Port of Spain
Trinidad and Tobago · Trinidad · 10 m
Description
Port of Spain is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the home of the Caribbean's largest carnival, a two-day street festival preceded by months of rehearsal in the panyards where steelbands practise in the open. The steelpan was invented in this city and is the only acoustic instrument created in the twentieth century. Around the Queen's Park Savannah stand the Magnificent Seven, a row of colonial mansions in wildly different styles. The city is a working port and business centre rather than a resort, with Creole, Indian and Chinese food on every street. Carnival week doubles the price of every bed on the island.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 5 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: January – May
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Carnival and the Monday and Tuesday road march (February - March)
- Panyards and the steelband rehearsals (January - February)
- Queen's Park Savannah and the Magnificent Seven
- Doubles, roti and the street food stands
- Royal Botanic Gardens and the Emperor Valley Zoo
- National Museum and Art Gallery
- Fort George and its harbour view
- Woodford Square and the Red House
- Soca and calypso in the calypso tents (January - February)
- Lapeyrouse cemetery and the colonial quarter
- Ariapita Avenue nightlife
Getting there
- Airports:
- POS
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry