Charlestown

Introduction

Charlestown is the capital of Nevis, one of the islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Charlestown is situated on the leeward side of the island of Nevis, near the southern end of Pinneys Beach. Charlestown Harbor was originally called Bath Bay, in reference to Bath Stream. This stream was noted for its curative waters.
Historically, in colonial times, the town of Charlestown was protected by Fort Charles to the south and Fort Black Rocks to the north. Many of the oldest two-story stone buildings were severely damaged over time by earthquakes, which tended to cause the upper story to collapse into the lower story. This unfortunate design flaw led to the common practice of building a wooden upper floor above a stone ground floor.

Charlestown was the birthplace and childhood home of Alexander Hamilton. The restored stone building which was his place of birth now houses the Museum of Nevis History on the ground floor, and the Nevis Island Administration Assembly Room on the upper floor. There are two other museums in Charlestown: the Nelson Museum, and the Nevis Sport Museum, as well as the Philatelic Bureau.

There are many other important buildings in the town, some historical and some recent, such as the Post Office, the old Treasury Building which is now the Nevis Tourism Authority, the Court House and Public Library, the new Police Station and the Alexandra Hospital. At the northern end of town is the Bath Hotel and Spring House, which was a famous tourist hotel and spa during the 18th century. The main building of the Bath Hotel was for a while occupied by government offices.

Sights and Activities

Nevis botanical gardens

The Nevis botanical gardens cover about 3.2 hectares of land only and are only a few minutes' southeast of Charlestown. The gardens display a rare and stunning collection of tropical greenery, orchid and rose gardens, and a rainforest conservatory. All flora is marked with its common name, making it accessible to all. There are some fine giftshops and restaurants nearby as well. Visit the Nevis Botanical Gardens website for more information.

• Museum of Nevis History

Events and Festivals

Culturama

This is the smaller island of Nevis’ answer to the main annual festival held in St Kitts. It is held over the last weekend of July, and features similar music, street dancing, parades, and pageants.

Independence Day

Independence Day is a public holiday that celebrates the independence and formation of the sovereign nation of St Kitts and Nevis. During the week either side of the day communities have a schedule of events including parades, picnics, and formal cocktail receptions.

Weather

Charlestown has a warm and humid tropical climate with temperatures usually around 30 °C during the day and around 23 °C at night. June to September is slightly warmer with temperatures above 30 °C at daytime and not dropping below 26 °C on average at night. Rainfall is spread throughout the year and possible in every month but July to November is the wetter time of year while February to May is somewhat drier.

Getting There

By Plane

Vance W. Amory International Airport (NEV), about 10 kilometres from Charlestown in the north of Nevis, has flights with Windward Islands Airways (Winair) to Saint Kitts and Sint Maarten, Leeward Islands Air Transport (LIAT) to Antigua and Barbuda, while American Eagle has flights to and from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

By Bus

On Nevis there are two bus routes who both travel around the ring road of the island. Both routes orginate and terminate in Charlestown.
Buses traveling north from Charlestown leave from the southwest end of D.R. Walwyn Plaza and buses traveling south from Charlestown leave from the northern end of Memorial Square.

By Boat

Six ferries operate between the islands of Saint Kitss and Nevis: the MV Caribe Queen, MV Carib Breeze and MV Carib Surf, the MV Mark Twain, the MV Geronimo and the MV Sea Hustler. The MV Mark Twain is currently inactive, but the other 5 vessels have a total of 15 sailings a day between both islands in either direction, between 6.30am (first sailing from Saint Kitts) to 7pm (last sailing from Saint Kitts). From Nevis, the first one leaves at 7am and the last at 6 pm. Crossings take about 45 minutes and provide an excellent way of travelling between the capital Basseterre on Saint Kitts and Charlestown on Nevis.

Getting Around

By Foot

Charlestown is small enough to navigate on foot.

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls