Saturday

5) 8 a.m. To market

Explore the outdoorsy parts of Trinidad that are within easy reach of Port of Spain. Begin at the Green Market Santa Cruz, a farmers’ market set in a garden a 20-minute drive from the city on the road to Maracas Bay. It is part of a working farm; vendors sell organic produce, mango chutneys and jars of chadon beni sauce (made from a cilantrolike herb), flowers and crafts, as well as snacks like Venezuelan arepas and the uniquely Trini “doubles,” the version here made with pigeon peas instead of chickpeas, well spiced and sandwiched between two pieces of fried bread. Add a cup of cocoa tea, a sweet local drink made from ground cocoa beans and spices.



6) 10 a.m. Hit the beach

Drive north from the Green Market to Maracas Bay, along a narrow road of hairpin turns with gorgeous views from the cliffs’ edge down to the water. Maracas Bay is the most popular beach within reach of the capital, and on Saturdays it can get crowded with people swimming in the clean, warm sea backed by lush green hills. One reason locals come here is for the “shark n’ bake” that’s sold at seaside food stands: a portion of shark (although skeptics say it’s just “fish”) battered and fried, then tucked into the “bake,” a folded-over circle of fried bread (35 dollars). Try it at Vilma’s, where the sauces are homemade, and add a cold Carib beer.

Teenagers play soccer in the sprawling Queen’s Park Savannah, in the heart of the city. Credit Meridith Kohut for The New York Times



7) 1 p.m. History and houses

Head back into town to the National Museum and Art Gallery (free), on the edge of the Queen’s Park Savannah. The museum is dated, indifferently air-conditioned, and the exhibitions are chronologically disordered, yet it’s worth spending an hour here digging into Trinidad’s fascinating history. There are evocative old photos of the sugar, rum and oil industries and the capital, and exhibits on Spanish and British colonization, the abolition of slavery and the development of trade unions. (The second-floor Cazabon Gallery houses works by Trinidad’s most famous painter, Michel-Jean Cazabon; check the website for hours.) The museum is a short stroll from the historic “Magnificent Seven,” a series of grand 20th-century mansions that line the west side of the Savannah, and exist in various states of disrepair. The red-and-gray Queen’s Royal College is the most striking; it dates to 1904 and is still in use.

8) 2 p.m. Birds by boat

Head south on Uriah Butler Highway toward Pêche Pâtisserie, 30 minutes from the capital. Stop for lobster bisque and crab-stuffed prawns with creamed cassava. Then drive 10 minutes north to the Caroni Swamp wetlands for some top-notch bird-watching. Nanan’s runs daily two-and-a-half-hour boat tours (60 dollars) at 4 p.m. Guides steer green pontoons down the calm waterways, stopping to point out the different types of mangroves that line the banks, as well as snowy egrets, herons and, depending on the day, caimans, anteaters and snakes hanging from tree branches. The tour pauses before sunset for the startling sight of hundreds of bright scarlet ibises flying home to roost.

9) 9 p.m. Liming in St. James

Lined with Chinese restaurants, bars and stores that stay open late, Western Main Road in the St. James neighborhood is the place to come for an evening of partying (called “liming”). Take a long, slow stroll starting at Cawnpore Street, and head west, stopping for the occasional cold, local Carib or Stag at a bar blasting soca music. Have a heavy street snack of Indian roti stuffed with chicken, beef or goat curry topped with potatoes, pumpkin and spiced mango (ask for “slight” pepper to avoid too much heat, around 25 dollars). Or pick up a “punch” (the Trini word for juice); vendors sell shakes of soursop, passionfruit or sea moss, blended with ice and condensed milk.