Delve into the sights, history and spirit of Jamaica’s capital of Kingston on this full-day trip from Montego Bay. Travel past lush plantations, mountains and the tropical foliage canopies of Fern Gully to this laid-back city fringed by the misty Blue Mountains and a beautiful bay. See its colonial landmarks and bustling street markets, visit the Bob Marley Museum, once home to the great reggae musician; and admire Devon House, an opulent monument to 19th-century Jamaica. The tour includes time for an enticing lunch (own expense) at Devon House.
Start with a pickup from your Montego Bay hotel. Board your air-conditioned coach or minivan and pass lush plantations, rickety villages and verdant countryside on route to Kingston.
Drive through Fern Gully, a 3-mile (5-kilometer) road where giant ferns create a luxuriant canopy of tropical greenery. Follow winding roads up the forested Mount Diablo and admire the panoramic island views from its summit.
Arrive in Kingston, set between the hazy peaks of the Blue Mountains and a vast natural harbor. Learn how the city is effectively split into a gritty Downtown of street markets and colonial-era buildings, and a commercial Uptown district.
Enjoy a sightseeing drive around top Kingston attractions and learn about the city’s history and role in Jamaica’s ebullient spirit and culture. See the historic buildings and Simon Bolivar statue in Downtown, and watch the locals go about their routines in the colorful street markets.
Stop at Devon House, a palatial mansion built by Jamaica’s first black millionaire in 1881. Tour (own expense) the opulent interiors of this grand house and break for lunch (own expense) at its courtyard restaurant.
Drive through the University of West Indies’ campus and visit the Bob Marley Museum, sited in the musician’s former home on Hope Street. Take a guided tour (own expense) of the simple rooms that chart his life with gold records, statues and memorabilia.
When the time comes, enjoy the scenic drive back to Montego Bay, where a hotel drop-off ends your trip.
Please note: the order of activities as described above may be subject to change on the day of your tour.
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Unable to get through to the company on the numbers provided in the automated email. They want you to ring them and confirm your collection time by phone prior to taking the trip. This is a pain as maybe you are not near a phone to be able to do this. We book online as we want ease of use!!_br/_ So I wrote an email to Viator who replied someone will be in touch. No one ever was. _br/_ The booking said 0800 pick up on the confirmation. I waited in case they came. But no one did. _br/_ I saw another JTL driver collecting for airport pick up at the hotel and he gave me ANOTHER number to try, the despatch office._br/_ Why should I be chasing around? Clearly they don't want my custom so I went with someone else. _br/_ Save your money - don't bother. No communication from them ever.
Review by: Akshay M, December 2017
Kingston was a big letdown compared to the other parts of the island,but the visit to the Bob Marley museum was the real highlight of the tour ! A must for all Bob Marley lovers. The tour guide Steven was very informative and Russel the driver very efficient as the drive to and from Ocho Rios is long and full of traffic!!
Review by: vishakha v, December 2017
trip was fairly good. Bob Marley museum was interesting._br/_ our guide and driver were good and informative_br/_ at museum, they charges 25 us entrance fee that was bit expensive, viator paper mentioned 20 entrance fee.
Review by: Charne B, December 2017
Had the most amazing trip and tour guides! Sheree and Delroy were so much fun and very informative, our party had the best time touring the historical sites, Devon House, Bob Marley Museum. We were able to see the changing of the guards at the National Heroes Park, as well as Kingston's Beverly Hills neighborhood. Definitely a fun trip!
Review by: Keikei, December 2017
Welcome To Jamrock
Review by: orobinson, November 2017
Driver was 30 minutes late picking us up and then advised that he was late because he had been trying to contact our Guide for the tour and hadn't been able to. Went to pick her up and she was a no show so he decided to go pick up all the passengers with hopes of contacting her before we got out of Montego Bay. Didn't happen so we went to Kingston, he drove us around town pointing out various sights but offering limited commentary. The only stops where we got off the bus was at the Bob Marley Museum and for lunch at a shopping center! Told us we had to be finished by 3PM because that's when traffic started to get congested and he wanted to be out of there and back on the road! Definitely not what we paid for!
Review by: Luis Alberto P, November 2017
El viaje desde Montego bay, bueno la primera parte por la High way Nueva, pero al llegar a Kingston fue muy lento, muchisimo trafico, el tour fue bueno, devon house, beverly hills, Bob House, Usain Bolt bar, bien._br/_ Nota: Cuidado con los taxistas son unos ladrones te pueden cobrar 100 veces mas el valor, hay que arreglar antes de subierse y recalcar que no hay renegociacion del viaje
Review by: Tracy L, October 2017
If youre coming from MoBay, be prepared for a very long but fun day. Pick up was at 530a and return was 8p. Tour guides Katie and Chris were FABULOUS! Not a lot of walking but VERY informational about not only Kingston but the island as well. Katie covered the first 4hours which was the ride to Kingston. Chris our driver was OUTSTANDING since he is from Kingston which made the journey that much more informational. No water activities on this tour. Air conditioned bus. Sites included Devon House ad the Bob Marley Museum You will need monies for the Museum if it is not a part of your tour as it was not for us but it is a stop in the day.
Review by: mobart, October 2017
When we arrived in Kingston, the guide asked us what we want to see. He was absolutely unprepared. When I sad I want to see Bolivar statue, he sad we can not stop there. When I san I want to see downtown, he sad it is to far. When we were in Devon house area, he sad that we can not go in. When I askes whay is the ticket office there, he sad that we have to pay the admission. It was the worst trip organized via the viator
Review by: Beverley G, August 2017
Great tour to do. It's a great way to see Kingston in a safe way. Tour guide was a bit rubbish he had to ask the driver for answers!. He also lied, as he said we would be going to Bolt's sport's bar/restaurant for dinner, but changed his mind and said 'just get a take-out and eat it on the bus!'. HA!! How cheeky! - we visited when it was the Olympics 2016, so Bolt was the talk of Jamaica so we had to tick off eating at his place!.
Review by: Laura, August 2017
This wasn't a tour of Kingston, it was just a bus ride to Kingston. The tour was terrible. The guide wasn't very good, mumbled, was rude, didn't give any history or valuable information. She was more interested in getting there so she could get back. Pick a different tour.
Review by: garynsking, July 2017
A very long trip and a very long day. They drove us around the city but there is not much to see. The drive is on the new interstate so not much to see along the way. We went to Devon House and took the tour and had the ice cream on site, were they also had some nice little shops. We took pictures outside Bob Marley's Museum, but did not go in. Would not miss a day doing this tour if I could do it again.
Review by: Satu K, July 2017
The tour was exactly what I was looking for, to be able to see a bit of the real Jamaica. We had a great guide, Fitz, who took great care of us all day and even the 'technical issues' we had in the morning with the car were solved quickly and efficiently. His knowledge of Jamaica and Kingston is vast and no question we had went unanswered. I definitively recommend the tour for anyone wanting to explore Jamaica a bit further than the beach.
Review by: Melissa M, June 2017
The good: Our tour guide, Mama D, and driver were both excellent. We learned new things about my homeland. We had a small group my husband and I along with two others from another hotel. We had a breakfast rest stop and stopped at a cathedral in Spanish Town. Lunch at Tracks and Records was pretty good!_br/_ The not so good: We did not pass through Fern Gully - I assume since we took the new toll road. Kingston colonial landmarks were not pointed out. The tour was longer than expected. We actually left the hotel and Montego Bay at 6:20am not the published 8am and returned 5:30 pm. We opted to skip the Devon House tour since we were so tired by this point and wanted to get back to Mo Bay. Tour would have been 12 hours had we done the Devon House tour.
Review by: Sameerahparekh, May 2017
Absolutely brilliant tour and guide. We didn't have time to tour Devon House as it says in the itinerary, but we still stopped for ice cream. Our guide took us to Usain Bolt's resatsurant for lunch instead which was great. Definitely a highlight of our trip and a must do!
Review by: Devon C, March 2017
The tour is billed as an 8am pick up/start time and to our surprise when we called to confirm 48 hours in advance we were told 6am was our pick up which was a shock to the11 of us vacationing with late night activities planned the night before. We were also told that we would need a paper copy of our reservation confirmation and an electronic one would not do which presented a problem to those that did not have access to a printer. Someone showed up to our villa while we were out the day before the tour and left a voucher for 9 of us that were staying at that location. So in the long run us obtaining a paper copy was in vain. _br/_ Mama D was an excellent articulate tour guide and the driver was great. We would have preferred to stop at an authentic Jamaican breakfast spot instead of Burger King...but oh well. _br/_ The name of the tour is misleading in that it led me to believe we would see various places in Kingston like the downtown area, and in other reviews they mentioned they went to the port area, university, and Beverly hills. We came into Kingston and soon passed Devon house on the way to the Bob Marley museum, then we went to a mall to eat and then Devon house. These all seemed to be located within a half mile radius of each other leaving no additional sights to be seen. _br/_ I chose this tour for our group as opposed to our private van driver because I wanted an experienced narrator and someone familiar with Kingston to give us insight. we did get this insight on the drive up and at the three stops but we all thought we would tour more of Kingston than we did. Thus thinking this tour should be named Scenic Tour To Kingston, Bob Marley Museum and Devon House.
Review by: Luwanda J, March 2017
Mama D our tour guide was fabulous as was our bus driver. Great experience.
Review by: tovah w, March 2017
Would have liked more time to be able to tour Devon House_br/_ Lunch took too long_br/_ Some museums or quality art galleries and shopping too (not so much tourist schlock)
Review by: Bruce I, February 2017
Our day trip from Montego Bay to Kingston was great! Our purpose was to get a better idea of the island of Jamaica as this was our first visit. We were picked up at our resort shortly after six AM by our driver, Garfield. He was great. He informed us of interesting facts along the route which provided a segway to information about Jamaica which he provided as we drove. The drive over the Blue Mountains included great vistas of the local terrain, and at various points, views of local small villages.
Review by: Patrick M, January 2017
Nice tour. Lunch should be included though. Otherwise we enjoyed. Thanks!
Review by: ojolivere, January 2017
When booking a tour with Viator, it is very important to contact the local tour provider. In our case, we made reservations for monday and was confirmed for that day by Viator, but when contacting the local tour company,they informed me that the tour was on tuesday. That made us change plans we already had. This should be corrected
Review by: Ronald F, January 2017
Very informative, but too many optional costs. It was a very long day...turned out to be over 11 hours with traffic that day.
Review by: Lashonda B, July 2016
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Charles F, July 2016
Great time, good tour guide .
Review by: vernarevell2, June 2016
This was a amazing tour it combine the total package about Jamaica our tour guide was awesome and Garfield was amazing he was on time at our resort I would recommend visitor and you will not be sorry
Review by: PAULSON, April 2016
This was an okay tour. Excepting for a tour of Bob Marley Museum, nothing really was shown as part of the trip... A 13 hour tour, with very little to show or explain... loved it though.
Review by: Brian S, March 2016
This is a fantastic tour that should be number 1 on everyones list. Don't listen to anything you have heard about Kingston. It is a wonderful place to visit and nice people to meet._br/_ Although, the other people on the tour who booked directly with JTL paid the same price as us and theirs included the admission to the Bob Marley museum. Also, we ate at a mall in Kingston and not at the Presidential House like it was stated.
Review by: Laura, March 2016
This was not a tour, it was just a bus ride._br/_ The guide picked us up at our hotel but didnt ask for our voucher or check our names off a list. She didnt introduce herself, or give us any idea of what we were doing for the day, even once all the other guests were on board._br/_ She asked us where we had been told wed be visiting on the tour, and laughed at some of the things guests suggested. We literally drove straight to the Bob Marley Museum, then to Devon House, then back to Montego Bay. We did not see anything of Kingston. We didnt do any sight-seeing, shopping, didnt visit Port Royal, or see any other buildings of interest. We didn't see the city. We chose to pay for a tour of Devon House, but others who did not spent 90 mins in the courtyard outside with nothing to do. We had been told wed be taken to a restaurant for lunch but in reality we had to grab a pastry from the bakery in the Devon House courtyard._br/_ She gave us some history on the journey until we reached Spanish Town. We did not get any information about Kingston nothing of the history/politics/general info._br/_ The guide and the driver appeared to want to get back as quickly as possible, and do the minimum they could on the tour. The driver drove so fast and erratically that one guest had to stop the bus to be sick. We were back in our hotel by 5pm._br/_ We were really disappointed, and would not recommend this tour company. The Bob Marley Museum entrance fee and the Devon House entrance fee were not included in our tour cost, so what did we pay for? Only a bus ride to the museum!
Review by: Hamish S, January 2016
My wife and I were very pleased with our scenic tour of Kingston with Viator. Our guide Carol was most helpful and as we had a small number on our coach we were able to have some flexibility as to where we spent our time._br/_ It was a long day , but the coach was on time to pick us up 5.45 am ! and we felt we had good value from the experience.
Review by: Rosalind M, October 2015
Great trip,loved the Bob Marley museum . Great day trip
Review by: Dominiquescolbert, July 2015
My tour was amazing and my Driver was great I always love going on tours with JTL
Review by: Minnie P, July 2015
The scenic tour of Kingston was great. The tour guide gave us very good information about Kingston. I wish we could have made more stops to take pictures. Also, we should have been told at the beginning the fee to get into the Bob Marley museum.
Review by: Nelya I, April 2015
An OK tour! I expected a bit more since drove all the way from Montego to Kingston. We visited an old church in Spanish town, Devon House, the park of heroes and Bob Marley museum. The hiidd should have given us more time to get the feeling of the place. Instead, we were just rushed through.
Review by: Geraldeve L, March 2015
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Shirley D, March 2015
On time and efficient, tour guide was helpful and personable and tour was interesting.
Review by: texast221, September 2014
I had a wonderful time driving down to Kingston from Montego Bay, 3.5 hours! I was the only one on the tour, so I had my very on driver and tour guide! We were like family by the time I made it back to the resort. I had the best jerk chicken served up in a ball of aluminum foil and the best ice cream, just two of the many stops we made. The trip ended at the Bob Marley museum, great trip!
Review by: Prentice W, December 2013
We had a great time!!
Review by: Prentice W, December 2013
We had a great time!!
Review by: Matthew D, August 2013
"OK" - yes; but I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed in the short time we actually had in Kingston - I accept that it's a long drive to get from Mobay to Kingston and back again in a day, and it's a long day for the driver and guide. But apart from a couple of photostops, we were not really allowed to get out and have even a brief walkabout. Kingston has a bit of a reputation for crime, but I would have thought it would be possible to actually set foot in the place, even for a short stroll. It is hard to really get an impression of a city through the window of a tourbus. More positively, the visit to the Bob Marley museum was interesting and informative. Glad I went (the drive along the coast and across the mountains is good in itself) but wish I could have seen a bit more of the city (while avoiding obvious 'no-go' areas).
Review by: Oscar T, July 2013
Uh, I don't leave for my trip until next week.
Review by: Tatiana N, June 2013
Ms.Carol is a fantastic tour guide and Chris the driver was great! He made us feel safe during the drive and she made it fun the whole trip.
Review by: Debbie P, June 2013
We had a great time in Jamaica!!! Excursion was wonderful; especially we had the BEST tour guide/bus driver. Ms. Carol and Chris, (2 thumbs up).
Review by: Krystal H, February 2013
horrible. don't waste your money. just rent a car and find bob marley's home by yourself.
Review by: David M, December 2012
A great tour BUT I thought the Bob Marley museum admission was included in the price paid but wasn't (and I never got in as I had forgotten my wallet, I had been robbed the day before so my head was all over the place, it broke my heart not to go in: I was hoping the tour company could help, but no)
Review by: Patricia C, October 2012
All in all an excellent experience_br/_
With a friendly and knowlegable driver_br/_
Highley recommended
Review by: Demas F H, March 2011
Our driver was well versed and informative on the trip from Montego Bay to Kingston, as well as the tour guide at the Marley museum.
Review by: Sara H, January 2011
They do not do this trip any more. I had to replace it with a trip to Negril to see the sunset.
Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom, March 2010
I was unable to go on this excursion but was able to arrange an alternative one.
Review by: Dennis H, March 2010
I was unable to go on this excursion but was able to arrange an alternative one.
Review by: , March 2010
I was unable to go on this excursion but was able to arrange an alternative one.
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