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The beach at Dunn's River Falls near Ocho Rios seen from a wooden lookout, with turquoise water, a breakwater and catamarans at a jetty

Where to stay in Jamaica

Photo: Dr. Thomas Liptak, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Jamaica

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About Jamaica

Jamaica has its two main airports at opposite ends of the island: Sangster, about 3 km from Montego Bay, for the resort coasts of the north and west, and Norman Manley for Kingston, about 20 km from New Kingston by road. The area decides which airport to fly into.

Jamaica. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Montego Bay airport
Sangster International (MBJ), about 3 km by road from Montego Bay and the most popular airport for visitors to the north coast. Source
Kingston airport
Norman Manley International (KIN), about 20 km by road from New Kingston. Source
Entry for UK visitors
No visa; entry is usually granted for up to 90 days, with the leave-by date stamped in the passport. Fill in the C5 immigration and customs form online before arriving where possible. Source
Entry for US and EU visitors
US citizens: no visa for 6 months. EU citizens: 90 days for Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden, 30 days for most others, including Austria, France, Greece, Portugal and Spain. Source
Longer stays
Apply to the immigration agency, PICA, before the stamped date. A visitor can stay at most 12 months as a Commonwealth citizen and 6 months otherwise. Source
Tourism Enhancement Fee
USD 20 charged to incoming airline passengers and USD 2 to cruise passengers. Source
Room tax (GART)
Per occupied room per night: USD 1 at properties of up to 51 rooms, USD 2 up to 100 rooms, USD 4 above that, including villas, apartments and guest houses. A stay of over 60 nights in a row counts as residential and is untaxed from the 61st night. Source
General Consumption Tax
10% on tourism, against a standard rate of 15%. Source
Licensed places to stay
Under the Tourist Board Act, hotels, guest houses, villas, apartments and home stays need a Jamaica Tourist Board licence. TPDCo keeps the register, and licensed places are listed on visitjamaica.com. Source
After Hurricane Melissa
The October 2025 hurricane hit the west hardest, St Elizabeth, Montego Bay and Negril among it. By May 2026 about 75% of rooms had reopened; most Negril hotels reopened in December 2025 and January 2026, and the south coast was slower. Source
Driving
A UK licence is valid for up to 6 months. UK travel advice says not to drive in Kingston without knowing the city, and not to leave valuables in the car. Source
Parking with a rental car
Jamaica drives on the left (via GetCar). No municipal parking scheme was found for Montego Bay, Negril or Ocho Rios as of September 2026, so ask the hotel or host. Source
Toll roads
Credit and debit cards cannot be used at toll plazas; prepaid tags can. Source
Emergency numbers
Police 119; ambulance and fire 110. Source

Areas of Jamaica

Blue sun loungers on white sand at a beach in Montego Bay, with a white railing, palm trees, a thatched shade and a rocky shore
Photographed in 2017. Photo: Just a Brazilian man from Brazil, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Montego Bay

The capital of St James on the north-west coast, a tourist destination with duty-free shopping, a cruise terminal, beaches and resorts, about 3 km from Sangster airport. It suits a first stay close to the airport. UK travel advice names parts of the city to take care in: Flankers, Barrett Town, Glendevon, Rose Heights and Mount Salem.

Sangster airport
about 3 km
Negril
about 73 km

Car and parking

No municipal parking scheme was found as of September 2026, so ask the hotel about parking; UK travel advice warns against leaving valuables in the car. Negril is about 73 km away by road.

Calm water along the beach at Negril, with palm trees, loungers and white buildings on the left and the shore curving away into the distance
Photo: Oleg Yunakov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Negril

A small, widely dispersed beach resort at the far west of the island, with resorts along the beach north of downtown and cliff resorts on the West End to the south. Hurricane Melissa hit it hard in October 2025, and most of its hotels reopened in December 2025 and January 2026. It suits a beach stay about 76 km from Sangster airport.

Sangster airport
about 76 km
Montego Bay
about 73 km

Car and parking

No municipal parking scheme was found as of September 2026, so ask the hotel or host. Sangster airport is about 76 km away by road.

Ocho Rios seen from the sea, with tour boats at a jetty, a small beach and marina, apartment towers and green hills behind
Photographed in 2015. Photo: Balou46, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ocho Rios

A town in St Ann on the north coast with duty-free shopping, a cruise-ship terminal, beaches and resorts, and Dunn's River Falls just west of it (via GetCar). It suits a base between Montego Bay and Kingston, about 97 km from either main airport, or about 16 km from the smaller Ian Fleming airport.

Sangster airport
about 97 km
Norman Manley airport
about 97 km
Ian Fleming airport
about 16 km

Car and parking

The North-South toll road links Kingston with Ocho Rios, and its plazas take no cards. No municipal parking scheme was found as of September 2026, so ask the hotel about parking.

Kingston (New Kingston)

The capital and largest city, on the south-east coast, facing a harbour sheltered by the Palisadoes; its centre is made up of the historic Downtown and New Kingston. It suits a city stay or a business trip, less so a beach holiday.

Norman Manley airport
about 20 km
Ocho Rios
about 79 km

Car and parking

UK travel advice says not to drive in Kingston without knowing the city and to take the Humming Bird route via South Camp Road from Norman Manley airport. It also reports robberies of British visitors on the way from the airport to private accommodation, so plan the route.

Aerial view of the bay at San San, Port Antonio, with a reef in turquoise water, a coast road and houses among thick forest
Photo: Layneartz19, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Port Antonio

The capital of Portland on the north-east coast, a town where tourism is a major contributor to the economy. Portland had about 60 tourist establishments in January 2025. It suits a stay away from the main resort towns, about 108 km from Kingston's airport by road.

Norman Manley airport
about 108 km
New Kingston
about 89 km

Car and parking

UK travel advice warns that rural roads are narrow, winding and poorly lit at night. No municipal parking scheme was found as of September 2026, so ask the host.

Wooden fishing boats pulled up on the sand at Great Bay Beach, Treasure Beach, with a green headland across the water
Photographed in 2013. Photo: Ikaros1975, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Treasure Beach

Five coves and their settlements on the south coast, known for community tourism, with no all-inclusive hotels, density rules that keep out large ones, and public beaches. It suits a small-scale stay away from the main tourist areas. The south coast was slower to recover from Hurricane Melissa, so check that a place has reopened.

Sangster airport
about 95 km
Negril
about 102 km

Car and parking

The minor roads to the main highway at Black River or Santa Cruz tend to suffer damage in heavy rain. Sangster airport is about 95 km away by road.

Guides

Where to stay

Where to stay in Jamaica with a car: the areas compared

Jamaica's resort towns sit on the north and west coasts, within about 100 km of Montego Bay's airport, while Kingston and Port Antonio are closer to Norman Manley airport in the south-east. The areas range from Montego Bay's cruise terminal and resorts to the five coves of Treasure Beach.

Photo: Oleg Yunakov, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Questions

Which part of Jamaica suits a first visit?

Montego Bay, about 3 km from Sangster airport, with duty-free shopping, beaches and resorts, or Negril, a beach resort at the far west, about 76 km from the airport by road. Ocho Rios, on the north coast, is about 97 km from either main airport.

What taxes are added to a room in Jamaica?

The Guest Accommodation Room Tax, USD 1, 2 or 4 per occupied room per night depending on the size of the property, and General Consumption Tax at the 10% rate for tourism.

How long can visitors stay?

UK visitors are usually granted up to 90 days, and US visitors need no visa for 6 months. EU visitors get 30 or 90 days depending on nationality, according to the immigration agency's list.

Which side of the road does Jamaica drive on?

The left, and roundabouts run clockwise (via GetCar). Toll plazas take no credit or debit cards.