ParamariboCapital

Paramaribo is the historic, multicultural capital of Suriname, the atmospheric city of the Caribbean coast of South America that spreads its extraordinary wooden architecture, its Dutch colonial streets and its palm-lined squares along the west bank of the great river of the Suriname, one of the finest preserved historic towns of the Americas. The capital of the country since the seventeenth century, when the Dutch and their plantations made the river port the trading heart of the Guianas, it guards the UNESCO-listed historic centre with its immense timber buildings, its synagogues and its churches standing together, its fortress, its markets and its lively waterfront. The historic centre, the fort with its museum, the cathedral and the monuments, the great markets of the river and the jumble of the cultures of the city anchor the essential visits, while the mangroves and the wildlife of the nearby coast frame the natural world beyond the town. Green, wooden and wonderfully tolerant, Paramaribo is the creole jewel of the Guianas.

About Paramaribo

Paramaribo is the capital of Suriname. The city's documented population is around 240,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Surinamese Dollar (SRD) and Dutch is spoken; the dialling code is +597.

The Wooden Cathedral and the Palace of the Government

Paramaribo is a walkable, historic capital where the essential circuit moves between the UNESCO old town by the river, the fort and the monuments of the centre, with the markets and the busier modern streets of the town filling the days. The historic quarter with its wooden palace of the government, its immense palace of the presidency and its churches, the fortress of the Zeelandia with its museum and the great cathedral of the town anchor the classic visits, while the markets of the waterfront with their fish, their fruit and their spices, and the docks and the pirogue harbour of the river, carry the everyday Surinamese life. The boat trips of the rivers and the creeks, the coast of the mangroves and the interior of the forest fill the wider journeys beyond the capital.

The Fort of the Zeelandia and the Museum of the Slavery

The climate of the city is the warm, wet tropical of the north of South America, with the two rainy seasons that double the rivers and turn the city green, and the drier, slightly cooler months of the trade winds that give the pleasantest travel season. The dollar of the country is the currency, with the Dutch the language of the capital, overlaid with the Sranan, the Javanese, the Hindi and the Chinese of the many peoples of the town. The historic centre, the fort and the markets make the core circuit, and the interior of the country opens by the boats of the river beyond the capital. Light cotton clothing, insect protection and comfortable walking shoes for the historic lanes complete the preparation for the wooden capital.

The Great Market of the River and the Crafts of the Maroon

The historic centre of the capital, the UNESCO-inscribed ensemble of the timber and the brick houses of the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries that line the palm squares and the canal streets of the old town, is the architectural wonder of the Guianas, anchored by the enormous wooden palace of the presidency and the colossal brick cathedral of the mission, one of the largest wooden buildings of the world. The fortress of the Zeelandia, the star-shaped fort of the river mouth that once commanded the town, now shelters the museum of the country with its diggings of the colonial, the slavery and the maroon story of Suriname, while the great synagogue of the town and its neighbouring mosques and churches testify to the extraordinary religious coexistence of the capital. The great market of the riverfront, with its pyramids of the produce, its smoked fish and its craft of the Maroon people, completes the essential, wonderfully multicultural circuit of the creole capital of the north coast.

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Country: Suriname
Population: 240,000

Capital: Paramaribo
Region: South America
Currency: Surinamese Dollar (SRD)
Languages: Dutch
Calling code: +597
Country code: SR

Frequently asked questions

Is Paramaribo the capital of Suriname?

Yes — Paramaribo is the capital of Suriname.

What currency do I need in Paramaribo?

The local currency is the Surinamese Dollar (SRD). Languages spoken in Suriname include Dutch.

What is the dialling code for Suriname?

The international dialling code for Suriname is +597.

Flying out of Paramaribo? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.