Cheap flights to Port-au-Prince

Quick summary

Why track Port-au-Prince with SniperAir

A trip to plan with care, with prices to watch without stress

First of all: Haiti is the subject of very restrictive official travel advice in many departure countries. Depending on your country, that advice warns against certain areas, sometimes the whole country, and the capital region is often named. Do not assume that Port-au-Prince is accessible, or that flights will take you there: read the official advice of your departure country and the terms of your insurance before committing to anything. This page describes the city from open sources; it is not an invitation to travel.

Port-au-Prince (Pòtoprens in Creole) is the capital and largest city of Haiti: Wikipedia (EN, FR) gives about 1.2 million inhabitants for the commune and close to 2.75 million for the metropolitan area in a 2019 estimate. The city was founded in 1749 by French colonists at the head of a bay in the Gulf of Gonâve; its name comes from the ship Le Prince, which sheltered there in the early eighteenth century (Wikivoyage FR), and it became the capital of independent Haiti in 1804 (Wikipedia FR).

It was hit hard by the earthquake of 12 January 2010, which destroyed or damaged the National Palace, the cathedral and many public buildings (Wikipedia EN, FR, DE). SniperAir monitors flight prices to PAP, compares them with the route's real history and alerts you when one falls below your budget. It does not sell or book tickets and never replaces the official advice of your departure country.

Airport and getting into town

A single airport, north of the capital

Services, airlines and even the operation of the airport can change or be interrupted: check your flights with the airlines and the official advice of your country before you book. We do not publish taxi fares or timetables.

The sources stress organising the transfer in advance. Wikivoyage (DE) recommends relying on your hotel or on hosts you know, advises against motorbike taxis that offer themselves, and points out that the city's roads are in very poor condition, almost without signs. Wikipedia (EN) lists the airport road among high-crime areas quoted in travel advice, and Wikivoyage (EN) recommends arranging a trusted local contact rather than improvising a ride.

Entry rules depend on your nationality and can change: check the official websites of your country and of Haiti's embassy before booking. Haitian Creole and French are the two official languages; the gourde is the currency, and the US dollar is also widely used.

Landmarks and sights

Champ-de-Mars, the Pantheon museum, gingerbread houses and the Pétion-Ville heights

The sources describe a centre organised around the Champ-de-Mars, a large esplanade also called the Place des Héros de l'Indépendance, where the carnival and many events take place (Wikivoyage FR). Most major public buildings, including the National Palace and the cathedral, were destroyed or badly damaged by the 2010 earthquake; their rebuilding, restoration or demolition remains a heritage issue (Wikipedia FR). What follows describes places, not a guarantee that they are accessible or open: the condition of the sites is not dated in our sources.

The National Pantheon Museum (MUPANAH)

Designed by architect Alexandre Guichard, the MUPANAH stands behind the former National Palace on the Champ-de-Mars: its pale concrete entrance leads down to a crypt (Wikivoyage FR). It honours the fathers of Haitian independence and tells the country's story period by period. Wikivoyage (EN) notes that it displays the anchor of the Santa Maria, Columbus's flagship.

A roof turned into an esplanade

The museum's roof forms a paved esplanade dotted with pools and white concrete cones, with the hills behind. The sources do not say what condition it is in today.

Gingerbread houses and the Hôtel Oloffson

The so-called gingerbread houses, built of wood with lacework balconies and cut-out trim, are part of the city's architectural image: Wikipedia (EN) lists them among sites of interest, Wikivoyage (FR) mentions the Avenue de la Martinière area, and Wikipedia (DE) counts the Hôtel Oloffson among the most notable buildings culturally and architecturally.

Pétion-Ville, Kenscoff and the heights

Above the capital, Pétion-Ville is described by Wikipedia (FR) as the affluent suburb at the foot of the Massif de la Selle. Wikivoyage (FR) describes a road climbing to Kenscoff and its market, with an ever wider view over the bay, and Wikivoyage (EN) mentions Fort Jacques, about 45 minutes up a mountain, for cool air and the view. Most embassies are in Pétion-Ville (Wikivoyage EN).

The Iron Market

Forged in Paris in 1893 according to Wikivoyage (FR), with its metal frames and cast-iron turrets, it is one of the liveliest markets in the Caribbean. Wikivoyage (EN) describes a dense, stressful place selling crafts such as sculptures, masks and paintings. Check that it is accessible before even considering it, and do not go without a trusted guide.

National Palace, cathedral and Tour 2004

The National Palace, compared to the White House by Wikivoyage (FR), and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption were destroyed or badly damaged in 2010. The Tour 2004, built for the bicentenary of independence, was left unfinished (Wikipedia FR; Wikivoyage FR).

Museums and culture

The Pantheon, Haitian art and festivals

Port-au-Prince holds most of the country's cultural institutions, the legacy of long-standing centralisation (Wikipedia DE). Several places have, however, been affected by earthquakes and by the situation in the country: we give no opening hours or prices, and you must not assume that any place is open.

The MUPANAH

Its rooms follow Haitian history period by period, each with its mural and objects from the era; according to Wikivoyage (EN), the anchor of the Santa Maria is the centrepiece of the exploration section.

A gallery of paintings

The museum also has an art gallery where brightly coloured canvases hang under spotlights.

Haitian Art Museum of the Collège Saint-Pierre

Built in 1972 to plans by Albert Mangonès, it offers, according to Wikivoyage (FR), a good overview of so-called primitive Haitian painting and holds the collections of the Art Centre founded in 1944 by the American DeWitt Peters. Wikipedia (DE) names it, with the National Library of Haiti, among the major cultural institutions.

Sugar cane museum

Wikipedia (FR) and Wikivoyage (ES) mention a museum devoted to sugar cane, the emblematic product of the colonial economy of Saint-Domingue.

Festivals

Wikipedia (FR) lists an international jazz festival in January, the carnival in February, a flower carnival in July and the Quatre Chemins festival in November. Whether they take place varies by year and situation: do not build a trip around a date without checking it.

Food and drink

Rice and beans, griot, pikliz and rum

The dishes

Wikipedia (EN, FR, DE) describes a Creole cuisine fed by African, French, Taíno, Spanish and Levantine influences, with plenty of herbs and pepper. Riz collé aux pois (diri kole ak pwa), rice cooked with red beans, is considered the national rice. Add griot, fried pork, pikliz, a spicy cabbage relish, tassot of goat or turkey, accra fritters and the Haitian pâté (Wikipedia DE, ES).

Markets and tables

Wikivoyage (EN) notes that eating out is surprisingly expensive, and Wikivoyage (DE) speaks of many restaurants serving Haitian and French food, more rarely Chinese, more often Italian. The Iron Market is described as the belly of the city (Wikivoyage FR). We recommend no particular address: ask a trusted host.

Drinks

Wikivoyage (FR) ranks Haitian rum among the best in the Caribbean; Wikivoyage (EN) also lists crémas, a coconut and vanilla drink, and Wikipedia (ES) mentions fruit juices (pineapple, papaya, mango, guava) and punches.

Getting around

Tap-taps, daytime taxis and trusted hosts

Tap-taps

The tap-tap, a brightly painted minibus or pick-up with inventive names, carries most urban transport (Wikipedia FR; Wikivoyage FR, DE). Wikivoyage (DE) says there are no regular buses or trains and advises foreign visitors against using them.

Taxis and motorbike taxis

Wikivoyage (EN) advises using street taxis only in daylight, because risks rise after dark; Wikivoyage (DE) advises against motorbike taxis that offer themselves, which can turn into a kidnapping.

Cars and roads

Wikivoyage (DE) stresses the very poor state of the roads, the almost complete lack of signs and chaotic traffic, with steep unprotected drops. Most visitors rely on hotels, hosts or trusted local organisers.

Between towns

Wikipedia (FR) mentions buses leaving from the informal Portail Léogâne station for Léogâne, Jacmel or Les Cayes. Check your country's official advice before any road travel: do not assume the routes are passable.

Budget and precautions

No price ranges, and caution ahead of budget

Price level

Wikivoyage (EN) finds that restaurant meals are surprisingly expensive and that there is no cheap accommodation, only less expensive choices. The currency is the Haitian gourde, with the US dollar also in use. We publish no ranges, because we could not confirm them on two independent sources.

Flights

The flight is the most variable item in the budget. SniperAir monitors prices to PAP and compares them with the route's history, but it does not sell or book tickets.

Safety before budget

Wikivoyage (DE) writes that safety is guaranteed nowhere in Port-au-Prince and lists districts to avoid; Wikipedia (FR) mentions gang violence in some disadvantaged districts. Official advice varies by departure country: some advise against certain areas, others against the whole country. Read your own country's advice, check that your travel insurance covers you, and do not assume that return flights will be available.

Earthquakes and hurricanes

Haiti is exposed to earthquakes (2010, but also 1751 and 1770 according to Wikipedia FR) and hurricanes: Wikipedia (EN) recalls the damage of the 2008 season and of Hurricane Matthew in 2016. The hurricane season runs from June to November; keep your dates flexible.

When to go

Warm all year, with two rainy peaks and a hurricane season from June to November

Wikipedia (EN, FR) classes Port-au-Prince as tropical savanna (Aw), with little variation in temperature. Wikipedia (EN, DE) puts the wet season from March to November, Wikipedia (ES) rather April to June and October to November: the sources differ, hence the value of flexible dates. We give no averages, for lack of cross-checking. Haiti observes daylight saving time, so the time difference with Europe changes during the year.

By length of stay

What to do in Port-au-Prince by length of stay, if travel is possible

In pictures

Port-au-Prince in pictures

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions about flights to Port-au-Prince