Palace of 365 Doors

The Palais aux 365 Portes was built in the 1810s for Henri Christophe in the Artibonite valley, a long single-storey range of arcaded openings around a courtyard, and the name comes from the claim that it has a door for every day of the year. Nobody has counted that many, and the figure is best treated as the building's nickname rather than its inventory. What stands is a substantial arcaded shell with the fort of Crête-à-Pierrot on the ridge above the town.

What you actually see

• The arcaded range - the long facade of repeating openings the palace is named for.
• The courtyard - the open centre the wings are built around.
• The masonry - early nineteenth-century brick and stone, weathered and partly restored.
• Crete-a-Pierrot - the hilltop fortification above the town, a short climb away.

When to go

November to March is drier and more comfortable in the Artibonite valley, which is hot. Mornings are best. The site is quiet at almost any time.

Honest expectations

The door count is a nickname, not a fact, and the actual number is far lower. The building is a shell with limited restoration and no formal interpretation. The valley is hot and there is little shade on site.

Nearby

Saint-Marc and Fort des Oliviers are west on the coast, and Marchand-Dessalines is north.