Kingston: the birthplace of reggae

Capital of Jamaica and birthplace of reggae, Kingston preserves Bob Marley's house and recording studio transformed into a museum.

The centre is best visited by taxi or car.

The Bob Marley Museum, housed in the home where the musician lived until his death in 1981, preserves his bedroom, original records, and the bullet holes from an assassination attempt in 1976.

A short walk away, the Tuff Gong Studios, founded by Marley himself, remain an active recording studio where some of reggae's most celebrated albums were born.

Continuing, you can visit the National Gallery of Jamaica, which displays works by Jamaican artists alongside testimony to the island's colonial history.

As evening approaches, the Trench Town neighborhood, where Marley grew up and composed some of his most famous songs, offers guided tours on reggae history.

Bob Marley survived the assassination attempt in 1976, which occurred in the house now turned into a museum, and performed just two days later at a peace concert already scheduled in the city.

Trench Town, the working-class neighborhood where much of reggae's musical aesthetic was born, remains today a pilgrimage site for enthusiasts from around the world, despite the neighborhood's difficult socioeconomic conditions.