From atop Fort King George, the cannons still look out over the Caribbean Sea, as in the days when the French and British fought over Tobago — the island is said to have changed hands more than thirty times, a record in the region. Two hundred metres below, Scarborough, the small capital, welcomes ships at a terminal set right on its waterfront. No shuttle, no waiting: the gangway opens onto the market, the sloping streets and the everyday life of an island capital of some 17,000 residents.

The market first

250 metres from the terminal, the market hall overflows with peppers, sweet potatoes, cocoa beans and bunches of fresh thyme. Vendors offer local "sweets": candied tamarind, coconut sugar cakes, ginger candies. It's the best place to get a feel for daily life on the island, and the shortest route to a souvenir that won't end up forgotten in a drawer: spices, hot sauces and local chocolate travel very well in a suitcase. Homemade pepper sauces, sold in reused jars, make formidable and memorable gifts.

Fort King George and the island museum

The climb to the ramparts, about two kilometres from the port, takes seven minutes by taxi or half an hour of sustained effort on foot. Built in the 1770s, the complex lines up stone barracks, a powder magazine, a military hospital and a row of cannons beneath the frangipani trees. The Tobago Museum, housed in the former guardhouse, displays Amerindian amulets, antique maps and documents from the plantation era. The view takes in the Atlantic coast and the capital's red rooftops: the best panorama of the southern half of the island; on a clear day, you can make out Trinidad to the southwest.

A botanical garden to catch your breath

A ten-minute walk from the terminal, the Scarborough Botanical Gardens occupy a former sugar plantation turned public park at the end of the 19th century. Flame trees, royal palms and cannonball trees shade terraced lawns, free and peaceful, where locals come for a bite at lunchtime. The spot offers a welcome green break between two urban explorations.

To the beaches of the western tip

For a swim, head to the west of the island. Store Bay, about twenty minutes by taxi, lines up curry crab shacks and crystal-clear water. Right next door, Pigeon Point Heritage Park, about 13 kilometres from the port, unrolls the island's most famous beach, with its thatched-roof jetty photographed a thousand times and its lagoon protected by Buccoo Reef. Glass-bottom boat excursions leave from here for the famous Nylon Pool, a submerged sandbar in the open sea where you walk in a metre of crystal-clear water; according to local legend, bathing there has rejuvenating powers.

Port call landmarks

One last look from the deck

At departure, the citadel stands out on its hill and you understand why so many flags have flown over it. Scarborough doesn't dazzle at first; it rewards those who explore it, with the market to start, the cannons as the high point and the beach as the reward. It's Tobago in concentrated form: a turbulent history, a generous natural setting and residents who still take the time to say hello to passing passengers.