Paramaribo Forts, Plantations and Museums
The attractions near Paramaribo are easiest to plan by distance. One is inside the old town, two lie across the river within about 15 km, and one is an hour or so south. Hours and fees change, so confirm them before setting out. Most local prices are in Surinamese dollars (SRD), and tour operators often quote in euros.
In the city: Fort Zeelandia
The riverside fort at Abraham Crijnssenweg 1 began as the English Fort Willoughby in 1651. The Dutch took it in 1667 under Abraham Crijnssen and rebuilt it in stone. Inside the walls, the brick officers’ houses hold the Surinaams Museum, whose collections include Amerindian pottery, Maroon woodcarvings, period furniture and documents from the slavery era.
The fort also holds Bastion Veere, a national monument. Fifteen men were killed there in December 1982, and the bastion was consecrated as a monument on 9 December 2009. A plaque carries their names, and each 8 December the nation gathers here to remember them. Treat the bastion as a place of mourning. Listed opening times are Tuesday to Friday 09:00 to 14:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 14:00, with the fort closed Monday and Saturday. Confirm the times and ticket price before you go.
Across the river: Peperpot and Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam
Take the road over the Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge to reach Peperpot Nature Park in Meerzorg, about 10 km from the centre. The forest of about 700 hectares grew over a coffee and cocoa plantation that dates from the late 1600s and used enslaved labour until emancipation in 1863. Walkers use a flat 3.2 km trail, a canopy tower and a wetland boardwalk. The preserved coffee factory and the former Javanese workers’ quarters are part of the site. Monkeys, sloths, giant anteaters and over 270 bird species live in the park. It is listed as open daily 08:00 to 17:00, and bicycles can be hired for about EUR 5 for two hours.
Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam is about 15 km from the city, where the Suriname and Commewijne rivers meet. Between 1734 and 1747 the Dutch built the five-pointed earthwork to guard the plantations against French raids. The grounds now work as an open-air museum with cannons, powder stores, the old prison with its solitary cells and the lightship Suriname-Rivier. Tickets cost about SRD 75 to 100. Listed hours are Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:00 and weekends 10:00 to 18:00.
South of the city: Jodensavanne
Jodensavanne, in the Para District about 50 km south of the capital, joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in September 2023. Sephardic Jews who had fled Brazil founded the settlement in 1652. Surviving structures include the brick shell of the Berache ve Shalom synagogue from 1685 and the Beth Haim cemetery, where tombstones are carved in Portuguese, Spanish and Hebrew. Nearby, a Creole cemetery holds enslaved people who took up Judaism. The Amerindian village of Redi Doti shares the management of the site. It is a cemetery, so visitors should be quiet and respectful.
Choosing and combining
A taxi works for Peperpot and Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam, as long as you agree the fare first. Jodensavanne is easiest on an organised day trip. The wider old town forms the UNESCO Historic Inner City, which is described on the UNESCO World Heritage Centre page . Information on Jewish Suriname, including visits to the synagogue in town, is at the Jewish community website .
Read more: Day Trips around Paramaribo shows how to combine these places on one outing.
Booking help
Plantation and nature tours from the city are listed on GetYourGuide .