Travel Guide Pétion-Ville

Long known as the "Coal Cup", the charcoal-charcoal capital, Pétion-Ville became from the second half of the nineteenth century the summer residence of many Port-aux-Princians who came to find some freshness. Today, the 7 kilometers separating the waterfront from Pétion City are fully urbanized. Every morning thousands of Petionvillois go down to work in the shops and administrations, they join their homes around 4 p. m. These pendular migrations cause gigantic blockades (blockade) along three axes connecting Port-au-Prince to Pétion: Delmas Avenue, the John Brown Avenue called Lalue, the route of Canapé-Vert. Counsel: If you can, don't get off between 6:30 a. m. and 10:00 a. m., don't climb between 4 p. m. and 7 p. m.Pétion-Ville is built on a hill and its most shopping streets, rue Lamarre and Grégoire Street, follow the direction of the slope. They leave St. Peter's Square, next to the church, to the Pan-American Avenue, extension of John-Brown-Lalue Avenue. In the perpendicular streets there are shops and restaurants, but to a lesser extent. In the evening, Pétion-Ville is animated. The numerous bars, restaurants and discos welcome a cosmopolitan clientele, presence of international organizations obliges. If you are interested in naive art or other forms of craft, you can easily find your happiness. Art galleries at all levels abound. You can even buy on the street, vendors moving on the sidewalks near hotels (Kinam, El Rancho).Pétion-Ville is suffering from its success. It is not for this economic activity that drives its streets, night and day. As a result, traffic and parking are a puzzle and it is also very difficult to walk on foot.