Fort Charles
Fort Charles
4
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4.0
90 reviews
Excellent
31
Very good
42
Average
11
Poor
5
Terrible
1
JAsoldier
Kingston, Jamaica2,602 contributions
Mar 2012 • Couples
Fort Charles is quite a large old brick built fort, close to the sea, in small the historic town of Port Royal. It's excellent to explore within, while outside there are other historic attractions. The Victorian Battery, excavated and exposed in recent years, a huge cannon and the Giddy House - a storeroom at an alarming angle due to earthquake.
There is also an interesting small museum with several antiquities on display.Overall, well worth the ten mile trip along the Palisadoes road, which has the sea to one side and offers great panoramic views over Kingston harbour of the city and Blue Mountains.
There is also an interesting small museum with several antiquities on display.Overall, well worth the ten mile trip along the Palisadoes road, which has the sea to one side and offers great panoramic views over Kingston harbour of the city and Blue Mountains.
Written 5 May 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gleb M
Canada26 contributions
Mar 2018 • Friends
Port Royal had a total of 6 forts built 5 of which were destroyed in the earthquake of 1692. The one left was Fort Charles, that was built in 1950-1960 (Giddy House is located within). Later on another fort was added, Fort Rocky, that was built in 1888.
To see areal footage of both forts find "Sailing Knotty Maria" on youtube.
Getting here: There are two options: Cheap option is getting a bus 98 from Kingston/Driving in yourself and going for a self guided tour of Fort Charles. Recommend you aim to be here around 8:30-9:00, few people come here at that time, plus higher chance of getting a "local" price of 800JMD. You can complete a self-guided tour through Fort Charles or ask one of the staff to help you out for a negotiable fee. After you can head back towards the airport and go for a stroll through Fort Rocky, free to enter, however not as well taken care off.
The expensive option is taking a tour with one of Port Royal tour guides, which has its bonuses: that will take you around port royal and show you historic sites that otherwise would have been missed. I heard that price varies and can be negotiated on the spot. The downside is that visit to Fort Rocky is still on you as the tour doesn't cover it.
Hope you will find these forts well worth the time. Yet again, if you would like to see some drone footage of both forts, find it on youtube under "Sailing Knotty Maria"
To see areal footage of both forts find "Sailing Knotty Maria" on youtube.
Getting here: There are two options: Cheap option is getting a bus 98 from Kingston/Driving in yourself and going for a self guided tour of Fort Charles. Recommend you aim to be here around 8:30-9:00, few people come here at that time, plus higher chance of getting a "local" price of 800JMD. You can complete a self-guided tour through Fort Charles or ask one of the staff to help you out for a negotiable fee. After you can head back towards the airport and go for a stroll through Fort Rocky, free to enter, however not as well taken care off.
The expensive option is taking a tour with one of Port Royal tour guides, which has its bonuses: that will take you around port royal and show you historic sites that otherwise would have been missed. I heard that price varies and can be negotiated on the spot. The downside is that visit to Fort Rocky is still on you as the tour doesn't cover it.
Hope you will find these forts well worth the time. Yet again, if you would like to see some drone footage of both forts, find it on youtube under "Sailing Knotty Maria"
Written 14 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jhaneal A
Portmore, Saint Catherine, Jamaica4 contributions
Jan 2013 • Friends
its absolutlely beautiful. Very friendly people. Very informative tour guides. i am jamaican went there with my school twice loved it both times. its very cool knowing that pirates went there!
Written 20 January 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christina H
Philadelphia, PA512 contributions
Apr 2017
Visiting this fort was definitely one of the highlights of my entire trip to Kingston. It was too hot to do the city tour so we just opted for a tour of the fort. Don't skip this! Our tour guide, Andrew, was incredibly knowledgeable and really enhanced the visit so much. He was Able to add additional information to what was listed in the two small museums and explained so much about the fort and all the disasters it befell. Andrew is from Port Royal and showed us where he used to play in the tunnels below the fort as a child. Those tunnels are now filled in showing that the place is still sinking. Giddy house is a lot of fun to try to walk in. Andrew also picked fruit from the almond tree and showed us how to eat it then break the seed to get the nut. He was terrific and earned a great tip!
Written 12 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rinald M
London, UK172 contributions
Nov 2018 • Friends
There is not much to do in Port Royal, so if you are there, visit the Fort Charles. It is an interesting pace, well kept and with very well informed and pleasant guides.
Written 4 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Globewanderer79
Florida245 contributions
Mar 2018 • Couples
It was an excellent tour once you were able to start walking around. The first time we went, they didn't know when the tour guide was going to be available....ok...so, we came back the next day upon opening and the cashier nor the tour guide was there at opening. The security guard told us to go into the museum and wait....again, ok....I'm glad we stayed because our guide was excellent and he really knows his history about this area. He is also the curator at the Jamaican Institute. He was very enthusiastic and amazing. DEFINITELY A MUST SEE! Be aware, there are separate prices for locals and foreigners. For 2 adults, it was $30.
Written 22 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
paul c
172 contributions
Jan 2018 • Family
A moral dilemma for our degenerate times. When you find a 5-star eating house nobody knows about, do you give it the 5 stars that it deserves - or do you keep quiet, so that the inevitable crowds won't displace you from your favorite table?
After a brief struggle, I give Andre's 5 stars. They serve, quite simply, the best fried fish I have ever eaten. Better than Nobo's, better than the now defunct elBulli, the French Laundry, the Fat Duck - I could go on, because I work on the edges of the food industry and get to go to these fabulous places.
Andre's Fish Den is better than all of them, and the key element may be Rajay Walker, who does the cooking there and uses old hand-me-down recipes. I don't think it will be long before some entrepreneurial restaurateur snaps him up.
After a brief struggle, I give Andre's 5 stars. They serve, quite simply, the best fried fish I have ever eaten. Better than Nobo's, better than the now defunct elBulli, the French Laundry, the Fat Duck - I could go on, because I work on the edges of the food industry and get to go to these fabulous places.
Andre's Fish Den is better than all of them, and the key element may be Rajay Walker, who does the cooking there and uses old hand-me-down recipes. I don't think it will be long before some entrepreneurial restaurateur snaps him up.
Written 19 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Judie P
Toronto, Canada63 contributions
Aug 2017 • Business
We took a group of students to learn about the history of Port Loyal and the tour guide was great and the youth really enjoyed learning about the island, pirates and history.
Written 6 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
572aliciat
Jamaica6 contributions
Nov 2016 • Family
I was pleasantly surprised of the things I learned from doing this tour. The guide was very polite and had a lot of information about the history of events that occurred here. Gave me a greater appreciation for my island.
Written 11 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deb4085
Sarnia, Canada69 contributions
Sept 2017 • Couples
My husband and I visited here and although a bit pricey to enter it was interesting. We had a tour guide and nice to hear some history of the area. The Giddy house was the highlight
Written 28 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What is the cost in Jamaican dollars to tour and can we pay at an entrance or do we need a tour guide
Written 30 May 2016
$10 US dollars includes admission,museum and guided tour
Written 31 May 2016
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