskirts of Kingston and was capital of the island under Spanish rule between 1662 and 1872. Today the architecture is an interesting mix of Spanish and British Georgian, and there are some historic attractions to explore. St James Cathedral is the oldest Anglican church outside England, having been built in 1523. The Jamaican People’s Museum of Crafts and Technology showcases some vintage farm implements, musical instruments and pottery, and the Town Square is overlooked by the Old King’s House, former residence of Jamaica’s British governors that once hosted Admiral Lord Nelson and Captain Bligh of HMS Bounty fame. Spanish Town also has a very busy, colourful local market in the Town Square.

Port Royal

Port Royal was once a 17th century haven for a variety of hedonistic pirates and malcontents dedicated to looting Spanish vessels throughout the Caribbean. One morning in 1692, however, an earthquake and tidal wave destroyed most of the town along with a couple of thousand residents. Today the former haunt of notorious pirates like Henry Morgan, Blackbeard and Calico Jack is just a fishing village, sited at the tip of a narrow peninsula stretching across the entrance to Kingston’s harbour. The village can be reached by ferry from West Beach Dock, Kingston, in about 20 minutes. Plans are underway at the site to transform the village into a living history museum. Relics of the town’s wicked past can be seen at the Museum of Historical Archaeology, the Maritime Museum and Giddy House (a building that tilts at an angle). Fort Charles is the last remaining of six forts originally built to protect the port.