Guide to Haiti
Must See Haiti
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Haiti's second city, with a population of around 100,000, has more of a Latin feel than the capital. The Spanish-influenced architecture has bestowed on Haiti's former capital, once called the 'Paris of the Antilles,' a grid of shady streets that are easy to navigate and pleasant to stroll.
The tropical air has a lazy citrus aroma from orange peels sunning their way into Grand Marnier and Cointreau bottles. If you'd like to do the same, somewhere sandy in the sun, some of the country's best beaches are along Rue 21, winding into the hills northwest of the cape.
Much of Haitian history has taken place in and around the northern city, and there are several forts in various stages of dillapidation lining the once strategically important coast. Sans Souci Palais, commissioned by Henri Christophe in 1810 as a capital building and rival to Versailles in France, lies in elegant ruin outside of Cap-Haïtien. Some 5km (3mi) away is The Citadelle, the impenetrable fortress that may be Haiti's most recognizable landmark. Built over 15 years by more than 20,000 'workers,' (read: slave laborers) it held enough supplies to outfit 5000 troops and the royal family for an entire year behind 40m-tall (130ft-tall) walls. It's now a national park.