Port of Spain
Trinidad's capital: carnival headquarters, panyards, street food and a serious food scene.
Trinidad and Tobago country guide
Things to do in Trinidad and Tobago
The biggest carnival in the Caribbean, the birthplace of steelpan and calypso, and a second island that is everything the first one is not.
€23
A guesthouse room, from
2
Islands, entirely different
Feb
Carnival, and the year revolves around it
Steelpan
Invented here
Two islands with almost nothing in common
Trinidad and Tobago are one country and two very different places. Trinidad is industrial, diverse and culturally dense: the birthplace of steelpan, calypso and soca, with an Indo-Trinidadian and Afro-Trinidadian population that shapes the food, the music and the calendar. Tobago is small, quiet and Caribbean in the way people picture it: reefs, beaches and a rainforest reserve.
Carnival is the reason to time a trip. Trinidad's is the largest in the Caribbean and among the biggest in the world, running to J'ouvert before dawn on the Monday and two days of mas bands through Port of Spain. The whole island works towards it for months.
Outside carnival, Trinidad is more about birdwatching, turtle nesting and food than beaches. Tobago is where you go for the water.
Ten days covers both islands.
Where to go
A ferry and short flights link the two islands. Maxi taxis cover Trinidad cheaply.
Crown Point
1 hostel
Tobago's main tourist area, near the airport, with beaches and reef trips.
Castara
A quiet Tobago fishing village with a bay, guesthouses and no resorts.
Grande Rivière
A remote north-coast village where leatherback turtles nest in huge numbers from March to August.
What kind of trip is this?
Trinidad is culture and food, Tobago is beaches and reef, and carnival is its own category.
Culture in Trinidad and Tobago
Steelpan, calypso, soca and the biggest carnival in the Caribbean.
What to do
- Visit a panyard rehearsal before carnival
- J'ouvert before dawn
- A calypso tent show
Spots to visit
- Port of Spain
- Panyards
- Carnival
Best cities for it
Beach in Trinidad and Tobago
Tobago, mostly. Trinidad has a few good ones.
What to do
- Pigeon Point in Tobago
- Castara Bay
- Maracas Bay with bake and shark
Spots to visit
- Pigeon Point
- Castara
- Maracas
Best cities for it
Food in Trinidad and Tobago
Doubles, roti and the best street food in the Caribbean.
What to do
- Doubles for breakfast
- Bake and shark at Maracas
- Roti from a corner shop
Spots to visit
- Port of Spain
- Maracas Bay
- Tobago
Best cities for it
Adventure in Trinidad and Tobago
Birdwatching, turtles and a rainforest reserve.
What to do
- Scarlet ibis at Caroni Swamp
- Leatherback turtles at Matura
- Snorkel Tobago's reef
Spots to visit
- Caroni Swamp
- Matura
- Main Ridge
Best cities for it
Nightlife in Trinidad and Tobago
Soca, fetes and Sunday School in Buccoo.
What to do
- A fete in carnival season
- Sunday School at Buccoo
- Ariapita Avenue in Port of Spain
Spots to visit
- Ariapita Avenue
- Buccoo
- Port of Spain
Best cities for it
Budget in Trinidad and Tobago
Reasonable, except during carnival.
What to do
- Doubles for a euro or two
- Maxi taxis
- Avoid carnival week if budgeting
Spots to visit
- Port of Spain
- Castara
Best cities for it
Things to do
Things to do in Trinidad and Tobago
Carnival is the headline and needs planning a year out for accommodation. The build-up runs for weeks with fetes and panyard rehearsals, J'ouvert starts before dawn on the Monday with oil, mud and paint, and the mas bands parade in full costume on Monday and Tuesday. Joining a band means buying a costume package months ahead.
Outside carnival season, panyards still rehearse and visitors can turn up and listen; steelpan was invented here and hearing a full orchestra practise is free.
Caroni Swamp at dusk is the natural highlight of Trinidad: flat-bottomed boats through mangroves while thousands of scarlet ibis come in to roost. Leatherback turtles nest at Matura and Grande Rivière from March to August.
On Tobago, the Main Ridge Forest Reserve is the oldest protected rainforest in the western hemisphere, and Buccoo Reef and Nylon Pool are the snorkelling.
Food and drink
Eating in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad has the best street food in the Caribbean, and doubles are the proof: two pieces of fried bara bread around curried chickpeas with pepper sauce and chutney, eaten for breakfast, costing €1 to €2. Ordering involves specifying how much pepper, and the answer "slight" is a safe start.
Bake and shark at Maracas Bay is the beach classic: fried shark in fried bread with a counter of sauces you assemble yourself.
The Indo-Trinidadian influence runs deep: roti, doubles, curry crab and dumpling in Tobago, and pholourie as a snack.
Carnival season brings its own food culture, with vendors operating through the night. Angostura bitters and Carib beer are the local drinks, and rum punch is taken seriously.
Nightlife
Going out in Trinidad and Tobago
Carnival season from January turns the country into a rolling series of fetes, large outdoor parties with soca acts, many all-inclusive with food and drink covered, running weekly and building towards carnival itself.
Outside that season, Ariapita Avenue in Port of Spain is the bar and restaurant strip, busy from Thursday.
In Tobago, Sunday School at Buccoo is the institution: a weekly street party that starts with a steelband in the evening and turns into a sound system night, running since the 1970s and open to everyone.
Carib and Stag are the beers at €2 to €4, and rum punch is the drink. Soca is the soundtrack and the volume is not negotiable.
Getting around
Getting around Trinidad and Tobago
Between the islands, the inter-island ferry from Port of Spain to Scarborough takes about three and a half hours and costs very little, though it books out and can be rough. Caribbean Airlines flies the route in twenty minutes for a similar price to a taxi ride.
On Trinidad, maxi taxis (colour-coded minibuses by route) cover the island cheaply, and route taxis run shorter hops. Both are how most people travel.
Tobago has buses and route taxis, though hiring a car is the practical option for reaching Castara and the northern villages.
Driving is on the left. Port of Spain traffic is heavy at rush hour, and the road to Maracas Bay over the northern range is winding and worth taking slowly.
Costs
What Trinidad and Tobago costs
Outside carnival the country is reasonable. Guesthouse rooms start around €23 to €50, doubles cost €1 to €2, a local meal is €5 to €10, and maxi taxis cost very little.
A day comes to €40 to €75.
Carnival is an entirely different calculation. Accommodation in Port of Spain multiplies several times over and books a year ahead, fetes cost €50 to €125 each, and a costume package to play mas with a band runs €380 to €1,000.
Cards work in cities and tourist areas. Carry cash for maxi taxis, street food and smaller places, and note that ATMs can be scarce outside the main towns in Tobago.
Safety
Staying safe in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad has a significant violent crime rate and several governments advise care, with specific warnings for parts of Port of Spain including Laventille, Beetham and Sea Lots, and for the east of the capital after dark. A state of emergency has been declared more than once in recent years in response to gang violence, so check the current position before booking.
Tobago is considerably calmer, though petty theft and occasional robberies happen.
The practical rules are to avoid walking in Port of Spain at night, use arranged transport rather than street taxis after dark, ask locally which areas to avoid, and keep valuables out of sight.
During carnival, the crowds are enormous and pickpocketing is common; carry as little as possible and go with people you know.
Rip currents on Trinidad's north coast, including Maracas, are strong and drownings happen.
Entry and documents
Entry and documents
Most European, UK, US and Canadian citizens enter visa-free for up to 90 days, with the period granted at the officer's discretion.
Passports need six months' validity, and proof of onward travel and accommodation is commonly requested, more so here than in much of the Caribbean.
If you are coming for carnival, book accommodation before flights. The dates move with Lent, falling in February or March, and Port of Spain fills completely a year in advance.
When to go
January to May is the dry season, and carnival falls inside it. The islands sit south of the main hurricane belt, which is a real advantage.
Jan
Dry season and fete season building towards carnival
Feb
Carnival, usually. The biggest weeks of the year
Mar
Dry and hot. Turtle nesting starts at Matura
Apr
Still dry. Good and quieter after carnival
May
Rains beginning. Turtles still nesting
Jun
Wet season. Green and much cheaper
Jul
Wet afternoons, and a drier spell in some years
Aug
Emancipation Day and Tobago heritage events
Sep
Wet. South of the main hurricane belt, unlike most of the Caribbean
Oct
Wettest stretch of the year
Nov
Rains easing. Divali is a major national holiday
Dec
Dry season returning, with parang music everywhere
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs for Port of Spain, which barely change. The islands sit south of the main hurricane belt and are rarely hit directly, which makes September and October safer here than almost anywhere else in the Caribbean.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, in euro equivalents of TT dollars. Carnival is not covered by these figures.
Carnival changes everything: accommodation multiplies, fetes run €50–125 each and a mas costume is €380–1,000.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
What's on
What is on while you are there
Carnival is the year here, and the country counts towards it from January.
February or March
Carnival
Port of Spain
The biggest carnival in the Caribbean. J'ouvert before dawn, then two days of mas bands. Book a year ahead.
January and February
Panorama
Port of Spain
The national steelband competition, building through the carnival season.
Every Sunday
Sunday School
Buccoo, Tobago
A weekly street party running since the 1970s: steelband, then sound system.
October or November
Divali
Nationwide
A national public holiday, with deyas lit across the country.
July and August
Tobago Heritage Festival
Tobago
Two weeks of village performances, food and traditional ceremonies.
March to August
Turtle nesting
Matura · Grande Rivière
Leatherback turtles nesting on the north coast beaches.
Hostels
Where to stay in Trinidad and Tobago
What is bookable here, live from Hostelworld. Guesthouses are the norm, and carnival accommodation in Port of Spain needs booking a year out.
Trinidad and Tobago travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
When is Trinidad Carnival and how far ahead do I book?
February or March, moving with Lent, and accommodation in Port of Spain books a year in advance. Fetes run €50 to €125 each and a costume to play mas with a band is €380 to €1,000. Book accommodation before flights.
Trinidad or Tobago?
They are different holidays. Trinidad is culture, food, birdlife and carnival, with few great beaches. Tobago is reefs, quiet villages and the Caribbean people picture. Ten days does both, linked by a cheap 20-minute flight or a 3.5-hour ferry.
What are doubles?
Two pieces of fried bara bread around curried chickpeas with pepper sauce and chutney, eaten for breakfast, costing €1 to €2. They are the national street food and the best thing you will eat here. Ask for "slight" pepper until you know.
Is Trinidad safe?
Trinidad has a significant violent crime rate and several governments advise care, with specific warnings for parts of Port of Spain, and states of emergency have been declared more than once in recent years. Tobago is much calmer. Check current advice, avoid walking in the capital at night, and use arranged transport.
Do hurricanes affect Trinidad and Tobago?
Rarely. The islands sit south of the main hurricane belt and are seldom hit directly, which makes September and October far less risky here than almost anywhere else in the Caribbean.
What is Sunday School?
A weekly street party in Buccoo, Tobago, running since the 1970s. It starts with a steelband in the evening and turns into a sound system night, and everyone is welcome.
Can I visit a panyard?
Yes, and it is free. Steelbands rehearse in panyards through the carnival season and visitors can turn up and listen. Steelpan was invented here, and hearing a full orchestra practise is one of the best things in the country.
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