Jamaica's capital is a bustling city which shows visitors a realistic perspective of the country?s way of life. Though considered unsafe in many of the slum areas, it still attracts a large proportion of the country?s visitors with a handful of worthwhile attractions and undeniable character.

The view from the Blue Mountains, behind the city, reveals leafy foothill suburbs, sprawling slums and the magnificent natural harbour where the original historic settlement was located. Not much remains of Port Royal (at the end of a spit in the harbour) after an earthquake flattened this English navy port and it?s population of pirates and prostitutes, in 1692.

Today you?ll find the historic downtown area just north of the waterfront, with its high-rise hotels and offices. It?s reasonably safe to wander around the waterfront and you can visit the craft markets on the wharves. A few blocks westward is the National Gallery. New Kingston is uptown, north of the old center.

The Bob Marley Museum is perhaps the biggest drawcard of this otherwise run down city. Located on the prestigious Hope road, this former residence of the reggae superstar has preserved the singer's simple bedroom, plenty of memorabilia, a recording studio and the bullet holes that ripped through the rear wall of the house during an assassination attempt in 1976.

Jamaica has some limited food specialities, but wandering around after dark looking for a quaint restaurant isn?t safe. Stick to the hotels and head to the island?s lovely beach resorts. The country however does have a lively atmosphere with music everywhere, and of course oodles of rum.

Hiring a car is certainly worthwhile. The Blue Mountains region is famous for its coffee, and several wonderfully simple guesthouses are nestled below Catherine?s Peak. It?s only a few hours drive to the popular resort town of Ocho Rios on the North coast.

Both Kingston and Montego Bay receive plenty of flights from North America, and regular services from several European cities. Connections to Caribbean destinations are also frequent.

Montego Bay

Jamaica?s second city is a tourism hub that receives the bulk of holidaymakers. This bustling city, located on a lovely big bay, serves as good springboard for the surrounding countryside of the country?s northwest.

Better known as MoBay, the city gives off an initial impression of calamity with its crazy one way streets, run down suburbs and endless hustlers, however it has some lovely beaches and hosts many resort hotels. These are generally clustered along Cornwalls and Doctor?s Cave beaches north of the center. Many of the bars and discos specifically catering for visitors are located here.

Jamaica has a history of colonization, dating back 400 years, and the legacy of this are the fine old buildings located around Church street. Sam Sharpe Square is a popular meeting point that has witnessed plenty of political activity during the country?s recent past.

If you have a car you can head to the yacht club, on a spit of land in the south of the bay. A visit to Barnett estate, among the cane fields south of the city is an insightful peek into the industry on which Jamaica?s past fortunes rested.

To escape the clich? tourism attractions and seek out the true character of Jamaica, head northeast into the rolling hills of the cockpit country. Here you?ll find delightful rural villages among banana plantations, where time seems to slow down to ?Jamaica time mon?. Reggae fans make their way to the little hamlet of Nine Mile, birth and burial place of the legendary Bob Marley.

If you?ve come for the beach then follow everyone else to Negril beach, west of Montego Bay. Be cautious on the windy road (Jamaican drivers have a reckless reputation) but its worth stopping at some of the delightful fishing villages along the way. Lucea isa one example where you can admire the simple lifestyle of the locals. Negril?s four-kilometer long beach is a strip of activity packed with hotels, bungalows and bars to suit all tastes and budgets.