Kingston (Jamaica)

Kingston, the capital and largest city of Jamaica, is nestled on the southeastern coast of the island. Visitors often come to the birthplaces of reggae. Trenchtown and other parts of the city may be best visited on a guided tour as it is unwise to visit on your own.

Understand
Kingston is the commercial and cultural capital of Jamaica with nearly a million people calling the city home.

At one point, it was the only city in Jamaica. The city is assigned the equivalent of postal codes, (Kingston 5, Kingston 10, etc.) which is a good representation of how truly large this city is, especially for an island such as Jamaica. There are two major sections to this city: 'downtown' and 'uptown,' also referred to as 'New Kingston.'

Districts
In Greater Kingston more than 1.2 million people live on a plain between the sea and the mountains rising up to 2,250 m above sea level. Since 1872 the city is the seat of government. Kingston can be divided into Downtown, Midtown, Uptown, East Kingston, West Kingston and villa areas in the mountains.

Downtown is the historical old town with a chessboard layout of streets. The south used to be the harbour, but it was remodelled in the 1960s, and today there are bank and government buildings at the sea. A bit north from there is the parade place with a theatre on its northern side. Towards the end of the last century the vacant space was turned into the present-day William Grant Park with trees and benches. In the north this district is delimited by a former oval race track. This track has been turned into the National Heros Park with memorials and governmental buildings.

Midtown is made up of New Kingston and bordering districts. This new part of the city was planned after Jamaican independence and is mostly made up of high-rises. Here are banks, insurance companies, embassies, hotels, the botanical gardens, the zoo and the university complex. In between is the Jamaica House and King's House, the residences of the general governor and the prime minister. Here are also the Bob Marley Museum and the Devon House, a well-preserved mansion from 1881, nowadays housing a museum, as well as shops and restaurants.

Uptown is a dormitory suburb, north of the Washington Boulevard, which in turn is the main artery leading to Spanish Town. The most notable attraction here is the private Constant Spring Golf Club.

East Kingston is a dangerous part of the city between Mountain View Avenue and Up Park Camp. Here shootouts between drug dealers occur frequently. Up Park Camp is the headquarters of the Jamaican Army.

West Kingston on both sides of Spanish Town Road is made famous through the Bob Marley song "Trench Town Rock", and infamous for its gang wars with many victims. On one side there are industries, fuel storages, a power plant, the new container harbour, the regional airport Tinson Pen, the Red Stripe brewery and rum warehouse. On the other side, between Trench Town and Washington Boulevard is a shantytown. The huts are regularly demolished by the government, though they don't build social housing to the extent that it's needed.

The affluent live in the north of the city in gated communities with big gardens. Names of the communities include Beverly Hills, Cherry Gardens, Cedar Valley, Plantation Heights and Sterling Castle.

History
The first settlement in the area was established in 1509 by the Spanish on a peninsula in front of Kingston and named Caguay or Cabuaya, like the native Taino name for the area. It remained a small settlement until 1655, when the English conquered Jamaica and set up the city and fortification of Port Royal on the same place, and it quickly grew into the largest city in the Caribbean and perhaps its most notorious base for pirates and privateers.

However the 7 June 1692 earthquake meant the end of Port Royal – 3/4 of its inhabitants were killed and most of the city sank into the sea. The survivors established Kingston on the mainland, and in a few decades it became the island's most populous city and an important trade centre for goods from the plantations inland.

In 1872, the island government was moved from Spanish Town to Kingston, which for a long time had been a more important city. In 1907 another major earthquake destroyed much of Kingston, and as such few buildings from before that has survived.

The 1960s were an economically good time for the newly-independent Jamaica and Kingston saw rapid development with the district of New Kingston emerging and the waterfront being remodelled from a harbour to its current shape. Kingston also hosted the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games and the 1966 Commonwealth Games. Nevertheless, an economical downturn in the 1970s brought with it both political and gang-related violence.

In the 21st century, the situation has improved, and tourism has become one of the city's most important industries. Many visit the city including without any issues.

Climate
Kingston's climate is like most of the Caribbean - tropical with constant warm weather and distinct dry and wet seasons. The latter covers May to November, and at that time of the year hurricanes is a risk. As the city is in the rain shadow of the Blue Mountains, notably less rain fall than on the north coast.

Get in


Since 1992, there has been no passenger rail traffic to Kingston.

By plane



 * There are taxi vans between the airport and town - one person US$28; a group US$33, potentially negotiable. Payment can be in US dollars. The cheapest way is to take bus 98 straight to the Parade in downtown Kingston for J$80. The bus stop outside the arrivals terminal is for bus 98 going towards Port Royal. Just past the bus stop is where bus 98 stops on its way to downtown.



By car
Island Rental Cars has offices at the NMIA airport, in downtown Kingston, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, and will allow you to do one-way rentals. Remember to drive on the left!


 * Highway 2000 — one of Jamaica's highways, run through St. Ann Parish to Kingston.
 * North South Highway — runs from the north of the island to the south. Taxicabs can be taken from the south to Kingston.

By bus
Regular bus service in Jamaica costs J$80-100. Air-conditioned buses (in yellow with the Jamaican flag at the front) cost J$150 (children under 12 J$50).

Intercity buses travel along National Highways. The A1 comes in from Spanish Town, and A4 from Morant Bay. Buses on the north coast travel along the coastal road until Saint Ann's Bay or Ocho Rios, and then across the island to Spanish Town.

By bus
Kingston has an extensive and modern bus system. The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) runs the bus system for the government, while private contractors also run the same routes. There are also minibuses and route taxis which are very affordable. Whenever in doubt, ask a bus driver how to get somewhere or where to find a certain bus; they are generally very helpful.

Public transit generally goes through one or more of the three central transportation hubs.
 * Downtown (Parade and the downtown Kingston Transport Centre). Keep a tight hold of your bags as petty theft is possible as in any large metropolis.
 * The ultra-modern Half-Way Tree Transport Centre (HWT) in uptown Kingston is generally a safer area, but there are less buses.
 * Cross Roads an older, congested hub not suggested for tourists.

By taxi
All official taxis have red license plates that start with PPV.

Route Taxis (a taxi that has a set route and picks up multiple people along it) are also common and often mirror bus routes and are not much more expensive than buses. These are a bit more complicated to get used to, so ask for help.

Charter Taxis (normal taxis) - negotiate a price before getting in the car. Fares range from J$400 to J$5,000 for long routes.

By car
With some practice, bravery, and chutzpah you can rent a car (Island Rent a car allows for one-way car rental). Local rental companies include Caribbean Car Rentals, Fiesta Car Rentals, Island Car Rentals and Kosmo Car Rental.

Driving in Kingston, you should be familiar with the ten most important streets to find your way around. There are many one way streets (some without signs) and even more traffic lights. Take a good map and be willing to ask (and keep asking to get a consensus) for directions along the way. It's not safe to drive in the countryside after dark. If you get in a wreck/hit someone, drive to the nearest police station.

Buildings
















Museums






Parks








Places




Land-based activities




Sea-based activities


Outside Kingston is the wreck of Cayman Trader at a depth of 10-17 m. It sank more than 30 years ago and is still in a good condition. In the main shipping lane to the inner harbour, on 19 July 1944, HMT Texas sank after colliding with a British warship. This wreck lays at a depth of 30 m. At the horseshoe-shaped reef you can see many anchors and cannons, though sharks regularly also seen.

Spectator sports



 * Cricket:

Theater




Products

 * Blue Mountain Coffee from the supermarket for cheap or get premium beans direct from the JABLUM manufacturers or craft/single estate roasters. Look into Rum Roast and Royals at Devon House for some better selections.
 * Hot sauces. Jamaica is famous for its hot sauces, with the major ingredient being the Scotch Bonnet Pepper, found throughout the island. Supermarkets have a bewildering selection of such sauces, from several producers.
 * Jerk spice powder. Make your own jerk chicken when you get home.

Streetside
There are a lot of places to shop in Kingston. Even here in the biggest city of Jamaica you can see baskets, woodwork and colourful fabric being sold at the streetside, as well as fruits and vegetables from lorries.

Malls
There are also a lot of small malls, usually containing a dozen of shops, a supermarket and a restaurant or two. Concentrations of these are along Washington Boulevard (the main road from Spanish Town), Constant Spring Road (west of New Kingston, running north-south, here you will find a lot of them), and Hope Road (north of New Kingston, running west-east, and onwards to the university). There are also a few malls in New Kingston. In Downtown, King Street from Saint William Grant Park to the sea is lined with shops.

Markets




Eat
Restaurants usually serve only Jamaican food, though eating out is usually affordable. If you fancy something else, there are some Indian restaurants and a few more Chinese restaurants.

Jamaican specialities

 * Jerk, curried, fricasséed or brown stew chicken, pork or fish
 * Escoveitch fish—Warning, spicy!
 * Ackee and saltfish (codfish) -- the national dish of Jamaica
 * Curried mutton (goat)
 * Fruit: Mangoes, sugar cane, paw-paw (papaya), guava, June plum, jackfruit, star apples, guinep, naseberries...
 * Roasted corn
 * Bammy Cakes. 5-inch diameter cakes made from cassava.
 * Patties from a bakery (The Brick Oven at Devon House makes excellent curried chicken patties, and both Juici and Tastee are "fast food" patty restaurants. In Liguanea there's a vegetarian/vegan patty restaurant, across the parking lot from the Wendy's
 * Devon House I Scream (ice cream)

Budget

 * Local fastfood chains Tastee Patty, Juici Patties, Mother's have restaurants all around Kingston. They mostly serve "patties", though Mother's also does hamburgers and fried foods.
 * Island Grill - upmarket Jamaican fast food and jerk with a dozen or so locations around Kingston.
 * Jerk pans - see them on the street smelling good - get jerked chicken, rice and peas!







Mid-range

 * Every twist and turns you make, you may see many Asian restaurants, e.g. Chinese restaurants, Japanese restaurants (Little Tokyo) and Indian restaurants.









Splurge






Drink
Drink Red Stripe and Appleton Rum. If you've got the guts, try some Wray & Nephew overproof white rum (locals refer to it as "whites"): a drink that is usually around 120 proof.

There's also refreshing coconut water, cane juice, sorrel (only served around Christmas time), Irish Moss, and tamarind drink or genuine Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (according to experts it is perhaps the best tasting, most expensive and most sought after coffee in the world). You can get premium beans from Rum, Roast and Royals in the Devon House complex.

Good bars include Red Bones Blues Café (also a good restaurant).

Kingston is the host of many great clubs. Found in New Kingston, there are many clubs that party until the early morning hours.





Budget




Mid-range




Connect
Digicel and Flow have 3G and 4G coverage all over the Kingston urban area. Moreover there are Internet cafés here and there.

Stay safe
Kingston has more crime than the rest of the island and it is one of the most dangerous cities in the world when measured by the murder rate. These mostly take place among members of organized crime, but occasionally others including tourists, end up in the line of fire.

While the Trench Town section of Kingston does have an interesting history, nevertheless no visitor should dare go there unless they're part of a goodwill tour or something similar with a high level of pre-arranged security. The average tourist going there would be signing his or her death warrant. Common-sense and precaution should ensure a pleasant experience in the safer areas of the city, though. After dark, only use cars to get around or stay at your place of abode. If you find yourself in need of the police, the emergency number is 119. Police corruption can also be an issue in the city.

Cope
Tourists, especially white tourists, tend to stick out and garner lots of attention, not all of it positive. Hissing and cat calls at women (even accompanied ones) is common. Replying to overzealous touts with "No badda (bother) me" can help.

Homosexuality is not condoned and can elicit violent reactions.

Embassies and High Commissions

 * 🇧🇪 Belgium


 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * 🇨🇳 China
 * 🇫🇷 France


 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * 🇺🇸 United States

Go next

 * Blue Mountains (Jamaica)
 * Organize an overnight climb of Blue Mountain. Many outfits will come and pick you up from in town for an additional fee.
 * Visit the Gap Café and Strawberry Hill in the Blue Mountains
 * Hellshire Beach - A taste of the authentic Jamaican beach going experience
 * Lime Cay - an uninhabited island beach with snorkelling opportunities, reachable from Port Royal for cheap via a fisherman's boat or by a more expensive fancier boat from Morgan's Harbour Hotel
 * JABLUM - the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee factory
 * Port Royal - the former pirate city that has been destroyed twice by earthquakes is a good place to relax and have a beer or visit the museum and learn about the piracy history
 * Portland (Jamaica) - passed the Blue Mountains.
 * Ocho Rios ("Ochi") - only 4 hours away by minibus/route taxi for ~J$500. Direct morning departures from the Downtown Transport Centre and indirect (via Port Maria) from HWT
 * Montego Bay - roughly 4 hours from Kingston for less than US$10 from the Downtown Transport Center.
 * Port Antonio - take a direct minibus/route taxi from HWT for J$200–300.