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Scarborough
Tobago’s capital, crowned by Fort King George
Tobago’s capital, crowned by Fort King George
The best-preserved 18th-century fort in Tobago, standing high above Scarborough with its cannon, barracks and lighthouse — and sweeping views over the coast.
💡 Go for the view as much as the history; it is the best in town.
The ramparts and gun emplacements survive amid landscaped grounds, with the old powder magazine and a small museum of Tobago’s layered colonial past.
💡 The Tobago Museum inside is small but worth the short visit.
From the fort’s heights, the whole windward coast unfolds — the harbour below, the sea beyond, and Tobago’s green hills rolling away.
💡 Come near sunset when the light is soft over the water.
Scarborough’s steep streets, its busy produce market and the harbourfront give a taste of everyday Tobago, far from the resorts.
💡 The market is liveliest in the morning — go early for the buzz.
Scarborough is where to eat real Tobagonian home cooking. The town’s market and rum shops serve the island’s beloved curry crab and dumpling, callaloo, stewed fish, and hearty provision plates of ground vegetables. Small local eateries around the harbour and up toward the fort do generous, cheap lunches for a fraction of resort prices. This is not fine dining — it is honest island food eaten where Tobagonians eat, washed down with a cold Carib or a shot of local rum. For the freshest catch, look for the fish vendors near the port in the morning.
Scarborough is small and steep — the harbour, market and town are walkable, though the climb up to Fort King George is a hot one best done by taxi or a short drive. The town is the docking point for the inter-island ferry from Port of Spain, and a hub for maxi-taxis and route taxis around Tobago. A rental car is the best way to explore the wider island’s beaches and rainforest from here. From the airport at Crown Point, Scarborough is about 15 minutes by taxi.
Up to Fort King George for the cannon, the lighthouse, the Tobago Museum and the best views in town.
Down to the market and harbour for the buzz, and curry crab and dumpling at a local spot.
The botanic gardens, then onward to a nearby beach or the windward-coast drive as the day cools.
The climb to Fort King George is steep and hot — take a taxi up and enjoy the walk down.
The Trinidad ferry docks here — handy to know if you are island-hopping without flying.
Scarborough’s local spots do Tobago’s signature dish better and cheaper than the resorts.
Rent a car here to reach Tobago’s reefs, rainforest and windward beaches easily.
Quick answers to the questions travellers most often ask before visiting Scarborough.
Yes — as Tobago’s capital it offers Fort King George with the island’s best views and museum, a lively market and a taste of authentic Tobagonian life beyond the resorts. It is also the arrival point for the ferry from Trinidad.
Visit Fort King George and the Tobago Museum, take in the coastal views, explore the busy produce market and harbour, see the botanic gardens, and eat curry crab and dumpling — then use the town as a base for the wider island.
By the inter-island ferry from Port of Spain, which docks right in town, or by a short flight to Tobago’s airport at Crown Point followed by a 15-minute taxi. Maxi-taxis and rental cars connect it to the rest of the island.
It can be — it is central, has the ferry link and everyday amenities, and rental cars make the reefs, rainforest and beaches easy to reach. Many visitors prefer the beaches at Crown Point, but Scarborough offers a more local base.
Vibrant Port of Spain, the beach at Maracas, Tobago’s Pigeon Point jetty, the capital Scarborough and the coral of Buccoo Reef — five sides of a two-island nation.