Car Hire Kingston - Mini guide to Kingston
Jamaica's capital is a bustling city which shows visitors a realistic perspective of the country’s way of life. Though considered unsafe in many of the slum areas, it still attracts a large proportion of the country’s visitors with a handful of worthwhile attractions and undeniable character.
The view from the Blue Mountains, behind the city, reveals leafy foothill suburbs, sprawling slums and the magnificent natural harbour where the original historic settlement was located. Not much remains of Port Royal (at the end of a spit in the harbour) after an earthquake flattened this English navy port and it’s population of pirates and prostitutes, in 1692.
Today you’ll find the historic downtown area just north of the waterfront, with its high-rise hotels and offices. It’s reasonably safe to wander around the waterfront and you can visit the craft markets on the wharves. A few blocks westward is the National Gallery. New Kingston is uptown, north of the old center.
The Bob Marley Museum is perhaps the biggest drawcard of this otherwise run down city. Located on the prestigious Hope road, this former residence of the reggae superstar has preserved the singer's simple bedroom, plenty of memorabilia, a recording studio and the bullet holes that ripped through the rear wall of the house during an assassination attempt in 1976.
Jamaica has some limited food specialities, but wandering around after dark looking for a quaint restaurant isn’t safe. Stick to the hotels and head to the island’s lovely beach resorts. The country however does have a lively atmosphere with music everywhere, and of course oodles of rum.
Hiring a car is certainly worthwhile. The Blue Mountains region is famous for its coffee, and several wonderfully simple guesthouses are nestled below Catherine’s Peak. It’s only a few hours drive to the popular resort town of Ocho Rios on the North coast.
Both Kingston and Montego Bay receive plenty of flights from North America, and regular services from several European cities. Connections to Caribbean destinations are also frequent.
