Kingstown, St Vincent cruises
Your guide to Kingstown.
Explore the former British Garrison of Fort Charlotte, visit the village where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed, or settle into a beach bar with a heady rum punch. In town, you’ll find quaint gift shops selling handmade trinkets and humble local eateries offering grilled fish with a signature Caribbean kick. Beyond Kingston, waterfalls, fruit plantations, and the beach of Mount Wynne are ready to show you another side of island life.
Exploring.
Unless heading straight for Fort Charlotte, forego the taxis queued outside Port. Kingstown town is just minutes on foot and comfortably walkable (just exact a little care when crossing roads). Fort Charlotte, the former British Garrison built in the early 19th Century, makes for a fascinating visit. An on-site museum offers a snapshot of island history, while the views out to sea are postcard-worthy. St Vincent Botanic Gardens, established in 1765, are another highlight of this Caribbean port call. Curated over centuries, the gardens are ripe with native fruit trees and tropical plants bearing colourful fauna.
Eating and drinking.
Flavoursome curries, succulent stews and fresh seafood are a benchmark of Vincentian cuisine. The island enjoys a diverse Carib, French, Portuguese and British descended community, and Kingston’s culinary scene is similarly multinational. Conch, salt fish, lobster and shrimp are island staples, abundant in this part of the Caribbean, while St Vincent’s volcanic soil is the perfect breeding ground for vegetables, breadfruit and jackfruit (the island’s native dish). You’ll find a wide range of reasonably priced restaurants in Kingstown town centre, while rum lovers will fit right in among the locals taking refuge in one of St Vincent’s colourful beach bars.
Shopping.
From lively markets laden with exotic fruits, herbs and fresh spices, to workshops selling clothes made from sea-island cotton, Kingstown’s native shopping offer centres around goods produced locally in the Caribbean. Around town you’ll encounter gift shops selling a variety of handmade jewellery, decorative artefacts and homewares, including grass rugs and straw crafts. Dolls, handstitched from local textiles, make nice keepsakes for children, while Kingstown offers the chance to shop duty-free on imported goods such as perfumes and alcohol. As well as in the town itself, a further selection of gift shops is also located at the cruise terminal.
Beyond Kingstown.
St Vincent is an explorer’s delight, rich with verdant scenery and outdoor adventure. Take to the seas on a traditional Schooner, sink your toes into the black sands of Mount Wynne, or swim in the crisp water beneath Dark View Falls. Several excursions are possible on a port call to Kingstown, including a visit to Wallilabou village (a location in the Pirates of the Caribbean films). Alternatively, take a traditional schooner to reach Mount Wynne’s famous black sands or join a hike to the island’s 75-foot Dark View Falls, cooling off with a refreshing dip in its naturally formed pool.