Special purchases are locally-made items and duty free bargains. Crafts include hand-loomed fabrics, embroidery, silk screening, woodcarvings, oil paintings, woven straw items and sandalmaking. Custom-made rugs and reproductions of pewter and china from the 17th-century ruins of the ancient submerged city of Port Royal can be bought in the In-Craft workshop. At
Highgate Village in the mountains, Quakers run a workshop specializing in wicker and wood furniture, floor mats and other tropical furnishings. Jamaican rum, the
Rumona (see
National drinks) and
Ian Sangsters Rum
Cream are unique purchases. Other local specialties are
Pepper Jellies, jams and spices. The most famous produce market in Jamaica is
Coronation Market, Kingston. Other markets:
Linstead Market, St Catherine;
Brownstown Market,
St Anne; the
Savanna-la-mar Market, Westmoreland; and the
Albert George Market, Falmouth. There are shops offering facilities for ‘in-bond’ shopping, which allows visitors to purchase a range of international goods free of tax or duty at very competitive prices. These goods are sealed (hence the ‘bond’) and, because goods are tax- or duty free, can only be opened once away from Jamaican waters or territory. All goods must be paid for in Jamaican currency.
Shopping hours Mon-Fri 0800-1600, Sat 0800-1300. Some shops close half day Wednesday in Kingston, and Thursday in the rest of the island.
Currency Information:CurrencyJamaican Dollar (JMD; symbol J$) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of J$1,000, 500, 100 and 50. Coins are in denominations of J$20, 10, 5 and 1, and 25, 10 and 1 cents.
Currency ExchangeMoney can be exchanged at the airport as well as at banks, hotels and bureaux de change. Receipts must be retained, as changing money on the black market is illegal.
Credit/Debit Cards and ATMsAmerican Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are all widely accepted as well as other cards with the Cirus or Plus logo. Banks give credit card advances. Many Jamaican ATMs accept international bank cards.
Traveller's ChequesTo avoid additional exchange rate charges, travelers are advised to take traveller’s cheques in US Dollars.
Banking HoursMon-Thurs 0900-1400, Fri 0900-1200 and 1430-1700.
Exchange Rate Indicators| Date | Apr 07 |
| £1.00= | J$133.33 |
| $1.00= | J$67.50 |
| €1.00= | J$90.24 |
Next Page »
