🇭🇹 Haiti

10 best places in Port-au-Prince

Port-au-Prince is Haiti's noisy, creative capital, where vivid naive painting, rara rhythms and the historic Iron Market sit alongside the legacy of the world's first free black republic.

Park

Champ de Mars

The capital's main square, lined with monuments to Haiti's revolutionary heroes near the ruined palace.

Museum

Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien (MUPANAH)

An underground museum of Haitian history holding the Santa Maria's anchor and independence-era relics.

Market

Marché en Fer (Iron Market)

A 19th-century cast-iron market hall selling crafts, spices and vodou charms.

Sight

Hotel Oloffson

A gingerbread-style gothic mansion immortalized by Graham Greene, with live rara-infused concerts.

District

Pétion-Ville

A hillside district of galleries, boutiques and the capital's best restaurants.

Sight

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Assomption (ruins)

The cathedral left in ruins by the 2010 earthquake, now a symbol of the city's resilience.

District

Croix-des-Bouquets

A suburb famed for artisan workshops hammering oil drums into intricate metal sculpture.

Museum

Musée d'Art Haïtien du Collège Saint-Pierre

One of the country's finest collections of Haitian naive painting.

Restaurant

Quartier Latin

A popular Petit-Place-Cazeau restaurant serving Haitian cuisine with live jazz.

Café

Kinam Hotel Café

A relaxed terrace café at a historic Pétion-Ville hotel overlooking Place Saint-Pierre.

FAQ

Is Port-au-Prince safe?

No. Much of the city is controlled by armed gangs, kidnapping for ransom is widespread, and the authorities have repeatedly declared states of emergency. Almost every government advises against all travel to Haiti.

Is the Port-au-Prince airport open?

International service has been cut off repeatedly, with cancelled flights and aviation regulators banning operations into Port-au-Prince. Some travel routes through Cap-Haitien or overland from the Dominican Republic, but the land routes are not safe either. Check the current airport status and your government's advisory before any attempt to travel.

What is there to see in Port-au-Prince?

In calmer times the draws are Champ de Mars, the MUPANAH museum with the country's historical relics and the Iron Market. The famous Hotel Oloffson, a landmark of Haitian cultural life, was reportedly destroyed by fire during the 2025 attacks. Petion-Ville up in the hills is the better off district, but access to any of these now depends on conditions on the day.

What language is spoken in Haiti?

There are two official languages: Haitian Creole, which everyone speaks, and French, used in documents and education. English shows up in the diaspora and in some hotels but should not be counted on. Spanish is barely present despite the Dominican border.