Fort São Sebastião

Fort São Sebastião was built in 1575 on the point at the edge of São Tomé town to protect the harbour, and it is the oldest surviving building on the island, a squat stone structure with bastions looking out over the bay. It now houses the national museum: colonial furniture, religious carving and paintings, material on the plantation economy and on the slave trade the islands were built on, and a room on independence.

What you actually see

• The 1575 fort - the oldest surviving building in the country.
• The bastions - the stone defences looking out over the harbour.
• The museum collection - colonial furniture, religious carving and plantation material.
• The harbour view - the bay the fort was built to command.

When to go

June to September is the drier gravana season. The museum keeps daytime hours and closes some days. An hour or two covers it.

Honest expectations

The museum is small and interpretation is thin, mostly in Portuguese. It closes on some days without notice. The fort itself is more interesting than the display.

Nearby

São Tomé town is behind it, and Ilhéu das Cabras is offshore.