Your Port of Spain CME conference.

Port of Spain after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Port of Spain time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing near where you stay: a walk around Queen’s Park Savannah, a view over the city from Fort George, or dinner along Ariapita Avenue. Leave time for traffic, since driving is on the left and many fares are not metered.

Travel, accommodation and admission are arranged separately. Your conference is built around your specialty and interests; the city is the setting you choose for it.

The Savannah and its neighbours

Queen’s Park Savannah is the largest open green space in Port of Spain, about 260 acres (110 hectares) of flat, short-grassed land. It was once part of St Ann’s Estate, a sugar plantation, and it is lined with shady samaan and poui trees, which makes it popular for runs.

The Savannah is ringed by historic mansions known as the Magnificent Seven. Other landmarks nearby include the Botanic Gardens, the Hollows, Emperor Valley Zoo, the National Museum and the National Academy of the Performing Arts. The North and Grand Stands host cultural events, including Carnival shows. Check each attraction’s days against your 2:00 PM finish.

Fort George and the gulf

Fort George sits on the north-western hills above the Gulf of Paria. Its fortifications date to 1804, when they were built to protect Port of Spain, and military use ended in 1846. Visitors can see original cannons, dungeons and artefacts, and the site offers wide views over the city, and it is known for sunset scenery.

Check how you will get up to the fort before you set out, and allow for the weather; the afternoon showers of the rainy season can cut a viewpoint visit short.

Doubles, roti and Ariapita Avenue

Visit Trinidad names doubles, a fried flatbread filled with curried chickpeas, and roti, an Indian flatbread filled with vegetables or curried meat, among the island’s street foods. Bake and shark is sold by vendors at Maracas Bay. Restaurants line Ariapita Avenue, with international dishes from Spanish tapas to Japanese ramen and Indian, Lebanese and Italian cooking.

Maracas Bay is one of five beaches Visit Trinidad lists, with Las Cuevas Bay, Manzanilla, Mayaro and Vessigny. The site does not give travel times from the city, so plan a beach trip as its own outing.

Carnival season and nature outings

Visit Trinidad says the island becomes a cultural playground from as early as January, and its Carnival page gives the current dates. If you plan to visit in carnival season, check those dates and reserve a rental car before you arrive, as the site advises for the Carnival season.

For nature, the site lists Caroni Swamp, where a flat-bottomed boat trip looks for herons, egrets and scarlet ibis, and Asa Wright Nature Centre, a rainforest facility known for birding. Mountain biking is offered in Chaguaramas, in western Trinidad.

Sweet treats and street food

Pies filled with potato or meat are listed as street food, alongside sweet treats such as tamarind balls, toolum, sugar cake and snow cones. Visit Trinidad also mentions Aranguez Savannah as a place for doubles. The page notes that the aroma of doubles meets you on exiting the airport at Piarco.

Plan one meal at a restaurant on Ariapita Avenue and one from a street vendor, rather than trying to fit everything into a single afternoon.

Birds and wildlife outside the city

Pointe-à-Pierre Wild Fowl Trust is a protected environment with reintroduced macaws and whistling ducks. Yerette, in Maracas Valley, is a hummingbird attraction. Toco has seabird viewing and a lighthouse, and Grande Rivière is known for nesting leatherback turtles from April through August.

Visit Trinidad also lists hiking and outdoor activities across the island, including Rio Seco Waterfall, Covigne Gorge River and Aripo Cave. The site does not give travel times from Port of Spain, so treat each as a separate outing and check how you will get there.

When to visit Port of Spain

Trinidad is warm and sunny year-round. Visit Trinidad gives an average daytime temperature of about 85 °F (31 °C), dipping to about 75 °F (23 °C) in the evening. The dry season runs January through May and the rainy season June through December, when mornings are generally sunny with early-afternoon showers. The island lies outside the hurricane belt. Plan outdoor time in the morning in the wet months, and bring light cotton clothing.

Getting to Port of Spain and your study setting

Piarco International Airport (POS) is the arrival point shown in this guide, and several car hire companies are listed near it. Authorized airport taxis have their tariff posted in the Arrivals area. Maxi taxis are fixed-route minibuses, and the Public Transport Service Corporation runs commercial buses.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.