Sud-Est · Haiti
Jacmel travel guide
Jacmel is a city in Sud-Est, Haiti, home to about 222,000 people.
- Best months
- January
- Nearest airport
- PAP46 km · Toussaint Louverture International Airport
- Currency
- HTGgourde
- Time zone
- America/Port-au-Prince
- Language
- French, Haitian Creole
About
About Jacmel
Jacmel is a commune in southern Haiti previously founded by the Spanish in 1504 before the relocation of the Dominicans to the eastern side of the island after the Devastations of Osorio and repopulated by the French in 1698. It is the capital of the department of Sud-Est, 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Port-au-Prince across the Tiburon Peninsula, and had a population of 221,965 at the 2024 Census.
Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Jacmel
See
The city is very walkable and pleasant, and due to the fact it's facing the Caribbean Sea, the breeze in from the ocean make it quite enjoyable (much more so then most other inland cities in Haiti). The city itself is great visually and photographically as well as having some of the friendliest people in the country. Small local craft stores also abound and it's noted for one of the best places to buy Haitian handicrafts and souvenirs. The buildings in the city are historic and date from the early nineteenth century; the city has been tentatively accepted as a World Heritage site and UNESCO reports that it has sustained damage in the January 2010 earthquake.
Do
Jacmel is the sort of place that is wonderful to spend a laid-back day wandering the streets and enjoying a slow pace (which is a very rare trait in a country such as Haiti), and the ideal day would include a couple hours walking the city aimlessly taking in the old grand architecture, followed by a nice seafood or Creole meal and a leisurely swim at the beach located on the Hotel Cyvadier property grounds -- which is open to the public but very hard to find for those not in-the-know (ask a local or a cab driver to point the way).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Jacmel
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Jacmel are January. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; May is the wettest, with about 233 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Jacmel: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP), about 46 km from the city centre in a straight line; Antoine-Simon International Airport (CYA, 132 km) and Maria Montez International Airport (BRX, 149 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
The city of Jacmel can be easily reached via one of the best maintained highways in all of Haiti and although the road can become rather narrow and twisty in certain areas, it is arguably one of the prettiest drives in all of the country in which to admire the countryside. Taxis can do the 3hr drive for Port-au-prince at a set upon rate. Another (much less favorable) option would be to take a very crowded public bus, which should not be attempted for the fainthearted or those seeking comfort as they're always packed.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
PAP · Toussaint Louverture International Airport
CYA · Antoine-Simon International Airport
BRX · Maria Montez International Airport
Questions
Jacmel: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Jacmel?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Jacmel are January. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; May is the wettest, with about 233 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Jacmel?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP), about 46 km from the city centre in a straight line; Antoine-Simon International Airport (CYA, 132 km) and Maria Montez International Airport (BRX, 149 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Jacmel?
gourde (HTG).
Nearby
Destinations near Jacmel
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.