Jamestown

Bonaparte’s Longwood House
The Ladder Hill plateau
Volcanic rocks and coloured houses

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Jamestown

On the path of the colonials


Jamestown, a stopover on your MSC Grand Voyages cruise, looks like a small English country village with its characteristic atmosphere. If it weren’t for the fact that it is in the middle of the ocean and it is set in a splendid valley formed by volcanic rock.

A line of coloured houses flank the sides of the Grand Parade and Main Street, the town’s two main roads. During your excursion on land, you will find attractive stores for shopping and bars and eateries where you can spend a pleasant couple of hours. Then we advise you to go up to the Ladder Hill plateau from where you can admire the splendid view of the town , the valley and the bay. There are two ways to reach the plateau, either by road, or by walking up the 699 steps of Jacob's Ladder .

Built in 1829, it leads up the180 meters that separate Jamestown from Half Tree Hollow. Once you get to the top, don’t forget to ask for the certificate of your ascent that will be given to you by the local museum . In alternative, explore the town with a cruise along The Run, the canal, paved in 1857, which presumably retraces the course of the stream that brought water to Jamestown, still today used to regulate the flow of the water to the valley.

A unique opportunity in an MSC Grand Voyages cruise to Saint Helena is a visit to the locations associated with Napoleon , who spent the last six years of his life in the village of Longwood (Bonaparte died in 1821) and lay buried in Saint Helena until 1840, when his body was brought back to France. Before returning on board your cruise ship, don’t miss a visit to the Plantation House , the governor’s residence, and St James, the oldest Anglican church in the southern hemisphere, built in 1774. Finally, you can reach the beautiful waterfalls at the beginning of the James Valley , using a path that was recently opened through the wild mangos.

Must see places in Jamestown

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    St. Helena

    The sea as the great protagonist
    The sea as the great protagonist

    St Helena, as you will discover on your cruise is one of the most remote islands in the world. Situated in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, it is known as Napoleon Bonaparte’s last residence, and the sites which are connected to the Corsican General are one of the main tourist attractions of the island, such as Longwood House, the Briars Pavilion and Napoleon's tomb which can all be visited.

    But above all it is St Helena's breathtaking beauty and the warmth of its inhabitants which strike the traveller. 

    You can admire the local flora and fauna at Diana's Peak National Park. There are also many sites which remind us of the legacy of the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the English through the centuries; fortresses, relics, monuments and cemeteries. 


    St Paul's cathedral with its cemetery were built in 1851. St Helena has preserved the English colonial plantations dating back to the 18th century and Georgian style buildings. 


    Jamestown, the capital, nestles in a narrow valley between two plateaus and enthrals every traveller who goes near it. 

    There are many things to do during your stay on the island which meet the needs of the most active cruisers: from walking to fishing, from diving with marine mammals to golf.