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Voykit pocket guide · Haiti
Port-au-Prince
Pòtoprens
Do not plan a leisure trip here: read your government's Haiti advisory first, and if you still go, keep it to 1–2 nights with pre-arranged transport.
Port-au-Prince is Haiti's capital and largest city, on a bay in the Gulf of Gonâve. The 2010 earthquake destroyed much of the historic centre, and the National Palace and the main cathedral remain ruins. The city is a working capital, not a sightseeing base: security, not itinerary, decides your day. Most travellers who come at all stay in the hills of Pétion-Ville and move by pre-booked car.
- Country
- Haiti
- Local name
- Pòtoprens
- Best months
- Nov–Apr (drier, cooler)
- Avoid
- May–Oct (rain, heat, hurricane season)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- HTG
- Money
- Cash in US dollars and gourdes runs daily life; see Insurance & payments above.
- Daily spend
- Budget US$40–70 excl. bed · Mid US$70–150 excl. bed · High US$150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- Emergency
- Police 114 · Ambulance 115 · Fire 116
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Street food plate | up to G100 |
| Full plate at a modest restaurant | around G200 |
| Cheeseburger, fries and a drink | about G120 |
| Tap-tap ride | G15–25 |
| Street taxi in daylight | about G500 |
| Prestige beer or bottled water | G50–150 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PAP · Toussaint Louverture International
- Tabarre, about 9 km (5.6 mi) northeast of the centre; some domestic Sunrise Airways flights use the separate Guy Malary terminal nearbyTabarre, about 5.6 mi (9 km) northeast of the centre; some domestic Sunrise Airways flights use the separate Guy Malary terminal nearby
Typical fares
- PAP airport → Pétion-Ville by car
- US$20–40, 30–60 min
- Street taxi in daylight
- about G500
- Tap-tap ride
- G15–25
- Coach to Santo Domingo
- about US$40 one way
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Tap-taps (colourful shared pickups) run fixed routes for about G15–25, but you need several to cross the city and they are not for luggage. Street taxis are about G500 in daylight and rise sharply after dark. For visitors the realistic option is a hotel-arranged car or a known driver by the day; a moto-taxi guide has been quoted around US$20 for 3–4 hours.
See and do
Known for
- National Palace ruins
- Marché de Fer (Iron Market)
- Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien
- Pétion-Ville hillside hotels
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pétion-Ville | Car or taxi south through Delmas, about 20–40 min depending on traffic | About 30–50 min |
| Saint-Marc | RN-1 north by car, about 2 h | About 2–2.5 h |
| Jimani border (Dominican Republic) | RN-8 east to the Malpasse–Jimani crossing, about 54 km (34 mi)RN-8 east to the Malpasse–Jimani crossing, about 34 mi (54 km) | About 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Pétion-Ville
- Hillside suburb south of the centre; most embassies, the Karibe Hotel and the safest hotel cluster. Where most visitors sleep.
- Tabarre / airport zone
- Near PAP and the bus stations; practical for one night before an early flight or a Santo Domingo coach.
- Delmas
- Residential corridor between the centre and Pétion-Ville; guesthouses, but you need a car for everything.
- Champ-de-Mars / centre
- Walkable in daylight and the cheapest beds, but the security picture here changes fast: check before you book.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjoubon-zhoo |
| Thank you | Mèsimeh-see |
| How much is it? | Konbyen li koute?kon-byen lee koo-tay |
| I don't understand | Mwen pa konprannmwen pa kon-pran |
| Help! | Sekou!seh-koo |
| Where is the toilet? | Kote twalèt la?ko-tay twa-let la |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Scams and watch-outs
- Read your own government's Haiti travel advice before booking anything: several countries advise against all travel, and this desk does not plan around that.
- Do not walk after dark outside the busiest blocks of Champ-de-Mars; arrange a car door to door.
- Kidnapping and armed robbery are the risks that shape every movement; use a trusted local contact for airport and bus-station pickups.
- Fuel shortages and roadblocks can strand you for a day: keep cash, water and a charged phone.
- ATMs exist at Unibank and Sogebank branches and at larger hotels, but carry a cash reserve; US dollars are widely accepted.
- Hurricane season runs Jun–Nov; the city also floods in heavy rain.
This is a go/no-go destination, not a normal city break: check your government's Haiti advisory, move only by pre-arranged car, and be back at your hotel before dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Port-au-Prince yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- National Palace ruins
- Marché de Fer (Iron Market)
- Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien
- Pétion-Ville hillside hotels
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Ville de Port-au-Prince (official city site): portauprince.ht/
- Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP): pap.aan-haiti.com/
- Sunrise Airways: sunriseairways.net/
- Capital Coach Lines (Santo Domingo coaches): www.capitalcoachline.com/
- Wikivoyage: Port-au-Prince, revision 5314691 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5314691
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Port-au-PrincePòtoprens
Ale nan adrès sa a, tanpri
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most embassies and consulates sit in Pétion-Ville, including Canada, France, Brazil, Mexico and Japan; the US embassy is in Tabarre. Several countries cover Haiti from Santo Domingo or their UN mission in New York: check before you need them.
Numbers 114/115/116 are the published Haitian emergency lines; response is unreliable, so your hotel or a local contact is your real plan.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/port-au-prince). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.