Trinidad and Tobago is located in the south of the Caribbean. The island
state consists of the larger island of Trinidad, the smaller island of
Tobago and a good 35 smaller islands, seven of which are at least
temporarily inhabited.
Trinidad and Tobago is an island state in
the southern Caribbean, in the immediate vicinity of the South American
mainland, off the coast of Venezuela.
Along with Jamaica,
Trinidad is the economically and industrially most important island in
the group of English-speaking Caribbean islands. There are significant
oil and natural gas deposits off the coast. The Trinidad Carnival and
the music of the "steel bands" are also known worldwide. In contrast to
all other Caribbean islands, Trinidad has a very high proportion of the
population (approx. 40%) with Indian roots. This has a major impact on
social life, holidays and culture in general.
Apart from the
carnival, tourism is not important on the island of Trinidad. The
smaller, northern island of Tobago is in stark contrast. Since the
collapse of the sugar industry, people there have lived almost
exclusively from tourism. The population is also diverse; Tobago is
predominantly made up of descendants of African slaves, who make up only
about 40% of the population in Trinidad.
Trinidad - In Trinidad, the capital Port of Spain is
worth a visit with the Queen's Park Savannah and the Royal Botanic
Gardens. Maracas Bay attracts with fine sandy beaches and local
specialties. Nature lovers visit the Asa Wright Nature Centre and Pitch
Lake, the largest natural asphalt lake in the world. The Caroni Bird
Sanctuary offers boat tours through the mangroves and bird watching. The
Trinidad Carnival is world famous for its colourful parades.
Tobago -
In Tobago, Pigeon Point is a well-known beach, ideal for swimming and
snorkelling. The Buccoo Reef and the Nylon Pool offer spectacular
underwater landscapes. In Scarborough, the historic Fort King George is
impressive. Argyle Waterfall and Little Tobago are ideal places for
nature lovers. The Tobago Forest Reserve is a popular hiking and bird
paradise.
Port of Spain - in Trinidad, the capital of the
country.
Scarborough (Tobago) - largest city in Tobago.
When entering and leaving the country, only 200 TTD
may be carried. There is no limit on the import and export of other
currencies. However, larger amounts should be declared.
Each traveler
receives an entry card on the plane, which must be filled out before
landing. A valid passport and an onward or return ticket must be
presented for entry.
When leaving the country, an airport fee of 100
TTD and a security fee of 10 TTD must currently be paid.
By plane
Tobago, as a holiday destination, is served by various airlines from
Europe. In addition to connections from London, there are flights with
Condor from Frankfurt/Main and Martinair from Amsterdam.
Trinidad
is only served by British Airways from London-Gatwick three times a week
from Europe. Otherwise, British Airways offers daily connecting flights
via Barbados with Caribbean Airlines in a codeshare. There are also
various connecting flights via the USA, mainly via Miami and New York.
However, you should plan at least three hours for transit with the entry
and exit formalities in the USA. British Airways, American Airlines,
Continental and Delta, among others, offer through fares from Germany.
Caribbean Airlines (the airline of Trinidad & Tobago) and/or LIAT
fly to Trinidad from the neighboring islands as well as from Guyana and
Suriname. Insel Air from Curacao, Surinam Airways from Suriname and
Aeropostal from Venezuela also fly regularly to Trinidad. Caribbean
Airlines offers cheap air passes for its Caribbean route network.
There is a cheap flight connection (20 minutes) with Caribbean
Airlines several times a day between Trinidad and Tobago, as well as a
ferry connection between Port of Spain and Scarborough.
By ship
In addition to the option of arriving by cruise ship, you can ask
whether there are cargo ships that still take passengers. You should
inquire about this at specialized travel agencies.
There are
regular ferries between the two islands (depending on the ferry, the
journey takes about 2.5 or 4.5 hours). There is a passenger ferry
service, the “water taxi”, between San Fernando and Port of Spain.
There is a bus network run by the state-run Public Transport Service
Corporation (PTSC), but it is not particularly well developed. There is
an "Express Bus" connection between Port of Spain and San Fernando and
between Port of Spain and Arima. Overview of the [PTSC bus network].
Otherwise, shared taxis drive along all the main roads. These are
cars with 4-5 passengers that you stop on the street or that leave from
certain stands in Port of Spain or the provincial towns. The fare is
cheap. Shared taxis always have a license plate that begins with H
(private vehicles are distinguished by the P).
Individual and
radio taxis are rather expensive, as are taxis to and from the airport.
But be careful: taxi prices are displayed at the airport before you
leave the arrivals hall and are also valid. Also remember this for the
return journey! There is a surcharge at night.
There are also
maxi taxis in Trinidad, which are minibuses on set routes and, depending
on the route, fixed start and end points. There are different color
markings on the vehicles for the individual directions. Maxi taxis stop
at all possible places to get in and out when you wave at them.
It is best to always ask the locals which means of transport goes where.
There are no timetables for shared taxis and maxi taxis; when a car is
full, it sets off.
The international rental car companies (e.g.
Hertz, Avis) are only represented at Piarco airport, Alamo also in San
Fernando. Small, local companies can also be found in a few other cities
in Trinidad and on Tobago. The network of companies is quite thin
overall. The German driving license is accepted for 3 months; the
international one for one year. Trinidad has left-hand traffic. The
driving style is more southern European. On the highways, slow vehicles
must be expected, even in the overtaking lane. The road network is well
developed.
The official and written language is English. The spoken language, Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, has a more melodic sound than "Oxford English", a simplified grammar like that of creole languages and, due to the colonial and immigration history, numerous loan words from French and Hindi. In the metropolitan region of Port of Spain, the result is often easier to understand than in the more rural south and east.
In December 2019, the $100 bill was replaced by a polymer version. Since January 1, 2020, the old $100 paper bills have been invalid.
What is striking for Central European visitors is the very large number of fast food restaurants. The largest proportion of these are chains with a focus on chicken, such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and Royal Castle, and Subway also has many branches in the country. There are also many small snack bars and mobile food vendors who offer warm, often local, mostly fried snacks. Restaurants are without exception international, often American in character and are comparatively expensive. Traditional Trinidadian cuisine is most likely to be found at specific stands in the food courts of shopping malls.
Many bars and pubs, a few open-air discos in the tourist resorts. An absolute must is the so-called "Sunday School" in the small fishing village of Buccoo. This is an event that takes place there every Sunday. One or more steel bands play and the whole village celebrates until the morning with Carib and other drinks. You definitely have to go!
In Tobago there are various types of accommodation in all comfort and
price categories.
In Trinidad hotels are more geared towards
business trips and are not particularly numerous. By far the most hotels
are in Port of Spain. A small number of hotels can be found in San
Fernando, in Point Fortin and near the international airport in Piarco.
Holiday rentals and Air BnBs can also be found on the northwest,
northeast and east coasts.
The University of the West Indies (UWI) has a large campus on the island of Trinidad.
Unless your company sends you to work in Trinidad, it is difficult to find work. A work permit is difficult to obtain.
January 1st, New Year
March 30th, Shouter Day, liberation of the
Baptist Church (1917 - 1951 under ban by the colonial government)
April 18th, 2025, Good Friday
April 21st, 2025, Easter Monday
May
30th, Indian Arrival Day, commemoration of the Indian immigrants
June
19th, Labor Day
Ascension Day
August 1st, Emancipation Day
August 31st, Independence Day, holiday to mark the separation of the
Republic from Great Britain in 1962
September 24th, Republic Day
March 31st, 2025, Eid-ul-Fitr, Muslim New Year
Divali, Hindu festival
December 25th, Christmas
December 26th, Boxing Day
December 31st,
New Years Eve
There is in Trinidad has some areas that Europeans should not
necessarily visit. The German Embassy in Port of Spain gives advice on
this on its website: "In the city centre east of Henry Street and in the
districts of Beetham, Laventille, Morvant, Sea Lots and Belmont as well
as in Enterprise, a district of Chaguanas near Mowietowne Chaguanas and
in Carapo, a district of Arima, there are repeated robberies and
burglaries involving the use of violence, sometimes also with the use of
firearms. [...] In Tobago, this is the case to a lesser extent in
Charlotteville and in Minister Bay/Bacolet and in the southwest of
Tobago (e.g. in Buccoo, Bon Accord, the area of Black Rock and
Lambeau). [...] Military-style camouflage clothing of any kind and color
is reserved for the military by law."
The crime rate in Trinidad is
higher than in the rest of the Eastern Caribbean - In recent years there
has been an increase in kidnappings, but these have involved
Trinidadians in order to extort ransoms.
The possession, trade and
use of drugs, including marijuana, is punishable. Offenses of this kind
are prosecuted by the OCNU (Organized Crime and Narcotics Unit).
If you take the usual precautions for traveling to tropical
countries, traveling in Trinidad is no problem. Because of possible
outbreaks of dengue fever, you should think about mosquito repellent.
The drinking water is usually drinkable. However, you can buy mineral
water everywhere.
As the public hospitals suffer from a shortage
of specialists, you should definitely take out private health insurance
so that you can also visit private doctors and clinics. The German
Embassy can help with information about doctors if necessary.
Hepatitis A is definitely recommended as a vaccination before traveling.
AIDS
You should also remember that HIV and other hepatitis
infections are common in the Caribbean and therefore avoid unprotected
sexual contact. The prevalence among adults was estimated at 0.7% in
2020.
Tropical all year round with a rainy season in late spring and summer. However, unlike all other eastern Caribbean islands, Trinidad is considered "hurricane-safe" because it lies south of the hurricane zone.
Area code: +868 (since June 1, 1997) for local calls. For
long-distance calls +1 868
The local mobile phone operators are
(4G expansion began in 2018):
bmobile. The tourist SIM packages are
not worth it; a regular prepaid card is cheaper. There are reduced
roaming rates within the Caribbean with other network operators in the
FLOW/C&W group.
Digicel Trinidad and Tobago. The prices, which differ
little from those of bmobile, generally do not include VAT (12½%). A
“Caribbean Roaming Passport” can be added.
ID is not always required
when purchasing a SIM card. Both have a maximum credit limit of 30 days.