Kingstown: a first-timer's guide to the capital of St. Vincent

Why go

Kingstown is where you see Vincentian life as it really is. Minibuses with names painted on their windscreens blast soca and dancehall, vendors sell roasted breadfruit and fried jackfish from roadside grills, and farmers bring produce from the Mesopotamia Valley to the market. Within a short walk are three very different churches, a hilltop fort and the oldest botanical gardens in the Western Hemisphere. Most visitors pass through for a ferry, but a day here adds real depth to a trip.

The main sights

The **St. Vincent Botanical Gardens** in Montrose, on the northern edge of town, were founded in 1765. Guides at the gate can walk you through the gardens, pointing out a breadfruit tree grown from a sucker brought by Captain Bligh on HMS Providence in 1793, rare native plants and a small aviary with the national bird, the St. Vincent parrot. Go early to enjoy the shade and the birds.

**Fort Charlotte** sits high on Berkshire Hill west of town. Built by the British at the turn of the nineteenth century, its guns point inland as much as out to sea, a sign of how much the colonists feared the Garifuna. The views stretch over Kingstown, the leeward coast and, on clear days, to Bequia and the Grenadines.

In town, **St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral** on Grenville Street is a striking mix of styles, all towers, arches and dark stone, created by a Belgian monk in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Next door, **St. George's Anglican Cathedral** is calmer and Georgian, with notable stained glass. A Methodist church completes the trio.

On **Dorsetshire Hill** above town, the **Chatoyer National Monument** honours Joseph Chatoyer, the Garifuna chief who led resistance against the British and was killed nearby in 1795. He is the country's first National Hero.

Markets and street life

The **Kingstown Market** near Bay Street is busiest on Friday and Saturday mornings. Look for breadfruit, dasheen, plantain, nutmeg, cocoa sticks and local hot sauces. The fish market and bus terminal area by the waterfront is nicknamed **Little Tokyo** after the Japanese funding that built it. It is loud, crowded and fascinating, and it is where you catch minibuses to every part of the island.

Food

Try the national dish, **roasted breadfruit and fried jackfish**, from a roadside vendor, plus roti, callaloo soup, buljol and fresh juices such as sorrel, passion fruit and soursop. Local spots around Bay Street serve hearty lunches, and the bars and restaurants around Villa Beach take over in the evening. Pick up a bottle of Sunset rum or a jar of hot pepper sauce made on the island.

Festivals

**Vincy Mas**, the national carnival, takes over Kingstown from late June to early July, with calypso and soca contests at Victoria Park, J'ouvert in the early hours and colourful mas bands on the streets. In December the unique **Nine Mornings Festival** brings pre-dawn street parties, concerts and sea baths on the nine mornings before Christmas.

Where to stay

In town, the **Cobblestone Inn** occupies an old arrowroot and sugar warehouse, and **Grenadine House** is a boutique hotel on the hill above. Most visitors, though, stay ten minutes south around **Villa Beach** and **Indian Bay**, where small hotels face Young Island and the evenings are calmer. These are also handy for the airport and dive shops.

Getting there and around

Argyle International Airport is on the windward coast, roughly half an hour from town by taxi. Agree the fare before you get in. Kingstown is walkable but steep in places, and the waterfront can be crowded when a cruise ship is in. Minibuses cover the island cheaply until early evening. The ferry jetty on the waterfront serves Bequia many times a day and the southern islands on a less frequent schedule.

Practical tips

Shops and offices close on Sundays, so plan your town day for a weekday or Saturday. Carry small Eastern Caribbean dollar notes for vendors and minibuses. Dress modestly in town: swimwear is for the beach. Take normal care with bags in crowded areas and use taxis after dark.