The grand stairs
Up to the facade.
Didier Moïse — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Iconem — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Laurent Quevilly — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Yoni Rubin — CC BY 3.0 · Yoni Rubin — CC BY 3.0 · Yoni Rubin — CC BY 3.0
Sans-Souci Palace is the ruin of a large royal palace in the town of Milot in northern Haiti. A long facade of stone and brick with empty arched windows rises above a broad staircase, with gardens and grassy terraces in front and green mountains behind. It was the main royal residence of Henri Christophe, who ruled northern Haiti as King Henry I. It was among the first buildings raised in a free Haiti after its revolution, and its name is French for «carefree». It stands about 5 km northeast of the Citadelle Laferrière and was listed with it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. An earthquake in 1842 wrecked most of the palace, leaving its walls standing without roofs. You climb the stairs and walk among the walls and halls open to the sky, past the remains of terraces and gardens. The road up to the Citadelle starts here. The palace is about 15 km in a straight line south of Cap-Haïtien. It is best seen with the Citadelle on the same day, starting early. The UK advises against all travel to Haiti because of the security situation, so check current advice before you go.
Up to the facade.
Open to the sky.
Old gardens.
Milot town, Nord department
An 1842 earthquake wrecked most of it.
About an hour, then go up to the Citadelle.