Find places in Antigua and Barbuda

Must-Haves

• Museum of Antigua and Barbuda (Long Street)
  Set in the old colonial courthouse, it tells the islands story from Amerindian settlers to independence, including a cricket bat of Viv Richards.
• St. John's Cathedral (Newgate Street)
  The twin towered Anglican cathedral is the landmark of the capital, with a timber lined interior built to survive earthquakes.

Fun for Everyone

• Fort James (Fort James Road)
  Old cannons and harbour views at the entrance to St. John's, with a beach right next door.

Off the Beaten Path

• Fort Barrington (Deep Bay)
  A short steep climb to a hilltop fort over Deep Bay and the harbour mouth, with superb views.

Must-Haves

• Heritage Quay (Waterfront)
  The duty free shopping pier where cruise passengers land, handy for jewellery, rum and souvenirs.

Great for Date Night

• Redcliffe Quay (Waterfront)
  Restored warehouses where enslaved people were once held now house boutiques, galleries and courtyard cafés, a place to shop and reflect.

Low Cost and Authentic

• St. John's Public Market (Market Street)
  Saturday morning is the time to see Antiguan black pineapples, ground provisions, hot pepper sauces and lively local trading.
• Vendors' Mall (Thames Street)
  A covered craft market for batik, carvings, straw work and island T shirts, good for gifts.

Fun for Everyone

• Deep Bay Beach (Five Islands)
  A calm horseshoe bay where you can snorkel out to the wreck of the Andes, a ship that sank in the bay in 1905.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Fort James Beach (Fort James)
  The locals beach closest to town, busy on weekends with families, music and food stalls.

Must-Haves

• Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (North Sound)
  The national cricket ground, where international matches bring the whole island out in force.
• Adventure Antigua (Island-wide)
  Small group boat tours led by a local family, mixing snorkelling, history and stops at Stingray City and Great Bird Island.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Antigua Recreation Ground (Independence Avenue)
  The historic town ground where Brian Lara scored his record test innings and local matches still draw crowds.

Fun for Everyone

• Wadadli Cats Catamaran Cruises (North Sound)
  Day sails around the island or to Great Bird Island with snorkelling and lunch on board.

Off the Beaten Path

• Cedar Valley Golf Club (Cedar Valley)
  An eighteen hole course in the hills north of town with island views.

Must-Haves

• Hemingway's Caribbean Cafe (St. Mary's Street)
  A wooden balcony restaurant above the busy street, perfect for a fish lunch and people watching.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Roti King (St. Mary's Street)
  A local favourite for filling Caribbean rotis stuffed with curried chicken, goat or conch.
• Commissioner Grill (Redcliffe Street)
  Classic Antiguan cooking in town: saltfish, fungee, pepperpot and grilled fish in a relaxed old building.

Fun for Everyone

• Big Banana (Redcliffe Quay)
  Pizza and sandwiches in a courtyard setting, an easy family stop while exploring the quays.

Great for Date Night

• Papa Zouk (Hilda Davis Drive, Gambles)
  A tiny, colourful fish and rum bar famed for its huge rum collection and creole seafood.

Must-Haves

• Galley Bay Resort and Spa (Five Islands)
  An adults only all inclusive on a long quiet beach west of town, with thatched cottages.

Great for Date Night

• Hermitage Bay (Hermitage Bay)
  A secluded hillside and beach retreat of private cottages, loved by honeymooners.

Fun for Everyone

• Hawksbill Resort (Five Islands)
  A long established resort with four beaches on its own peninsula, including a clothing optional one.

Must-Haves

• Antigua Carnival (Carnival City and the streets of St. John's)
  The islands biggest festival, from late July to the first days of August, with J'ouvert, calypso, soca and costumed parades.

Fun for Everyone

• Independence Day celebrations (Across Antigua)
  Around 1 November the islands mark independence with parades, a food fair and national dress.

Must-Haves

• Nelson's Dockyard (Antigua Naval Dockyard)
  The only working Georgian dockyard in the world, a UNESCO site of stone storehouses, boathouse pillars and superyachts.
• Dockyard Museum (Nelson's Dockyard)
  Housed in the old naval officers house, it explains the dockyard, the enslaved workers who built it and its yachting revival.

Off the Beaten Path

• The Blockhouse (Shirley Heights)
  Ruined military buildings on the cliffs above the harbours, quieter than the Lookout and full of history.

Must-Haves

• Shirley Heights Lookout (Shirley Heights)
  On Sunday evenings steel pan, reggae and barbecue meet a famous sunset view over English and Falmouth Harbours.

Fun for Everyone

• Antigua Rainforest Canopy Tour (Fig Tree Drive)
  Zip lines and rope bridges through the rainforest of the southwest hills.

Off the Beaten Path

• Middle Ground Trail (Galleon Beach to Shirley Heights)
  A hiking trail over the headland past ruins and cactus, with the best views of the harbours.
• Rendezvous Bay (South coast)
  A wild, empty beach reached on foot or by boat from Falmouth, with no facilities at all.

Fun for Everyone

• Fort Berkeley (Harbour entrance)
  An easy walk from the dockyard to the old fort guarding the harbour mouth.
• Galleon Beach (Freeman's Bay)
  A sheltered beach across the harbour from the dockyard, reached by water taxi or a short drive.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pigeon Point Beach (Falmouth)
  A calm, shallow public beach between the two harbours, popular with families and locals at weekends.

Great for Date Night

• Pillars Restaurant (Admiral's Inn)
  Waterside dining among the old boathouse stone pillars, lovely at night.
• Catherine's Café Plage (Pigeon Point)
  French style beach lunches on a deck overlooking Falmouth Harbour, a long, slow treat.

Must-Haves

• Trappas (English Harbour village)
  A busy, friendly restaurant with generous plates, much loved by sailors and locals.

Fun for Everyone

• Abracadabra (English Harbour village)
  A garden bar and Italian restaurant that turns into the area's late night party spot in season.

Must-Haves

• Mainbrace Pub (Copper and Lumber Store)
  A cosy pub inside the historic dockyard building, ideal after a day of exploring.

Must-Haves

• Antigua Sailing Week (English and Falmouth Harbours)
  One of the Caribbean's great regattas, held around late April and early May, with racing by day and parties at night.

Off the Beaten Path

• Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta (Falmouth Harbour)
  Traditional wooden and classic yachts race and parade in April, beautiful to watch from shore.
• Antigua Charter Yacht Show (Nelson's Dockyard)
  Each December the world's charter yachts gather in the harbours for a trade show, a sight in itself.

Must-Haves

• Admiral's Inn and Gunpowder Suites (Nelson's Dockyard)
  Stay inside the UNESCO dockyard in rooms set in restored Georgian buildings.
• Curtain Bluff (Old Road)
  A long established all inclusive on a bluff between two beaches, known for tennis and diving.

Great for Date Night

• The Copper and Lumber Store Hotel (Nelson's Dockyard)
  Characterful suites in an eighteenth century store building right on the dockyard quay.
• Carlisle Bay (Old Road)
  A calm, contemporary beach resort beneath the rainforest hills of the south coast.

Fun for Everyone

• South Point Antigua (Falmouth Harbour)
  Modern waterside suites with kitchens, a good base for families and sailors.

Must-Haves

• Jolly Beach (Jolly Harbour)
  A long arc of white sand and calm water, one of the best swimming beaches on the island.
• Ffryes Beach (Ffryes Point)
  A broad, soft beach with sunset views and a much loved bar at one end.

Fun for Everyone

• Valley Church Beach (Valley Church)
  Shallow, clear, turquoise water that is ideal for children and floating.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Darkwood Beach (Darkwood)
  A roadside beach with calm water, a beach bar and views to Montserrat on clear days.

Off the Beaten Path

• Crab Hill Beach (Crab Hill)
  A quieter stretch beside a fishing village with simple local bars.

Must-Haves

• Dennis Cocktail Bar and Restaurant (Ffryes Beach)
  Sunset drinks and Antiguan seafood on a hill above Ffryes Beach.

Fun for Everyone

• OJ's Beach Bar and Restaurant (Crab Hill)
  A classic barefoot beach bar for grilled fish, lobster in season and rum punch.

Great for Date Night

• Sheer Rocks (Cocobay, Ffryes Point)
  Cliffside daybeds and tapas style plates over the sea, one of the island's special dinners.
• Jacqui O's BeachHouse (Crab Hill)
  A stylish, boho beach restaurant with long lunches and sunsets.

Fun for Everyone

• Turner's Beach Bar and Grill (Johnson's Point)
  Simple seafood with your toes in the sand on a pretty southwest beach.

Must-Haves

• Carmichael's (Sugar Ridge)
  Hilltop dining with sweeping west coast sunset views.

Fun for Everyone

• Jolly Harbour Marina (Jolly Harbour)
  A marina village with restaurants, a supermarket and boat trips leaving for reefs and beaches.

Fun for Everyone

• Jolly Beach Resort (Jolly Beach)
  A large all inclusive on one of the best beaches, popular with families and groups.
• Cocobay Resort (Valley Church)
  Colourful cottages on a hillside above a calm bay, close to Sheer Rocks.

Great for Date Night

• Cocos Hotel (Valley Church)
  Adults only cottages on a rocky point above two small beaches.

Must-Haves

• Sugar Ridge (Jolly Harbour)
  A hillside resort with plunge pools and views over Jolly Harbour.

Must-Haves

• Dickenson Bay Beach (Dickenson Bay)
  A lively mile of white sand with water sports, beach bars and calm, swimmable water.

Fun for Everyone

• Runaway Beach (Runaway Bay)
  A long, quieter neighbour to Dickenson Bay with gentle water and simple beach bars.

Off the Beaten Path

• Jabberwock Beach (Hodges Bay)
  A windy north coast beach that is the island's main kitesurfing spot.

Fun for Everyone

• KiteAntigua (Jabberwock Beach)
  Kitesurfing lessons for beginners on a breezy, shallow beach.
• Dickenson Bay water sports (Dickenson Bay)
  Paddleboards, kayaks and boat rides from the beach operators on calm days.

Great for Date Night

• Coconut Grove (Siboney Beach Club)
  Candlelit dining on the sand under palms at the north end of Dickenson Bay.
• Bay House (Trade Winds Hotel)
  Hilltop dining with sunset views over Dickenson Bay.

Fun for Everyone

• Ana's on the Beach (Dickenson Bay)
  A bright beach restaurant and gallery for lunch with views of the bay.

Must-Haves

• Warri Pier (Dickenson Bay)
  A bar and restaurant on a pier over the water, the classic sunset drink.

Must-Haves

• Sandals Grande Antigua (Dickenson Bay)
  An adults only couples all inclusive along the best part of Dickenson Bay.
• Jumby Bay Island (Long Island)
  A private island resort reached by its own boat from the north coast.

Great for Date Night

• Siboney Beach Club (Dickenson Bay)
  A small, leafy beach hotel with a personal feel at the quieter end of the bay.

Fun for Everyone

• Trade Winds Hotel (Dickenson Bay)
  Hillside suites with views and a shuttle down to the beach.
• Blue Waters Resort and Spa (Soldier Bay)
  A long established resort on the north coast with calm coves and family facilities.

Must-Haves

• Half Moon Bay (St. Philip)
  A wide crescent of pink tinged sand on the Atlantic, part of a national park and one of the island's most beautiful beaches.
• Devil's Bridge (Indian Town Point)
  A natural limestone arch where Atlantic waves blast through blowholes, best seen from a safe distance.
• Great Bird Island (North Sound)
  A tiny protected island with a hilltop view, coral sand and the rare Antiguan racer snake.

Fun for Everyone

• Long Bay (Long Bay)
  A reef protected bay with calm, shallow water that is excellent for children.

Off the Beaten Path

• Green Castle Hill (Jennings)
  A short climb to unusual volcanic rock formations with wide views.

Fun for Everyone

• Stingray City Antigua (Seatons)
  Wade and snorkel with friendly southern stingrays in a shallow sandy pen offshore.

Off the Beaten Path

• Paddles Kayak Eco Adventure (Seatons)
  Guided kayaking through mangroves and islands of the North Sound marine area.

Must-Haves

• Betty's Hope (Pares)
  The ruins of Antigua's first big sugar estate, with a restored windmill and a frank account of plantation slavery.

Great for Date Night

• Nonsuch Bay Resort (Nonsuch Bay)
  Hillside apartments on a sheltered bay that is perfect for sailing and kitesurfing lessons.

Must-Haves

• Frigate Bird Sanctuary (Codrington Lagoon)
  One of the largest colonies of magnificent frigatebirds in the world, visited by local boat.
• Pink Sand Beach (West coast)
  Miles of soft sand tinted pink by crushed shells, often with no one else in sight.
• Princess Diana Beach (Coco Point)
  A long, calm, pale pink beach on the south coast named after a royal visit.

Off the Beaten Path

• Two Foot Bay (Northeast coast)
  Limestone caves with a ladder up to a natural skylight and Amerindian rock drawings nearby.
• Darby Sink Cave (Interior)
  A huge sinkhole lined with ferns and palms, like a hidden world in the scrub.

Off the Beaten Path

• Martello Tower (River)
  An early nineteenth century fort tower on the south coast with views along the beaches.
• Highland House (Highlands)
  The ruined Codrington family estate house on the island's highest ground.

Fun for Everyone

• Barbuda Express ferry day tour (St. John's to Codrington)
  A ferry crossing with an organised day of birds, beaches and lunch, the easiest way to see Barbuda.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Codrington village (Codrington)
  The island's only village, small and friendly, with guesthouses, shops and lobster in season.