What to see in Kingston
Kingston Attractions
Sightseeing in Kingston has a split personality due to the city's colonial past. Visitors will find attractions like Devon House and Spanish Town with grand British and Spanish architecture next to bustling markets with a distinctly Afro-Caribbean flavour.
Despite Kingston's chequered past, visitors shouldn't miss touring the stately mansions and art galleries alongside the beaches and Bob Marley sights. Further from the city, the Blue Mountains offer a wild experience with waterfalls, hiking, and tours of thoroughly-modernised coffee plantations. Don't miss out on sampling the world-famous Blue Mountain coffee; the best place to do so is at the Jablum Coffee Company in the village of Mavis Bank. Kingston has come a long way, and is sure to have something to do and see for everyone. Highlights include the Bob Marley Museum, located in the musician's former home in Kingston; Port Royal, the one-time capital of Jamaica, famous for its tales of piracy; and the National Gallery, a small but well-maintained art museum which showcases a number of local artists of international repute. You can also enjoy a picnic and a stroll in the Hope Botanical Gardens, which has a small zoo that might interest children, and a few hours of shopping and dining at Devon House, a magnificent Georgian mansion which has been turned into a craft and heritage centre.
Blue Mountains
Towering across eastern Jamaica, the 28-mile (45km) long mountain range is constantly shrouded in a mist that gives the…
Bob Marley Museum
Jamaica's world-famous son, singer and songwriter Bob Marley, was responsible for making reggae music a global phenomenon.…
Devon House
Devon House in Kingston is a prime example of Jamaican Georgian architecture. Visitors to Jamaica should definitely visit…
Hope Botanical Gardens
This 20-hectare (50-acre) oasis of beauty in the middle of downtown Kingston is the largest botanical garden in the West…
Jablum Coffee Company
At the Blue Mountain hamlet of Mavis Bank, on the trail to Blue Mountain Peak, is the Jablum Coffee Company. The nearly…
National Gallery
Jamaica's important art collection is often overlooked by tourists, but is well worth visiting. Kingston's National Gallery…
Port Royal
Port Royal was once a 17th-century haven for a variety of hedonistic pirates and malcontents dedicated to looting Spanish…
Spanish Town
The neighbourhood known as Spanish Town is on the western outskirts of Kingston, and was capital of the island under…
Become our Kingston Travel Expert
We are looking for contributors for our Kingston travel guide. If you are a local, a regular traveller to Kingston or a travel professional with time to contribute and answer occasional forum questions, please contact us.
