A cruise day in Basseterre

Cruise ships dock at Port Zante, right on the Basseterre waterfront, so you can step off the pier into the capital. Downtown is compact: most of what's below is within about a ten-minute walk.

On the pier

Port Zante has duty-free shops, and the Amina Craft Market, where local sellers have batik, pottery, jewellery and soaps. Taxis and island tours line up at the terminal.

On foot

• The Circus is Basseterre's central roundabout, said to be named after Piccadilly Circus in London. It was laid out when the town was rebuilt after a fire in 1867, and the Berkeley Memorial clock has stood at its centre since 1883. It's also the main taxi rank.
• The National Museum occupies the upper floor of the Old Treasury Building, a stone building from the 1890s where the old town meets Port Zante. It's run by the St. Christopher National Trust.
• Independence Square was Pall Mall Square until 19 September 1983, when it was renamed for independence. It was once a market square in the days of slavery. Today it's a quiet green space with a fountain, and it's used for cultural events.
• The Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the grey stone Catholic church on the east side of the square, was rebuilt in 1927–1928.
• St. George's Anglican Church is Basseterre's largest church. There's been a church on the site since the 1600s, and the building has been rebuilt many times after fires, an earthquake and hurricanes.

Worth a taxi

Taxis aren't metered: fares are fixed by destination and quoted for one to four people. Agree the fare, and the time you need to be back, before you set off.

Brimstone Hill Fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1999, and the best-known sight on the island. It's on the northwest coast, about half an hour's drive from Basseterre. Check its opening hours and entry fee before you go.

Romney Manor, at Old Road, is home to Caribelle Batik, which has made batik there since 1976. You can watch the wax-and-dye process, and the gardens have an enormous old saman tree.

The St. Kitts Scenic Railway runs on the narrow-gauge line built between 1912 and 1926 to carry sugar cane to the factory in Basseterre. The tour combines about 18 miles by train with a stretch by bus around the island. It's usually sold as a cruise shore excursion and can sell out on busy ship days, so book ahead.

Beaches. Frigate Bay is the closest, with a calm Caribbean side and a rougher Atlantic side. Cockleshell Bay, at the southern tip of the Southeast Peninsula, looks across to Nevis and has beach bars and watersports.

Be back in time

Plan to be at the pier well before all-aboard. Traffic, a long lunch or a late train can all eat the margin, and ships don't wait.

Photos: Independence Square with fountain and Basseterre Co-Cathedral of Immaculate Conception and The Circus, Basseterre by Gertjan R., CC BY-SA 4.0; St. Kitts Scenic Railway by David Stanley, CC BY 2.0.