Perhaps the best place to start exploring St Kitts is in its capital city of Basseterre. It is a French name that simply translates to mean lowland and it's thought it may have merely been a description written on a French sea chart at some point during the early 17th century.
The city has a dramatic backdrop of lush green rainforest, but still has much of its elegant colonial charm which dates back to Nelson's time, and its architecture is far more English than French. The Treasury building is right on the waterfront and as a reminder of the islands days as a major sugar cane producer. At one stage everything departing from St Kitts passed through this building.
The Circus is a roundabout in the centre of the city which has been modelled after Piccadilly Circus. Its centrepiece is the Berkeley Memorial Clock which is an ornate cast iron Georgian styled structure that is painted green. Independence Square was built in 1790 and was originally for council meetings and slave auctions.
It received its current name in 1983 when St Kitts and Nevis received independence from Great Britain. St George's Anglican Church wouldn't be out of place in the English countryside, but was originally called Notre Dame by the French in 1670. However it was destroyed four times before being built in its present Georgian style in 1869. The headstones in the graveyard date right back to the early 18th century.
St Kitts capital city is relatively small and easy to walk around, but it is well worth a visit and makes a very pleasant way to spend a few hours. It also gives a fascinating insight into the history which has shaped this beautiful island.
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