How to Spend 1 Day in Montego Bay

One of the most popular spots in Jamaica, Montego Bay is a laid-back, tourist-friendly city with excellent beaches, fascinating history, and a wealth of activities. Even with just one day here, visitors can experience many of MoBay's most interesting attractions. Here's how.

Morning: Shopping or Swimming

Spend your morning getting acquainted with Montego Bay. To discover the city’s best shops and boutiques and get the lay of the land with a guide, consider joining a shopping tour. Montego Bay is a good place to pick up everything from Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee to quirky souvenirs in Rastafarian colors of red, gold, and green, with numerous souvenir shops right on the main Hip Strip drag. Alternatively, make your way straight to Doctor's Cave Beach, a famous stretch of white sand flanked by turquoise water that's ideal for swimming and snorkeling. Grab lunch here.

Afternoon: Rose Hall Great House

After lunch, head out to see one of the most significant historic attractions in the area, the 18th-century Rose Hall Great House. This beautifully restored Georgian mansion sits in the middle of a former plantation and is an excellent spot to learn about life in Jamaica during colonial times. Be warned: The house is allegedly haunted by former resident Annie Palmer, the "White Witch of Rose Hall”; legend has it that she poisoned three of her husbands in the house.

Night: Luminous Lagoon

A highlight for many visitors to MoBay is an evening boat tour on the Luminous Lagoon in nearby Falmouth. The brackish lagoon gets its name from the phytoplankton here that emit a phosphorescent glow when agitated. Boatloads of visitors head out onto the lagoon every evening to see the lights in action; pack a swimsuit for the chance to jump in the waters to swim amongst the organisms. Visiting requires driving out to Falmouth's Glistening Waters Restaurant and joining a boat tour, but travelers without transportation can choose a package tour option that includes round-trip transportation from Montego Bay.