It may have skyscrapers and an impressive financial sector, but Port of Spain can't disguise its Caribbean heart. This is especially true during festival season, with steel pan music everywhere and colorful market stalls lining the streets. There are plenty of trendy eating places and nightlife, too, so it’s both cosmopolitan and quaint—quite a mixture! Discover it all by booking your vacation rental on FlipKey today!

About Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Formerly a tiny fishing village called Cumucurapo (translated as 'place of the silk cotton trees'), Port of Spain has grown to become a large industrialized city and the island's capital.

The first buildings were erected in the 16th century and were palm thatched with the walls smeared with mud to keep out the sun.

Today, skyscrapers fill parts of the horizon and the shoreline is a busy dockyard. But there are also several architectural gems to remind visitors of earlier years and the island's history. You’ll see the Beaux-Arts-styled Red House, Woodford Square with its central bandstand and notoriety for political demonstrations, and the Brian Lara Promenade (named after the island's famous cricketer).

Then there's stunning ultra-contemporary architecture in the form of the new Academy for Performing Arts and the International Waterfront Centre.

Travel outside the city and you'll find a treasure trove of colorful wildlife and opportunities for adventure.

What to do in Port of Spain

Take your camera on a late afternoon guided boat tour at the Caroni Bird Sanctuary, a mangrove swamp measuring 40 square miles. You should spot a flock of flame-colored Scarlet Ibis—Trinidad's national bird—as well as some of the other 160 different bird species.

Get involved in helping to protect endangered leatherback and hawksbill turtles by 'tagging' and recording them when they come onto the beach to lay eggs. This takes place in the East of Trinidad at the village of Marura and is a lovely way to get close to these incredible creatures. Five hour long guided tours are available from March to August.

Embark on a trip to Maracas Beach on the north of the island and sample Bake & Shark. This is a traditional Trinidadian dish which involves marinated and fried shark meat on flatbread. The shark is often caught at Maracas Beach.

Top travel tips for Port of Spain

Instead of shark meat, some vendors at Maracas Bay are using catfish or ray in the Bake & Shark delicacy since shark is becoming increasingly difficult to source.

To get to the bay, there are ferries available between the islands or you can fly into Piarco International Airport and travel by taxi for $30.

Port of Spain can be navigated by foot, but do remember to take a sunhat and plenty of sunscreen, as temperatures soar during the summer months.

A contemporary, smart city in parts and rather rustic and quaint in others, Port of Spain is vibrant and loud. It's also a lot of fun and a terrific living archive of Caribbean architecture and history. It's also incredibly wealthy in terms of natural resources and wildlife, especially birds.

With so much to offer, a vacation in Port of Spain won’t disappointed. FInd and book your perfect vacation rental today on Flipkey and get packing!