Find places in Dominica

Must-Haves

• Dominica Museum (Bayfront)
  Housed in the old post office on the waterfront, it walks you through Kalinago life, slavery, the Maroons and Creole culture in an hour.
• Cathedral of Our Lady of Fair Haven (Virgin Lane)
  Roseau's volcanic stone Catholic cathedral, built in the nineteenth century, is a quiet stop between the market and the gardens.

Off the Beaten Path

• Fort Young (Victoria Street)
  The eighteenth century fort walls now frame a hotel, and you can wander the old battery and look over the bay.

Must-Haves

• Dominica Botanic Gardens (Bath Estate)
  Shaded lawns, giant trees and a parrot aviary make this the calmest green space in the capital, with a bus crushed by a fallen baobab from Hurricane David.

Fun for Everyone

• Morne Bruce (Morne Bruce)
  A short climb from the Botanic Gardens to a cross topped lookout with the best view over Roseau and the sea.

Must-Haves

• Roseau Market (Bayfront)
  Saturday morning is the time to come, when farmers bring dasheen, mangoes, herbs and hot pepper sauce down from the hills.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Old Market Plaza (Old Market)
  A cobbled square where enslaved people were once sold, now lined with craft stalls selling vetiver mats, soaps and local spices.

Must-Haves

• Fort Young Hotel (Victoria Street)
  The capital's best known hotel sits on the walls of an old fort with sea facing rooms and a dive centre.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Sutton Place Hotel (Old Street)
  A small, characterful guesthouse in a restored town house, handy for walking everywhere in Roseau.

Fun for Everyone

• Garraway Hotel (Bayfront)
  A long running waterfront hotel right on the bay, easy for buses, the museum and the market.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pearl's Cuisine (King George V Street)
  Home style Creole plates such as stew chicken, provisions and callaloo in a wooden house near the heart of town.
• Roseau roti shops (Roseau)
  Busy lunchtime counters selling chicken and vegetable roti to office workers.

Great for Date Night

• Old Stone Grill and Bar (Castle Street)
  Stone walls, candle light and grilled fish or steak make this one of Roseau's favourite places for a relaxed dinner.
• Fort Young Hotel restaurant (Victoria Street)
  Dine by the old fort walls with sea views and Creole touches on the menu.

Fun for Everyone

• Roseau Bayfront promenade (Bayfront)
  On Friday evenings the seafront fills with music, food stalls and friends liming after work.

Great for Date Night

• Fort Young Hotel bar (Victoria Street)
  A breezy waterfront bar for rum punch and sunset over the Caribbean.

Must-Haves

• Sperm whale watching from Roseau (Roseau Bay)
  Dominica is one of the few places in the world where sperm whales live year round, and boat trips leave from the Roseau coast.

Fun for Everyone

• Dive Dominica (Castle Comfort)
  One of the island's longest running dive and snorkel operators, a short ride south of the capital.
• Windsor Park Stadium (Goodwill)
  The national stadium hosts cricket matches and the biggest concerts, a lively place to join local crowds.
• Champagne Beach (Pointe Michel)
  A pebble beach next to the bubbling reef, easy for a snorkel from shore.

Off the Beaten Path

• Waitukubuli Trail Segment Three (Roseau Valley)
  A walk from Wotten Waven toward Pont Cassé through farms and rainforest.

Must-Haves

• World Creole Music Festival (Windsor Park Stadium)
  Three nights in late October of bouyon, cadence lypso, kompa and zouk at the national stadium, the island's biggest party.
• Mas Domnik Carnival (Roseau streets)
  Dominica's carnival fills Roseau with J'ouvert, calypso and costumed bands on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

Fun for Everyone

• Independence and Creole Day celebrations (Roseau)
  Late October into 3 November brings madras dress, Creole food, heritage displays and parades across the island.

Fun for Everyone

• Roseau juice vendors (Bayfront)
  Fresh sorrel, passion fruit and soursop juice sold from coolers along the streets.

Must-Haves

• Trafalgar Falls (Trafalgar)
  Twin waterfalls called Mother and Father, reached by a short trail, with warm sulphur pools at the base.
• Boiling Lake (Morne Trois Pitons National Park)
  A full day guided hike through the Valley of Desolation to a flooded fumarole that bubbles under clouds of steam.
• Titou Gorge (Laudat)
  Swim through a narrow, shaded gorge to a hidden waterfall, a short dip that feels like a secret.

Off the Beaten Path

• Valley of Desolation (Morne Trois Pitons National Park)
  A stark, steaming landscape of hot springs and coloured rock on the route to the Boiling Lake.

Fun for Everyone

• Freshwater Lake (Laudat)
  The island's largest lake sits high in the mountains, with an easy circuit walk and wide views on clear days.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ti Kwen Glo Cho (Wotten Waven)
  Simple outdoor hot sulphur baths in a garden setting, the classic soak after a hike.

Great for Date Night

• Screw's Sulphur Spa (Wotten Waven)
  Terraced natural hot and cool pools set in a lush garden, perfect at dusk.

Great for Date Night

• Tia's Bamboo Cottages and Hot Springs (Wotten Waven)
  Bamboo cottages with their own hot sulphur pools a short walk from the valley trails.

Off the Beaten Path

• Morne Trois Pitons National Park (Central Dominica)
  A UNESCO World Heritage site covering volcanic peaks, rainforest, lakes and hot springs in the island's heart.

Must-Haves

• Champagne Reef (Pointe Michel)
  Snorkel through streams of warm bubbles rising from volcanic vents over coral and tropical fish.
• Scotts Head (Scotts Head)
  A narrow isthmus where you can stand between the Caribbean and the Atlantic and snorkel in the clear marine reserve.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Soufrière Sulphur Springs (Soufrière)
  Rustic hot pools in the hills above the village, steaming among ferns and banana groves.

Off the Beaten Path

• Waitukubuli National Trail Segment One (Scotts Head)
  The start of Dominica's long distance trail, climbing from Scotts Head over the southern hills.
• Wavine Cyrique (Petite Soufrière)
  A waterfall that pours straight off the cliff onto a black sand beach, reached by a steep guided path.

Fun for Everyone

• Soufrière Scotts Head Marine Reserve (Soufrière Bay)
  The crater of a sunken volcano with pinnacles, walls and fish life, one of the Caribbean's top dive areas.

Great for Date Night

• Bubble Beach Spa (Soufrière)
  A beach hot pool built from stones where volcanic water meets the sea, lovely at sunset.

Must-Haves

• Nature Island Dive (Soufrière)
  A long running dive and kayak operator on the Soufrière bay with easy access to the marine reserve.

Off the Beaten Path

• Kayaking Soufrière Bay (Soufrière Bay)
  Paddle along the volcanic cliffs and over the marine reserve.

Must-Haves

• Soufrière Catholic Church (Soufrière)
  A seafront stone church framed by green hills, one of the most photographed spots in the south.

Must-Haves

• Jungle Bay (Soufrière Estate)
  An eco resort with villas on the hillside above Soufrière, yoga, spa and hiking from the door.

Off the Beaten Path

• Citrus Creek Plantation (La Plaine)
  Cottages beside a river on the wild southeast coast, close to Sari Sari and Victoria Falls.

Fun for Everyone

• Scotts Head beach bars (Scotts Head)
  Fishermen's bars at the isthmus for a cold Kubuli after a snorkel.

Must-Haves

• Indian River (Portsmouth)
  A rowed boat trip under swamp bloodwood trees, where scenes for a famous pirate film were shot.

Off the Beaten Path

• Secret Beach (Tibay)
  A tiny cove reached by kayak or a scramble, with a sea cave and clear water.
• Syndicate Nature Trail (Morne Diablotin National Park)
  The best place to spot the Sisserou and Jaco parrots, ideally at dawn with a guide.

Fun for Everyone

• Toucari Bay (Toucari)
  A calm, sheltered bay north of Portsmouth with good snorkelling over coral and sea fans.
• Douglas Bay (Cabrits)
  A protected bay at the edge of the Cabrits with grey sand and shallow snorkelling.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Indian River Bush Bar (Indian River)
  The thatched bar at the turning point of the river trip, famous for its rum punch called Dynamite.

Fun for Everyone

• Purple Turtle Beach Club (Prince Rupert Bay)
  A beachside bar and restaurant on Portsmouth's bay, easy for a swim and a cold drink.

Must-Haves

• Cabrits National Park (Cabrits)
  A forested peninsula with the restored Fort Shirley, gentle trails and views over Prince Rupert Bay.

Fun for Everyone

• Fort Shirley (Cabrits)
  The restored eighteenth century garrison with officers' quarters and cannons above the bay.

Great for Date Night

• Cabrits Resort and Spa (Cabrits)
  A large resort on Douglas Bay beside the national park with pools and a spa.
• Secret Bay (Tibay)
  Hilltop villas above a secluded cove and river mouth, built for privacy and calm.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Picard Beach Cottages (Picard)
  Simple wooden cottages in gardens right behind the beach on Prince Rupert Bay.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Portsmouth market (Bay Street)
  A small Saturday market for fruit, vegetables and fish, the heart of the northern town.

Fun for Everyone

• Waitukubuli Trail final segment (Cabrits)
  The trail's last stretch ends at the Cabrits, an easy forest walk to finish a long hike.

Must-Haves

• Red Rocks (Pointe Baptiste)
  A sculpted plateau of red clay and rock above the sea, wonderful at golden hour.
• Batibou Beach (Hampstead)
  A palm fringed golden sand cove often called the prettiest on the island.

Fun for Everyone

• Hodges Beach (Hodges)
  A quiet beach where the river meets the sea, good for a picnic.
• Woodford Hill Bay (Woodford Hill)
  A golden sand bay east of Calibishie, peaceful on weekdays.

Must-Haves

• Calibishie Lodges (Calibishie)
  Small eco lodges with garden views and easy access to northern beaches.

Off the Beaten Path

• Calibishie village (Calibishie)
  A fishing village with colourful houses, a reef protected sea and slow evenings.

Fun for Everyone

• Pagua Bay (Marigot)
  A surf beach where local boarders catch Atlantic waves near Douglas Charles Airport.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Calibishie seafront snack bars (Calibishie)
  Simple places by the water serving fish, chicken and local juice.

Fun for Everyone

• Calibishie rum shops (Calibishie)
  Tiny bars where villagers gather for dominoes and talk in the evening.

Must-Haves

• Kalinago Barana Autê (Crayfish River)
  A cultural village where Kalinago guides show canoe building, basket weaving, cassava bread and traditional dance.

Off the Beaten Path

• L'Escalier Tête Chien (Sineku)
  A rock formation like a snake's staircase climbing from the sea, central to Kalinago legend.
• St Marie of the Caribs Church (Salybia)
  A church shaped like a canoe with a pulpit carved from a boat.

Must-Haves

• Isulukati Falls (Crayfish River)
  A waterfall tumbling into the sea, reached on the Kalinago Barana Autê trail.

Fun for Everyone

• Castle Bruce Bay (Castle Bruce)
  A wide Atlantic bay with a river mouth and views of the rugged east coast.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kalinago craft stalls (Salybia)
  Roadside stalls selling larouma baskets and carvings made by Kalinago families.

Off the Beaten Path

• Waitukubuli Trail Kalinago segment (Kalinago Territory)
  A section of the national trail that passes through Kalinago villages and coastal forest.