Open the left menu Kingston. The capital of Jamaica, Kingston, a city with an interesting history Video tour of Jamaica

Kingston is the capital and main port of Jamaica. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea; urban agglomeration of 580 thousand inhabitants. Situated on a natural harbour, it is protected by the long and narrow Palisados ​​Strait, connecting Port Royal and the international airport to the rest of the island. Kingston is the largest English-speaking city in the entire Caribbean region. Area: 25 km². Population: 580,000 people (2009). Coordinates: 17°59′00″ N. w. 76°48′00″ W d. Time zone: UTC-5.

Kingston Map

History of Kingston

Kingston today

Paliseidos International Airport is located in the city.

Sights of Kingston

Popular attractions include the National Gallery and the Bob Marley Museum (2006), designated a national monument in 2006.

While in the city, it is worth visiting the large city market. Here you can buy colorful products from local artisans.

After your trip to Kingston, you will have something to tell your friends about. Here you won’t be able to wander through ancient ruins or spend days exploring museums with an audio guide at the ready (although you will find several interesting museums in the capital of Jamaica). Moreover, Kingston is not even the most popular beach resort in the country. The city attracts thrill-seekers, it has a bad reputation, but it’s still worth getting to know Kingston. From here you will take away a whole bag of impressions and, of course, a beautiful tan.

How to get there

On the long spit connecting Port Royal and Kingston is the Norman Manley International Airport, from here to the center of the capital of Jamaica - 20 km. Flights from Russia with connections in Europe or the USA fly to Kingston regularly. Not far from downtown there is a smaller airport - Kingston Tinson Pen. It receives flights from Montego Bay (Jamaica Air Shuttle 14-seat aircraft)

Minibuses and buses No. 98 run between the main international airport and the city. The fare for one person is 100 JMD, a taxi will cost approximately 1500 JMD. Prices on the page are for October 2018.

Search flights to Kingston

Money

There are over ten banks located on Knutsford Boulevard. They are open from Monday to Thursday, from 9:00 to 14:00, and on Friday, from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 17:00. Almost all banks have currency exchange offices and ATMs that operate 24 hours a day.

Be careful in Kingston

Kingston has a reputation as a dangerous city; the crime rate here is quite high. You should not visit Kingston during elections, when the situation is particularly tense. Avoid West Kingston, stick to the city center, main roads. At the hotel front desk, you can ask the manager which areas are the most dangerous. You shouldn't walk around the city alone at night.

Maps of Kingston

Transport

Buses and minibuses run around the city. They only stop at official stops, so you can't just "catch" a minibus in Kingston. Opening hours of public transport: 5:00-22:00. The fare is 50-80 JMD.

It is easy to get a taxi in the city, except when it rains and the demand for them increases sharply. It is best to order a taxi at the hotel, then there will be no doubt that a trusted driver will take you. A trip from New Kingston to the city center will cost approximately 500 JMD.

From Kingston you can get to anywhere on the island by bus, minibus or minibus.

From Kingston you can get to anywhere on the island by bus, minibus or minibus. They depart from a terminal downtown (Beckford & Pechon Sts), five blocks west of William Grant Park.

Several buses also depart from the Half Way Tree area, and you can catch a local bus from here to New Kingston. Before boarding the bus, check with the driver where he is going.

Rent a Car

The largest and most popular car rental company is Island Car Rentals. Its main office is located in New Kingston, at 17 Antigua Avenue. The company has a branch at Manly International Airport. Other companies: Avis, Budget and Hertz.

Of course, to rent a car, you must be over 23 years old and have an international driving license.

Shopping

There are many small shops in Kingston where you can buy natural soap. Half Way Tree Shoppingcentr sells Bob Marley T-shirts and CDs. The Sovereign Center shopping complex is located at the junction of Hope Road and Barbican Road and has a variety of convenience stores, as well as a grocery supermarket and a cafeteria for snacks.

Cuisine and restaurants of Kingston

Kingston is not the place to indulge in fine dining and discover new flavours. You will have to eat here mainly fast food. Eateries such as KFC, Burger King, T.G.I. Fridays and Island Grill fit perfectly into the city's atmosphere. On the territory of Devon House there is an ice cream parlor and a bakery, where you can also stop by.

Entertainment and attractions in Kingston

The main attraction of Kingston is Devon House - this is the home of Jamaica's first black millionaire, George Stiebel. There is a beautiful park in front of the house. For a change, you can go to the Caymanos Park Hippodrome, where horse racing is held on weekends.

Knutsford Boulevard has many bars and discos that are open at night.

Kingston Museums

The Bob Marley Museum is open from Monday to Saturday. The tour lasts one hour, including a 20-minute film. The National Gallery of Jamaica introduces masterpieces of island creativity; it is the second most popular museum in the country. The small Arawak Museum (or Taino Museum) houses artifacts about Jamaica's original inhabitants, the Arawak (or Taino) Indians.

From the surrounding mountains you can enjoy the view of the foothills covered with deciduous forests that surround the bay, which forms the natural port of the city. To the north of the port part is the historical center of New Kingston - the “city of contrasts”. Here, tall modern buildings of hotels and office centers coexist with brothels, street sellers of all sorts of things, beggars and criminal elements. The more modern part of Kingston is located even further and north of the port, representing a familiar area, which, of course, is not without local specifics.

The most attractive place for tourists is the Museum of Bob Marley, the legendary musician and singer who made the country's culture, in particular, reggae music, popular throughout the world. This iconic location is located in the house where Marley once lived in New Kingston. The most vivid impressions are left by the singer’s simply furnished bedroom, where a guitar that belonged to him lies near the bed, bullet marks in the back wall of the house left after the assassination attempt on Bob Marley in 1976, as well as the tree under which the musician often smoked marijuana and played On guitar.

Kingston's downtown waterfront has long been worthy of some planned restoration work, while remaining a great place to stroll and visit the handicraft market located on the wharf. A few blocks away you can find the National Gallery, which houses a collection of the most striking creations of Jamaican artists and sculptors, created by them since the 20s. XX century Until now. Every December there is an exhibition of contemporary art.

Most of the city's cheap hotels are located in the south of New Kingston. Decent eating places can be found in the area, including relatively cheap Indian, Chinese and American restaurants. In the northern part of New Kingston and along Red Hills Road heading west, there are many roadside cafes serving delicious local jerky. You can experience amazing pleasure if you drive along this route by car, smoking and inhaling the spreading smells of spices. In addition, Red Hills Road regularly hosts street parties and discos, but the distinctive feature of the whole of Jamaica is that no matter where you find yourself, “reggae sounds everywhere.” Sometimes it seems like everyone and everything dances in Jamaica!

Geography

The capital of the country is located deep in a large bay on the southern coast of the island. Together with neighboring St. Andrew and scattered small towns and villages nearby, Kingston forms a large metropolitan area, home to a quarter of the island's inhabitants. Kingston itself today has 170 thousand inhabitants.

Story

Kingston was founded by the British in the 17th century and went down in history as the largest slave trading center in the West Indies. After the catastrophic earthquake of 1692, when the main city of Jamaica, Port Royal, was destroyed and partially submerged, most of its inhabitants moved to Kingston. But just 11 years later, in 1703, Kingston itself was severely damaged by fire.

Over time, the city developed into the economic center and main port of Jamaica, and in 1872 it was declared its capital. In 1907, Kingston was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake, almost all the buildings of Old English architecture were destroyed. The city was rebuilt practically from scratch, so all of Kingston's buildings are modern.

Economy

Kingston remains the country's most important trade, transport and cultural center. Almost all of the island's imports and exports pass through its port. Paliseidos International Airport is located nearby. The University of the West Indies has students from all Caribbean island countries.

And the main port of the country is located on the south-eastern coast of the island, in the depths of Port Royal Bay, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Large ocean-going ships can enter the harbor; it is closed from the south by the long spit of Papisados. Now it is a resort area, but the ruins of the forts of Port Royal, the capital of Jamaica in 1656-1692, have also been preserved here. Port Royal has been a center of maritime trade in the Caribbean since 1518, when it was founded by the Spanish. After being captured by the British in 1655, Port Royal became the capital of the Jamaican colony.
Port Royal was open to the ships of ordinary merchants, but at the same time it became the center of piracy in the Caribbean. Smuggling and slave trade flourished here. The British turned a blind eye to the activities of English pirates who robbed Spanish ships and cities, because the sea robbers invested the stolen money in the Jamaican economy. It was Port Royal that was chosen by the famous corsair Henry Morgan for pirate raids on Spanish possessions in Panama and Venezuela. In the harbor of Port Royal, ships of pirates dropped anchor, whose names terrified the entire Caribbean population: Roche Brazilno, John Davis, Edward Mansfield.
The pirate free reign ended overnight when on June 7, 1692, a terrible earthquake caused a huge wave that flooded two-thirds of the city. 5 thousand people died, about 50 ships sank, almost all buildings were destroyed. The ancient forts at the entrance to the Port Royal harbor have survived to this day (some of them are flooded), protecting the city from the sea.
The British had to move the capital of the island to the village of Kingston - on the northern, opposite shore of Port Royal Bay. The British tried to restore Port Royal, but fate decreed otherwise: in 1703 the city burned out in a severe fire, then several hurricanes hit it in a row, and the fire of 1728, which raged for three days, completely destroyed it. By this time, most of the residents had already moved to Kingston.
Before the earthquake that drowned Port Royal, Kingston was a small village whose population worked in their own gardens. The name Kingston literally translated from English means “royal city,” which at first did not in any way correspond to the appearance of this settlement. The residents of the lost capital of Jamaica who moved here settled mainly along the coast, where there were many swamps. Slaves from African countries were brought to the city. A significant number of settlers soon died from diseases carried by mosquitoes. Until a fire burned down the remains of Port Royal in 1703, Kingston remained essentially a village.
Only by 1716 did Kingston become the largest city on the island, the center of Jamaican trade. To prevent the expansion of the city, the authorities limited the Port Royals in the purchase of land, allowing them to buy the same area of ​​land that they owned in the lost city.
In 1729, the first school appeared in the city, and in 1774 - the first theater on North Parade Street (both buildings have survived to this day).
Over time, the city developed into the economic center and main port of Jamaica, and in 1872 the colonial administration of Jamaica declared it the official capital of the island (instead of Spanish Town).
Kingston almost repeated the tragic fate of Port Royal when it suffered a powerful earthquake in 1907. 800 people and almost all of the old English colonial architecture were lost. The city had to be rebuilt, and the emphasis was placed on low-rise buildings. Nowadays, Kingston's development is mostly modern.
Kingston has a rectangular layout. The main streets run from north to south directly to the bay. Most of the city was built up with low-rise buildings after the sad events of 1907, when Kingston experienced a powerful earthquake. However, the Uptown business district already boasts multi-story business centers.
In 1962, Jamaica declared independence and Kingston became the capital of a free country. The development of the city was facilitated by two factors unique to Jamaica: the emergence of the Rastafarian religion and the creation of the original reggae musical style.
Rastafarianism is a religious movement that originated in Jamaica back in the 1930s. Its adherents call themselves Rastafarians, or Rastas. The name of the religion comes from the name of the last emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I (1892-1975), before the coronation he was called Ras (paramount leader) Tafari Makonnen. Rastafarians revere Haile Selassie I as an incarnation of God, whom they call Jah.
In search of spirituality in the 1960s. Rastafarians invented the musical style of reggae: a peculiar mixture of African, European and Latin American rhythms. In the 1970s Jamaican singer Bob Marley (1945-1981) composed and recorded reggae songs that became popular around the world, and Rastafarianism spread to most countries, especially the United States and Great Britain, from where a flood of tourists poured into Kingston.
Reggae has made Kingston, deprived of historical sites due to earthquakes, fires and hurricanes, a worldwide center for Rastafarianism and reggae.
The influx of funds allowed the city administration to rebuild the modern center of Kingston - Uptown, turning it into the financial center of the Caribbean with high-rise buildings, wide boulevards and suburban villas surrounded by tropical greenery.
The most famous landmark and place of worship for Rastafarians and reggae lovers from around the world is the Bob Marley Museum, opened in 1987 in the house where he lived in Kingston from 1975 to 1981. On the ground floor of the museum there is a door to his recording studio called Tuff Gong, forever locked after Marley's death.
In Kingston there are a lot of churches of various denominations: Protestant, Baptist, Anglican, Catholic, Church of God, Methodist, Seventh Day Adventists, Pentecostals and others. There are only Rastafarian ones: Rastas do not build temples of their religion.
Today's Kingston, the nearest city of St. Andrew and several other small towns and villages form an agglomeration in which a quarter of the total population of Jamaica lives. Residents speak the local dialect of English, and Kingston itself is considered the most English-speaking city south of the United States. The majority of the population are descendants of slaves from Africa.
Kingston is a major cultural center; The city hosts an annual carnival, and at the end of December the Jonkanoo festival, “inherited” by Jamaica from West Africa and dedicated to Catholic Christmas.
Kingston is a world-class seaside resort hosting ocean liners, but it is also Jamaica's most important trade and transport center: virtually all of the country's imports and exports pass through the port. The port's annual turnover is 15 million tons.
And on the slopes of the Blue Mountains in the vicinity of Kingston there are coffee plantations where one of the most expensive varieties of Jamaican coffee in the world is grown, supplied mainly to Japan.

Kingston is a small city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located on the northern shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, almost halfway between Montreal and Toronto.

Kingston was built in 1673 as Fort Frontenac and served as Canada's first capital (albeit briefly). Kingston is now one of the cities with the richest history in Canada, with many churches, old buildings, picturesque landscapes and 19th-century fortifications.

The city provides plenty of nightlife - clubs and pubs, as well as a wonderful weekend getaway for residents of neighboring cities: Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. There are many museums and historical sites to visit, as well as summer festivals.

Kingston is home to two universities: Queen's University and Royal Military College, as well as one college, St. Lawrence College. In addition to tourism, these universities and their students bring in the bulk of the city's budget.

Kingston is also home to several prisons.

As for hotels, I usually book on, and you can compare prices from different sites. Another way to stay in Kingston is to rent private apartments. You can look at such offers.

How to get there

You can get to Kingston by road, air or water. There are no regular bus, train or air connections with, despite the proximity (50 km) to Interstate 81. However, you can get there by car via ferry, using the services of Horne's Ferry (May-October) from the city of Cape Vincent (Cape Vincent, state to Wolfe Island, Ontario. After driving around the island, you can get to downtown Kingston by boarding the free Wolfe Island Ferry.

By plane

Norman Rogers Municipal Airport (IATA: YGK) is located on Front Road in west Kingston. Regular service from Toronto is provided by Air Canada, but this is the most expensive option. However, this price can be quite reasonable if you are flying with connections (for example, from Vancouver to Kingston via Toronto). You can monitor prices for air tickets on various aggregator sites, or, for example,.

City buses do not go to this airport.

By train

You can also get to Kingston by train (Via Rail Canada). Travel times from the nearest settlements:

Dorval (suburb of Montreal, Trudeau Airport) - 2.5 hours

Montreal - 2 hours 45 minutes

Toronto - 2 hours 15 minutes - 2 hours 45 minutes

The station is located on John Counter Boulevard, on its east side. Public transport here is rare (one bus every hour or two, and even less often in the evenings and weekends). The best way to get from here to the city center is by taxi, which costs $15.

By bus, the best route is 18 Train Station Circuit, which is scheduled to accommodate most train arrivals (remember that VIA trains are often late). This bus will take you to the heart of the city, to Princess Street. The Kingston Center bus runs every half hour (every hour on evenings and weekends) to the Kingston Shopping Centre. And from here you can get to anywhere in the city. Bus fares are typically $2.25.

By bus

Buses (Coach Canada) run on the Toronto-Kingston-Montreal route several times a day. Another bus (Voyageur) goes to Ottawa twice a day. Buses usually take quite a long time and drop off passengers on John Counter Boulevard (near a warehouse converted into a trucking company in an industrial park) in the northern part of the city. Tourists can get to the city center by taxi or public transport (taxi and bus stands can be found at the bus station, opposite Tim Horton's). Along #2 Division Street you can get to the city center by bus, which departs every half hour (and in the evenings and weekends - every hour).

By car

The most common route to Kingston is Highway 401. Time required to get there from major cities:

1.5 hours to the northeast

Montreal - 3 hours east

Toronto - 2.5 hours west

Syracuse - 2 hours south

By ferry

The Rideau Canal connects Kingston and Ottawa. Quite a few people travel there on pleasure boats. Kingston is also home to the source of the St. Lawrence River and the easternmost point of the Great Lakes; this strategic position of the city has been very important since 1673.

Kingston has several harbors that can accommodate vessels of all sizes. For example:

• Blue Woods Marina
• Collins Bay Marina
• Confederation Basin
• Kingston Marina
• Kingston Yacht Club
• Music Marina
• Portsmouth Olympic Harbor
• Rideau Marina
• Treasure Island Marina

Clue:

Kingston - the time is now

Hour difference:

Moscow 7

Kazan 7

Samara 8

Yekaterinburg 9

Novosibirsk 11

Vladivostok 14

When is the season? When is the best time to go

Kingston - monthly weather

Clue:

Kingston - monthly weather

Main attractions. What to see

Fort Henry

Historical military building. Visiting time: 3 hours maximum.

Canadian Forces Base Kingston

Modern military building. It is home to some of Canada's active duty forces, including the Joint Signal Regiment (JSR) and 21 Electronic Warfare Regiment. The Museum of Communications is also located here.

Royal Military College

Historic buildings and wide avenues filled with soldiers. Visiting time: 1 hour maximum.

Bellevue House

A beautifully maintained Italian villa with lush gardens that served for a time as the home of Canada's first Prime Minister, John Alexander Macdonald. The house itself and the land around it have been restored to the style of the 1840s, and museum workers are dressed in costumes from that era. Bellevue House is a national historic building owned by the government agency Parks Canada. This house (35 Center St.) is located 1-2 km west of the city center and the university. Excursions. Visiting time: 1-2 hours.

Cataraqui River and LaSalle Causeway Bridge

Water and steel. Visiting time: 15 minutes maximum.

Rideau Canal

Built in 1851 as a protective bypass for the St. Lawrence River. The original stone castles and wooden gates are still in use - they are used to allow pleasure boats through. The Kingston Mills Lock, the first of a series of ever-expanding doors to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, can be found by boat or car along the Kingston Mills Road, which runs between Battersea Rd (401 exit 619/Montreal St) and Hwy 15 (401 exit 623). North of Highway 401 in a rural area. Visiting time: 45 minutes.

St Mary's Cathedral Roman Catholic

A large and very tall Roman Catholic cathedral. The bells are ringing VERY LOUD. Visiting time: 30 minutes maximum.

St George's Anglican Cathedral

A large and very elaborate Protestant cathedral, of interest from both a historical and architectural point of view. Visiting time: 30 minutes maximum.

Murney Tower

Martello Tower (historical military structure). Visiting time: 45 minutes.

Kingston Penitentiary

One of Kingston's most famous institutions. Clifford Olson and Paul Bernando were once held here; people would kill (and have been killing) to get into this prison for a century. The Prison Museum (located north of the prison at King St and Sir John A MacDonald Blvd) is open to the public, as is Olympic Harbor (adjacent to the prison), where the 1976 Olympic sailing competition was held. Visiting times: from 2 years to life. But if you want to "just walk around", then spend a little over an hour on a tour of the museum.

Queen's University

Another one of Kingston's most famous institutions. Limestone buildings covered in ivy and lots and lots of students.

Beamish-Munro Hall

Children interested in how buildings are constructed may enjoy the Integrated Learning Center or Beamish-Munro Hall. This is the building of the new Center for Applied Science (Engineering) of the university. "Interactive Construction" was designed to show how buildings are constructed and even allow children to interact with it.

Embankment

Kingston has a fairly lively waterfront and sometimes has interesting events that you can take part in.

Museums. Which ones are worth visiting?

Art Galleries. The university is home to two galleries: the student run Union Gallery in the Stauffer Library and the Agnes Etherington Art Centre.

Miller Geology Museum. A relatively small museum, but very interesting. You must register for the tour in advance.

Kingston Health Museum. A small museum with exhibitions (and many artifacts) dedicated to the history of medicine. The museum also offers tours of the history of Kingston General Hospital (KGH) for $5, but tours of the museum itself are free. There are usually few people here because the museum is small and difficult to find. Visiting time: depends on your interest. In total, it can take 2 hours if you take the tour and are really interested in it.

Tourist streets

Princess St and the city center. Shops, cafes and much more. Visiting time: 5 hours maximum.

What to see in the area

Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area. This reservation is north of Highway 401, so you'll need a car or motorcycle to get here from downtown. There is a small fee to enter the park. In summer, you can go on a hiking tour or float down the river in a canoe or kayak. In winter, you can snowshoe, ski, or even ice skate on the frozen lake. For most activities, you can rent equipment and order a trainer.

Wolf Island. Barges from Kingston go to the island hourly and completely free of charge. Getting there by bike is much more difficult. George Pyke's Strawberry farm (about 25 km from the barge dock) is a great place to visit, especially at the end of June. There are country dance festivals held at the island's town hall or in Kingston throughout the year.

Fruition Berry Farm is Kingston's premier strawberry farm, located off Hwy 15 (at Hughes Road), 5 miles north of Highway 401. Due to weather and crop production, open from June to October. You can pick your own strawberries, raspberries, peas, beans, and even corn and pumpkin in the fall! Go for a picnic, stroll through the beautiful countryside or leave the kids in the playground.

Frontenac Provincial Park is 30 minutes' drive from downtown Kingston. Here you can take a walk and go on a picnic.

Food. What to try

Kingston has the largest number of restaurants per capita, and you can always find a cafe within your budget.

Budget

Peter's Place on Princess St, opposite Smith-Robinson. It serves Greek and Canadian cuisine, the restaurant is known for its very cheap breakfasts.

Famous King Restaurant at the intersection of Princess and Chatham streets (address: 505 Princess St.). Middle Eastern cuisine, delicious and nutritious, and also inexpensive.

Golden Viet Thai is located on Wellington Street, between Princess and Queen Streets, and serves great, cheap Thai food. You can order a full meal for less than $8, and each main course comes with dessert - tapioca pudding. They serve an Asian version of it though, so be careful. The dishes are prepared with a Chinese flavor, especially in terms of presentation.

Golden Rooster Delicatessen on Princess St, near Wellington St, is a very popular establishment. There are a lot of people here at lunchtime on weekdays, but you better join them - it's worth it! It serves Danish and Dutch dishes, as well as a wide range of cheeses and meats.

Mekong is located on Princess St near Division St and serves wonderful Vietnamese food. Known for its avocado cocktails. Inexpensive and but the service is very fast!

Wok In is located in a tiny shop on Montreal St., east of Princess St. Thai and Cambodian cuisine of excellent quality. There are usually a lot of people in the restaurant. Be sure to try lunch No. 1 - it is especially popular among visitors. The owners of the restaurant are a nice married couple.

Saigon Delights is a Vietnamese restaurant with two locations: one on Division Street just north of Queen Street, and the other on Wellingston Street just off Princess Street. Most dishes cost less than $7. Famous for its pho soup and bun noodles.

The Toucan/Kirkpatricks is an excellent Irish pub located in the city center on Princess St, between Wellington and King streets. Kirkpatricks is on the top floor and Toucan is on the bottom floor. Overall, this place is commonly referred to as "The Toucan". They serve new drink specials every night, cold draft beer and live music on Mondays after 10pm. Be sure to try the layered cheese nachos (half price on Wednesdays), chicken wings and roasted sweet potatoes. You can pay with cash or credit card, they have an ATM.

Royal Angkor is a Cambodian restaurant located at 523 Princess Street (between Chatham and Alfred streets). Wonderful food, wide selection of vegetarian options. If you've never tried Cambodian cuisine, start with chicken in red curry.

Mid-level

Cambodiana is located on Brock St, opposite the Hotel Dieu Hospital. It used to be the best Thai/Cambodian restaurant in all of southern Ontario before the owners sold it. To try dishes from the previous owners, go to Pat's Restaurant.

Lone Star Cafe is located on the waterfront in the city center. Everything here is in the rugged Texas style, from fajitas and steaks to Tex-Mex specials.

White Mountain Homemade Ice Cream sells great ice cream, although a little pricey. Large selection of ice cream flavors served on homemade waffle cones. Do not buy “big” cones, because it is impossible to finish them even halfway. Doesn't work in winter.

Ta-Ke Sushi is located at the intersection of Bagot and Princess streets, famous for its Korean/Japanese cuisine, maintains a wonderful atmosphere. They serve some of the best sushi in Kingston, bento box lunches and excellent maki.

Copper Penny is a great place to grab breakfast (wraps, sandwiches, gourmet burgers) or lunch (pasta and pizza) in a cozy atmosphere. Lunch usually costs under $10, and pasta will cost you about $13 per serving. The restaurant is famous for its French onion soup, giant wraps and homemade pesto. The waiters are always friendly. Get there early because you can't make reservations here.

Tango is a place known for its food and selection of martinis. The signature dishes of this restaurant are salads, sandwiches and fried sweet potatoes. A huge selection of tapas, which on Sunday and Monday evenings are 40% off if you order a drink (not necessarily alcoholic). On these nights, a group of 4-6 people can eat and drink for $6-7 per person. On Fridays there are DJs playing after 11pm.

Windmills is a more expensive restaurant where you can find a whole variety of dishes, rather than just one! The cost of the dishes is justified, because the daily specials are creative. The restaurant also offers catering services. Located in the city center, on Princess St, between Montreal St and Bagot St.

Harper's Burger Bar is an elite chain of burger restaurants located on Princess Street, near Wellington Street. In addition to fried meat, they also sell vegetarian dishes. You can also find local beer and unusual wines, as well as cocktails. Burgers cost about $7- 12.

Above average establishments

Chez Piggy is located in the same block as Chien Noir. It has a reputation for amazing cuisine. The quality of serving depends on the delicacy of the dish, as well as on whether wine or water was served with it.

Le Chien Noir is located on Brock Street, between King St. and Wellington St. They serve excellent French cuisine. Book your table in advance as seating is limited.

Pan Chancho is located near the intersection of Princess and King St. Lovely bistro to stay for lunch. The best Italian and French pastries are sold here. The bakery is located in Chez Piggy. On weekends, breakfast is sold all day. You can also order sandwiches, salads, prepared meals and baked goods to-go.

Expensive

Casa Domenico is located on Brock St., next to Ontario St. They serve excellent Italian cuisine and the service is second to none. The wine list is also quite good.

The River Mill offers excellent modern cuisine and a good wine list.

Where can I get a drink?

Coffee

The Sleepless Goat (“The Goat”) is a worker cooperative. It serves coffee and tea, desserts, as well as vegetarian dishes. Located on Princess St, at the intersection with Wellington St. The service is good, although sometimes slow. The music and the freshly ground Dr. Joe coffee are just wonderful. Free Wi-Fi, but electrical outlets are only located in one part of the cafe.

Coffee and Company serves espresso, a variety of coffees and loose leaf teas. Students often hang out at this coffee shop in the city center.

Starbucks at Wellington and Princess. Students often spend time here too. This coffee shop was vandalized three times (you can still see traces of paint on the canopy over the door), but then the police installed surveillance cameras around the building and now everything is calm here. It is in direct competition with The Goat coffee shop.

Several Tim Hortons cafes can be found throughout the city.

The Country Style chain has two cafes: one on the west of Bath Road (Hwy. 33), the other on the corner of John Counter Blvd. (formerly Elliot Avenue) and Montreal St, next to the Community Spirit Bingo Hall.

Alcohol

There are not many pubs in Kingston, but they are all of excellent quality. Please remember that smoking is prohibited in all establishments.

Kingston Brewing Company (KBC) is located on Clarence St. near the intersection with Ontario St. As the name suggests, this pub brews its own beer and offers a wide selection of seasonal beers. Particularly notable drinks: White Tail, Dragon's Breath and apple cider brewed right here. KBC also sells beer from other companies, such as Guinness and other famous brands. Every month they hold a "Brewer's Whim" promotion when they add to the range new beers, usually from Canadian breweries.

Tir Nan "Og and Old Speckled Hen are two adjacent pubs that are located in the Prince George Hotel. The pubs differ in their interiors and offer beer and whiskey from Ireland and Britain respectively. The hotel is now temporarily closed for restoration.

The Toucan is another Irish pub. They offer a wide selection of local and imported beer in kegs. This building houses two different bars and a small area located even above the second pub. During warmer seasons, a covered patio is opened in the unusual limestone-paved courtyard. The food served here is typical pub food. Breakfast price ($2.99) is the best in Kingston.

Things to do

Thousand Islands Cruise. Boats that depart from Kingston travel down the St. Lawrence River and around the Thousand Islands. The cruise lasts about 3 hours. If you have a car, it's best to drive to the nearby town of Gananoque, 20 minutes northwest of Kingston, and take a cruise from there, as you'll be able to see more.

Local Heritage Cruises. The small cruise ship MV Georgian Clipper offers 5-day, 4-night trips on Lake Ontario, the Thousand Islands and the St. Lawrence River from June to October. During the cruise, you will get to know the islands better and walk along their coasts. The cruise organizers provide luxury accommodation and meals.

Skating

Market Square: In 2005, an outdoor skating rink was built in the city. It is cooled and even restored by a resurfacer every couple of hours, so the ice here is much better than at other skating rinks. Hockey sticks are not allowed here.

City Park (west of the city center). Although the ice is not restored as often as in the market square, you can play hockey here.

Water sports

It is believed that Kingston is the best place in the world for sailing. The sailing competitions of the 1976 Montreal Olympics were held here.

Wind surfing and kiteboarding are also very popular.

Diving. It is believed that Kingston has the best reservoirs, where there are many remains of ships.

Other

Festivals and holidays. In summer and autumn, the city hosts various interesting events, such as the Jazz Festival or the Blues Festival, as well as the Buskers Rendezvous street performances.

Tour of the city hall. Ontario Street (opposite the tourist center). From 10:00 to 16:00. Enjoy a free 45-minute tour of City Hall. Held from Monday to Saturday.

Shopping and shops

Cooke's Fine Foods on Brock St., near the intersection, is an "old-fashioned" store specializing in the sale of English and European sweets, sauces, preserves and cheeses. They even roast coffee every day and sell it for $9 per pound (453 g ) We also sell gift baskets of excellent quality.

The Market Square Farmers Market opens every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday year-round. The peak market activity occurs in the summer, but some residents also trade in winter. In summer you can buy fresh food, canned goods and baked goods, art and clothing. Buy maple syrup here, and not in tourist shops, because it’s cheaper here and you can talk to the person who got it.

The Antiques Market (located in the same place as the Farmers' Market) opens on Sundays in the summer.

Private Kingston History Tours ( [email protected]), tel.: 613 389 465. Hired guides for tourist buses. Sit back, relax, and let an experienced guide show you around Canada's first capital!

Contemporary Canadian and Inuit Crafts Cornerstone, 255 Ontario Street (at the corner of Princess St), phone: 613-546-7967. All works are sold with a government seal of authenticity and a card with the name and society of the author. Exhibits include Eskimo crafts made from stones, whale bone and deer antlers. A good selection of prints from Cape Dorset and Pangnirtung workshops can be found. Available works by the author Germaini Arnataujok. Dream catchers and dolls from Arviat/Baker Lake, made of wool and decorated with beads or strips of deerskin.

Antique Alley, address: 207B Wellington Street. Kingston's largest antiques and valuables store with 8 outlets covering a total area of ​​370 m2 (4000 ft2). Open daily from 10:00 to 16:00.

How to get around the city

Most of the city's tourist attractions, including Queen's University and the coastline, are located in the center of Kingston. Thus, the "best" places in the city are best explored on foot or by bike.

A taxi from the bus station or railway station will cost you $10-15, depending on the number of passengers and the amount of luggage.

Public transport is provided by very reliable and clean Kingston Transit buses. However, they run irregularly and rarely - at best, once every 15-30 minutes (depending on the route).