Charlestown
The capital of Nevis, a small port of Georgian and Victorian buildings on the west coast.
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Charlestown is the capital of Nevis and holds around fifteen hundred people, a few streets of stone-and-timber buildings with wooden upper storeys and shingle, much of it rebuilt after the earthquake and tidal wave of 1690 and again after later hurricanes. Alexander Hamilton was born in a house on the waterfront, now a museum and the seat of the Nevis assembly. The ferry from St Kitts docks in the middle of it.
What you actually see
- The stone-and-timber buildings - the Nevis form of stone below and wood above.
- The Hamilton house - the birthplace, now a museum and assembly building.
- The waterfront - the ferry dock and the shore the town is built along.
- The Jewish cemetery - the burial ground of the island's seventeenth-century community.
When to go
December to April is the dry season. The town is busiest when the ferry comes in. Saturdays bring the market.
Honest expectations
It is very small and half a day covers it easily. Shops close early and on Sundays almost everything shuts. Cruise tender days crowd the waterfront.
Nearby
Pinney's Beach is north, and Fig Tree Church is east.
What to pack for Charlestown
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.