Itinerary · Montego Bay · Jamaica
2 days in Montego Bay
A day-by-day plan grouped by neighbourhood, so you spend your time seeing Montego Bay, not crossing it.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
2 days is a taster: the plan below covers the essentials, but most visitors want 7. Day 1: Doctor's Cave Beach and Hip Strip. Day 2: Greenwood Great House and Sam Sharpe Square. Base yourself in Hip Strip (Gloucester Avenue).
Key facts
- Days
- 2
- Sights covered
- 10
- Day trips
- None
- Best base
- Hip Strip (Gloucester Avenue)
- Book ahead
- Nothing essential
Day by day
Day 1: Doctor's Cave Beach and Hip Strip
Doctor's Cave Beach, Hip Strip, Montego Bay Marine Park and Dead End Beach (Buccaneer Beach), then Rose Hall Great House in the evening.
Morning
Doctor's Cave Beach
It became famous in the early 20th century when visitors came for the reputedly healing waters, and the entry fee covers changing rooms and facilities.
Late morning
Hip Strip
It is the place for an evening drink overlooking the bay and the main nightlife strip of Montego Bay.
Lunch
Lunch: Jerk chicken and pork
Jerk centres along the coast road east of the airport and stands on the Hip Strip; roadside drum-pan grills across town at night.
Afternoon
Montego Bay Marine Park
Glass-bottom boat trips and snorkelling excursions leave from the Hip Strip beaches to the shallow reefs.
Late afternoon
Dead End Beach (Buccaneer Beach)
A free public strip of sand at the end of Kent Avenue near the airport runway, popular with locals and for watching planes come in low over the water at sunset.
Evening
Rose Hall Great House
Book the evening tour for the atmosphere, or a daytime tour for the views over the sea.
Day 2: Greenwood Great House and Sam Sharpe Square
Greenwood Great House, Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay Cultural Centre and St James Parish Church, then Luminous Lagoon at Glistening Waters in the evening.
Morning
Greenwood Great House
The veranda overlooks the coast.
Late morning
Sam Sharpe Square
A bronze monument depicts Sharpe addressing followers, and The Cage, an early 19th-century lock-up, stands on one corner.
Lunch
Lunch: Ackee and saltfish
Breakfast at local cafés and resort buffets.
Afternoon
Montego Bay Cultural Centre
In the restored civic building on Sam Sharpe Square, the cultural centre houses the National Gallery West, with rotating exhibitions of Jamaican art, and a museum on the history of St James parish.
Late afternoon
St James Parish Church
Its marble memorials to planters and their families make it one of the island's finest Georgian churches.
Evening
Luminous Lagoon at Glistening Waters
Go on a dark, moonless night for the brightest glow.
Where to stay for this itinerary
$$ · Best for first-timers, nightlife, budget and solo travellers
Hip Strip (Gloucester Avenue)
Beach clubs, bars, jerk stands and mid-range hotels along the bay
Pace and daylight
The sights in this plan add up to roughly 14–19 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 11 hours in December to 13.2 hours in June.
Getting between stops: Taxi. Licensed taxis, including JUTA tourist taxis, wait at hotels, the airport and the Hip Strip; fares are usually fixed by route rather than metered.
More or fewer days
Questions travellers ask
+Is 2 days enough in Montego Bay?
2 days is a taster: the plan below covers the essentials, but most visitors want 7. How many days Montego Bay needs.