Hugh Town

The islands’ capital, Hugh Town, basks between the sandy smiles of Porthcressa beach and Town Bay on St Mary’s. Despite its role as the islands’ commercial centre, it is worlds away from any other town centre, with a quaint charm and briny sea air christening the old-fashioned shopfronts, galleries and historic buildings. Just footsteps from the quayside, here rush hour is when visitors swarm through the streets to catch inter-island boat trips, or queue by the village green for the open-topped bus.