Best Time to Visit Port of Spain

Two seasons: dry and wet

Port of Spain is warm all year, so the real split is between dry and wet. The dry season runs roughly from January to May. The wet season takes over in June and stays, with a short break in September, until December.

In the dry months, mornings are bright and the evenings stay warm. February to April is our best stretch. You get about 13 rainy days a month, and showers are usually brief. April is the hottest of those months, so a sticky afternoon in the Queen's Park Savannah (the big central park) calls for a coconut water stop from a roadside vendor.

From June to August it rains on 26 days a month. That doesn't mean all-day downpours, but you'll get heavy bursts and humid, grey spells. November is just as wet, with the same 26 days.

Carnival, and the crowds that follow it

Carnival is the biggest event of the year. It happens on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, so it falls in February or early March. The weeks before it bring fetes (big parties), soca and calypso competitions, and steelpan shows. Flights and rooms fill up and prices climb. If you want the full spectacle, you'll need to commit early.

Don't love crowds? Come in late March or April instead. The weather is just as good, and the city calms down. You can eat doubles (curried chickpeas in soft fried bread) at a stall without a long queue.

Wet-season months are the quiet ones. Many visitors skip them, so it's low season. Hotels are easier to find and the city feels more local.

Matching the month to your trip

For a city break with food and music, pick February to April. You can walk Ariapita Avenue's restaurants and bars in the evening and stay mostly dry.

Heading to the north coast beaches, like Maracas Bay? Dry months are best. Try the famous bake and shark sandwich there. Seas and skies are friendlier then.

Hikers heading into the Northern Range should avoid June to August. Trails turn muddy and slippery.

Diwali, the festival of lights, usually lands in October or November. It's a good reason to visit despite the rain, especially for the lamps and sweets in Indian-heritage communities around the island. If you go, expect showers and take an umbrella.

January and May are in-between months. January is fair, with 18 rainy days, and May turns noticeably wetter.