Cap-Haitien Old Town

Cap-Haïtien was the richest colonial city in the Caribbean before independence and it kept the street plan: a tight grid running back from the waterfront, numbered streets crossed by lettered ones, with two-storey houses of stone below and timber above, wrought-iron balconies over the pavement and shutters against the heat. Earthquake and fire took a great deal of it and much of what stands is nineteenth century, restored unevenly. The cathedral sits on the main square and the mountains rise directly behind the town.

What you actually see

• The street grid - the colonial plan running back from the waterfront, numbered and lettered.
• The balconied houses - stone-and-timber buildings with iron balconies over the pavements.
• The cathedral - Notre-Dame on the central square, the town's landmark.
• The waterfront - the working seafront and the bay north towards Picolet.

When to go

November to March is the dry season and the most comfortable for walking. Mornings are cooler and the market streets are at their busiest. Carnival season brings the town alive.

Honest expectations

Restoration has been patchy and many buildings are in poor condition, propped or partly collapsed. The streets are busy, hot and hard walking in the middle of the day. There is little formal interpretation, so a local guide adds a great deal.

Nearby

Fort Picolet is at the end of the bay, and the Citadelle and Sans-Souci are half an hour south at Milot.