Areas at a glance
- Garapan: the walkable centre — hotels, restaurants, shops, Micro Beach and the marina for Managaha boats.
- Oleai and Susupe: beachfront resorts, the lagoon tanks, Kilili Beach Park and a more residential feel.
- Chalan Kanoa: the old village around Mount Carmel Cathedral, with small hotels and local shops.
- San Antonio: the southern end of Beach Road, close to the airport and the resorts described under Saipan south & east.
Eating and drinking
Saipan’s indigenous people are the Chamorro — spelt CHamoru on Guam — and the Carolinians, and island food is worth seeking out: barbecued chicken and ribs with red rice, kelaguen, and apigigi, a sweet of young coconut and cassava grilled in banana leaf. The street market stalls are the easiest place to try them. Garapan also has a very wide choice of Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Thai restaurants, reflecting who visits and who lives here. Tipping follows US custom.
Money and shopping
The currency is the US dollar. Cards are accepted in hotels, larger restaurants and duty-free shops, and ATMs are easy to find in Garapan; carry cash for markets, small cafés and some tour operators. Check your home country’s customs allowance before buying duty-free goods.
Safety in and out of the water
The west coast is generally relaxed, but do not leave valuables on the beach or visible in a parked car. The lagoon is calm and shallow; the risks are boat traffic, sharp coral and currents near the reef passes, so stay well inside the reef and wear reef shoes. Use reef-safe sunscreen and do not touch or stand on coral. Wartime relics on land and in the water are protected — and old munitions do still turn up, so never handle anything that looks like one.
Good to know
Electricity is 120 V with US-style plugs. Roaming from US mobile carriers varies in the Northern Marianas, so check before you travel; local SIMs are sold in Garapan. For region-wide practicalities, see the Mariana Islands travel guide.
Sample plans
One day
Morning at American Memorial Park and its visitor centre, a swim at Micro Beach, lunch in Garapan, then a drive or cycle down Beach Road to the lagoon tanks and Mount Carmel Cathedral, returning to Micro Beach for sunset.
Two days
Day one as above. Day two: take an early boat to Managaha Island for snorkelling, come back after lunch, visit Sugar King Park, and spend the evening at the street market or on a lagoon dinner cruise arranged locally.
Three days
Add a half-day tour or self-drive round northern Saipan — Banzai Cliff, Suicide Cliff, the Last Command Post and Bird Island — with the afternoon free for the Grotto or Pau Pau Beach.
