Jamaica Places

Montego Bay

For many travelers, Montego Bay is synonymous with Jamaica. This northern coast community is the capital of the island's tourism industry (although Ocho Rios is quickly moving up, having already taken over the top rank in terms of cruise-ship arrivals). Most visitors arrive in Montego Bay by air, but plenty of people get here by ship.

As home of the island's busiest international airport, Montego Bay (or MoBay, as it's locally known), is the first taste most visitors have of the island. Thanks to its numerous resorts, many travelers never venture any farther.

Today many explorations of MoBay are conducted from a reclining chair—frothy drink in hand—at Doctor's Cave Beach, the city's original tourist draw, which attracted travelers who wanted to swim in what were called healing waters. Head out into the water off Doctor's Cave Beach, or any of the island's beautiful beaches, and you can find a world of undersea life awaiting exploration by snorkeling, diving, or even by venturing out in the belly of a small submarine or under your own power with the help of a high-tech dive helmet.

If you can pull yourself away from the water's edge and brush the sand off your toes, you can find some interesting colonial sights in the surrounding area. Because sugarcane plantations were an important part of the local economy for centuries, Montego Bay is home to some of the island's most famous greathouses, many open for public tours that give you a peek back at colonial days.