Saint George's

Saint George's is the lovely capital of Grenada. It boasts a deep-water harbor and it is widely regarded as one of the most picturesque towns in the Caribbean. There are numerous steep, winding streets in Saint George's, as well as many 19th-century, pastel colored buildings with red-tiled roofs. The fish-scale tiles where brought over as ballast on ships from Europe. When the ships returned with goods, the ballast was left behind.

Saint George's busy harbor is known as Carenage. It is filled with all sorts of cargo vessels, cruise ships and beautifully decorated wooden schooners from Carriacou. Mercantile houses, warehouses and cafés line the quays around the harbor. From there, the town's streets run up steeply and the whole scene is backed by Grenada's lush green hills.

To the west of Carenage is a particularly interesting part of town, with a maze of narrow streets that are nice to wander around. On some blind street corners, policemen take care of the traffic. In the center of town is the Grenada National Museum. It exhibits all sorts of stuff, including fragments of Amerindian pottery, an old rum still and the marble bathtub that once belonged to Empress Josephine. The museum incorporates a French barracks, dating from 1704.

In 1705 the French built the hilltop Fort George. It provides excellent views over the harbor and parts of Saint George. Inside the fort is a basketball pole, where you can still see the bullet holes, which were made by the firing squad that executed Maurice Bishop. The spot is market by a sign reading 'No Pain No Gain Brother'.

Fort Frederick was built at the end of the 18th century. It protects the harbor's eastern entrance and offers good views over Grenada's southwestern coastline. The fort was miraculously preserved after the U.S. mistakenly bombed Fort Matthew, several hundred meters to the north, when they invaded the island in 1983. Three of Saint George's historical buildings that were constructed in the early 19th century, burned to the ground in July 2002.

There are numerous hotels and restaurants in Grenada. The town sits on the southwestern side of Grenada Island.

Hours from UTC: -4
Daylight savings time: n/a

City phone code: Not required
Country phone code: 809