Cap-Haïtien

Get in

thumb|250px|A street scene in Cap Haitien thumb|250px|Cathedral of Cap Haitian

Get around

thumb|300px|View of the Citadel Laferriere outside of the cityThe city is small and compact enough that you can walk most places. There are, however, many taxis and motor-taxis available. Most restaurants and bars are in the central, gridded part of the city.

See

The downtown area is full of French colonial architecture — it looks like New Orleans may have looked in the past. There is a wide promenade, Bouleved du Carenage, along the bay offering a nice view and sea air. A number of restaurants line the Boulevard. The downtown has shops and restaurants, but most cater to locals.

The Cathedral and Grand Place downtown are also rather impressive..

The nearby town of Milot is the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sans Souci Palace and the Citadelle Henri Christophe, both built by King Henri Christophe. The palace ruins are impressive, as is the Citadelle, a massive castle that has been renovated and is really pretty amazing to see.

Do

The Boulevard du Carenage along the water is a nice walk and there are bars, restaurants and craft shops. Beaches north of the city are very nice, and outside of town are the Citadelle and Palais Sans Souci.

Buy

Market places dot the city with frenetic hustle and bustle. Sidewalks are crammed with vendors selling everything from charcoal to second hand bicycles fresh from Miami by boat. If it's avocado or mango season, do yourself a favor and buy some.

Eat

thumb|300px|The restaurant and tiki bar at Cormier Plage, north of Cap Haitien There are various restaurants, many near the waterfront or the Hotel Roi Christophe. Many places serve good seafood dishes (lobster and conch especially), French food, American food or a mix. Traditional Haitian food often includes rice and beans, flattened and fried plantains (but not sweet ones) and pikliz, a spicy cole slaw.

Drink

Most of the restaurants are also good for drinking places, but there are a few bars too.

Prestige, the local beer, is tasty, and rum drinks are popular. Barbancourt 5 star is the best local rum (and most expensive!) Try a rum sour, made with lime, lemon and sugar.

Kleren is the local moonshine which you can buy on the street or from some stores. It's strong and variously flavored -- fruit, cinnamon, even conch (sea snail!) It can be tasty but drink at your own risk, as it's often homemade.

Stay safe

General warnings about Haiti are true also for Cap-Haïtien, though the city is, on the whole, safer than Port-au-Prince. Arranging transportation through your hotel maybe be safer and easier than finding it on the street, but probably a bit more expensive.

Stay healthy

Drink bottled water, even at restaurants and hotels, and use hand sanitizer before eating.

Go next

thumb|300px|The ruins of Sans Souci Palace thumb|Inside the ruins of Sans Souci Palace

A tap-tap to Milot will cost around G15 (US$0.45), but taxis are probably a bit safer, or at least less stressful. The Citadelle Laferriere and ruins of Sans Souci Palace are very impressive and worth a visit. You can hike from the palace up to the Citadelle, but it's very steep and somewhat strenuous.

The Government of Haiti has built a ticket stand and marketplace for vendors at the foot of the trail to the Citadelle, and there you can hire a guide (recommended) or rent donkeys. You'll need to be in good shape if you don't take a donkey. The donkey rental people may just follow you for a while even if you say no, waiting for you to tire out.

A taxi to the airport from the town will cost around G100, or US$2.50. On leaving, you will be required to pay taxes of US$28 in cash. There is no ATM at the airport.

As of November 2025, there are several options for getting from Cap-Haïtien to the border at Ouaniminthe/Dajabón and entering the Dominican Republic. The hotel Habitation des Lauriers can organize a driver for US$120. Once crossing the border, there is a Caribe Tours bus station within walking distance that you can use to travel most places in the Dominican Republic. There is also a service run by Agedetour () that will take travelers in a van from Cap-Haïtien to the border, and then have a bus on the other side to take them to Santo Domingo.