If you visit Suriname, you will most likely travel to Paramaribo, the beautiful capital. Experience a mix of wilderness, modern and colonial architecture. The wooden Saint Peter and Paul Basilica is impressive and worth visiting. We had a fun walking tour with a local named Randy who showed us around the city and sang us the national anthem! During the day, it was fine to walk around. At night, I probably wouldn’t have walked around by myself, but luckily we were in a group.
One of the afternoons, we had a minibus tour to the outskirts of the zoo and a local neighbourhood to see sloths and monkeys. I guess they know where to hang out to find food. We were glad to have our guide, Ryan, as without him we would likely never spot the sloths high up in the trees.
Around town, we found some interesting local food and drink hangouts, and people were friendly but sometimes they were out of most food on the menu. It was an experience!
Highlights
- Saint Peter and Paul Basilica
- I Love Suriname sign
- Fort Zeelandia and the boardwalk by the water
- Old and new Parliament
- Presidential Palace
- Independence square
- Palm tree garden
- Paramaribo Central Market
- Neveh Shalom Synagogue
- S.I.V. Mosque
- Tour with Ryan to see sloths and monkeys in the wild
Before you go
- Hours on GoogleMaps are not always accurate so use them as a guide
- Also, menus were often a guide because places were out of many items
- Almost everyone speaks English but the official language is Dutch
- Bring insect repellent because there are mosquitos
- Weather is hot and humid year-round
- Have some cash if you want to buy anything at the market or smaller restaurants. Most larger restaurants and bars take credit cards
Transport
- The main airport in Paramaribo is over an hour south of the city, Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (PBM)
- We took a ferry across the Courantyne River from Moleson Creek, Guyana to South Drain, Suriname. Normally it takes about an hour, even though it doesn’t look far. However, we were a bit quicker because we had a tugboat pulling the ferry that day. There is minimal shade so it was very hot!
- Once we were in Suriname, we travelled on a mini-bus
- Paramaribo city centre is walkable
Accommodation
- In Paramaribo, we stayed at Hotel Palacio, which is centrally located in a beautiful colonial style building.
- Rooms were large and comfortable, and the A/C worked well. However, there were a lot of food smells throughout the hotel so I could smell meat while sleeping
- Breakfast was excellent and in addition to fruits, bread and cold meats and cheeses, you could also order eggs
- As usual I recommend checking reviews on Google Reviews or using AirBnB
Food
My favourite food in Paramaribo was the peanut soup at Souposo. It’s simple, yet so tasty and filling. I had it with chicken and rice, because they ran out of the tom tom (plantain balls). However, luckily I did get to try tom tom because a friend was nice and shared!
Another tasty food was roti, which is an Indian flatbread with lentils inside, served with curry and vegetables. We visited a recommended place called Roti Shop Joosje and I loved the roti, chicken, green bans, potatoes and egg.
Tiny Sips and Treats was a great find for coffee and dessert. They were also so friendly and generous. One dessert had a side of ice cream, and when I asked if I could buy a scoop they just gave it to me and decorated it so nicely.
Although it looked slightly dodgy from outside, had a sign for a midnight room deal, and was out of half the menu, the Sky Lounge Bar was surprisingly fun. It was probably more to do with the great company but we did eventually get cold drinks and we had a nice night-time view of the river and bridge.
Also, I must admit that we did sample the local Burger King and McDonald’s for burgers and also ice cream! And we tried the local Parbo beer.
FAQs
Q: Do I need a tour guide?
A: Yes, it is better to have a guide although you can walk around the city and see the main sights
Q: Do people speak English?
A: Yes, most people speak English although the official language is Dutch
Q: Is it a walkable city?
A: Yes, it is walkable although the hot weather can make it tiring. We didn’t take any transport in the city centre, but did have a mini bus to get to some further places.
Go to Suriname
Go to Country Map