Basseterre, St. Kitts: The Capital Around the Circus
A working port town with a green square, a clock tower and the train that leaves from here.
Why Go
Basseterre is a small Georgian-plan capital that has burned down, flooded and been rebuilt more than once, which is why its handsome bits sit next to plain ones with no transition. The Circus with its green clock tower is the middle, Independence Square a block away is the shaded green space, and Port Zante brings the cruise passengers in at the western edge. It is a town for a half-day rather than a week — walk it, eat in it, start the scenic railway from it, then go and sleep somewhere with a beach. Frigate Bay is ten minutes away and does that job.
The Experience
The centre is flat, gridded and small: Fort Street, Bank Street and the Bay Road hold most of what you need and the whole thing takes twenty minutes to cross. Independence Square is the pleasant pause — a walled green with a fountain, ringed by Georgian houses, and a sober history as the site of the slave market. St. George's Anglican Church sits behind it. Down at the water, Port Zante is the modern cruise development, duty-free shops and a marina, and it is busy on ship mornings and dead otherwise. Away from that strip the town is straightforwardly a working Caribbean capital — traffic, minibuses with their doors open, a market at the eastern end that is at its best on a Saturday morning. Most things shut in the early evening and the town does not have a night; that happens on the Frigate Bay strip.
What to Try
Eat where the town eats. Vijay's Roti Shop is the lunch worth queuing for, Ribeez BBQ handles the smoke, Chef Wayne's Fusion Cuisine is the sit-down evening, and Ti Amo Gelato Cafe and The Gelato Shop St Kitts are the answer to the afternoon. Krazy Rolls fills the gap in between. The one thing to book from Basseterre is the St. Kitts Scenic Railway, which runs the old sugar-cane line around the island on narrow gauge and is a far better way to see the northern coast than a minibus. Shadwell Great House gives you the plantation history close to town. On the water, Grey's Island Excursions and Sam The Man Fishing Charters go out from here, and Kittitian Taxi and Tours or the St. Kitts Taxi Association will run you up to Brimstone Hill or across to the south-east peninsula. Higher Grounds Farm and Blank Canvas are the local-craft end of the shopping, which beats the duty-free at Port Zante.
Insider Tip
Get off the Port Zante strip within five minutes of arriving. The shops there are the same shops as in every cruise port in the region, and the town that is actually worth your time starts one block inland at the Circus and runs east to the market. If you are here on a Saturday, the market is the morning, and go early — it winds down well before lunch.
The Practical Stuff
Robert L. Bradshaw International is about ten minutes from the centre, and the cruise pier at Port Zante is in the town itself. The centre is comfortably walkable and you do not want a car in it; you do want one, or a taxi, for Brimstone Hill Fortress up the west coast, the south-east peninsula beaches, or Frigate Bay. The ferry to Nevis runs from the waterfront here and takes well under an hour, which makes a Nevis day trip easy. Shops keep ordinary business hours, close early on Saturdays and mostly stay shut on Sundays, while cruise-day hours are the exception. Driving is on the LEFT and a temporary local permit is required. St. Kitts is in the hurricane belt, roughly June to November, and the town centre sits low enough that heavy rain reaches the streets quickly.
Common Questions
Is Basseterre worth visiting?
For a half-day, yes — Independence Square, the Circus, the market and lunch. It is a working capital rather than a resort town, so most visitors see it and then stay somewhere else on the island.
Basseterre or Frigate Bay — where should you stay?
Frigate Bay for beaches, hotels and the evening strip, ten minutes away. Basseterre for being in a real town near the ferry and the airport, with far less to do after dark.
How far is Basseterre from the airport?
About ten minutes from Robert L. Bradshaw International. The cruise terminal at Port Zante is in the town itself, so ship passengers walk straight into the centre.
How do you get from St. Kitts to Nevis?
The ferry leaves from the Basseterre waterfront and takes well under an hour, running several times a day. It makes Nevis a straightforward day trip rather than a separate holiday.
Is Basseterre walkable?
Yes — the centre is flat, gridded and crosses in about twenty minutes. A car is a nuisance in town and a necessity for Brimstone Hill, the south-east peninsula and the beaches.
What is there to do in Basseterre in the evening?
Not much. The town closes early and the island's nightlife is on the Frigate Bay strip. Stay for dinner if you like, but plan the evening ten minutes down the road.
Pair It With
- St. Kitts Scenic Railway Guide — The island by narrow gauge, leaving from near the town.
- Vijay's Roti Shop — Lunch, and the reason to walk east of the Circus.
- Shadwell Great House Guide — The plantation past, minutes from the capital.
