Harrison's Cave
Barbados's showpiece underground — a living limestone cave with a stream, waterfalls and chandeliers of stalactites, toured by electric tram. Go in the morning, book ahead and pair it with a coastal drive.
Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is a coral island with a rum habit and a long memory.
Its limestone interior hides Harrison's Cave, a stream-carved cavern you ride through on an electric tram; its Atlantic coast is all wind, surf and wild gardens; and its sheltered Caribbean west coast is where catamarans slip out of Carlisle Bay to snorkel with sea turtles over shipwrecks. In between sits Bridgetown, whose old streets and Garrison are a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a countryside of Jacobean great houses and working distilleries that make Barbados the birthplace of rum as a commercial spirit. This guide books the island properly: Harrison's Cave, a turtle-and-shipwreck catamaran cruise, the Garrison and Bridgetown on foot, the Mount Gay and Foursquare rum experiences, St Nicholas Abbey and Hunte's Gardens, a full island tour round the coast and the Friday fish fry at Oistins. Then it matches you with a hotel, from a Platinum Coast oceanfront retreat to an honest south-coast beachfront value stay, because on an island this small, the coast you choose sets the rhythm of your trip.
Don't miss
Harrison's Cave
Barbados's showpiece underground — a living limestone cave with a stream, waterfalls and chandeliers of stalactites, toured by electric tram. Go in the morning, book ahead and pair it with a coastal drive.
Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison
A UNESCO World Heritage site where a 17th-century colonial port and the largest early British garrison in the Caribbean sit side by side. Walk the old streets, then circle the Savannah and its historic buildings.
Catamaran Turtle and Shipwreck Snorkel Cruise
The classic Barbados day on the water — a catamaran from Bridgetown, a swim with wild sea turtles, shipwreck snorkeling in clear water, lunch and an open bar on board. Easy, sociable and very good value.
Beautiful Barbados Coastal Sightseeing Tour
A full-day loop that shows you the whole island — Bridgetown, the Garrison, south-coast beaches, Codrington College, wild Bathsheba and the Animal Flower Cave, then the west coast home. The no-stress way to see Barbados.
Things to do in Barbados
Catamaran Turtle and Shipwreck Snorkel Cruise
The classic Barbados day on the water — a catamaran from Bridgetown, a swim with wild sea turtles, shipwreck snorkeling in clear water, lunch and an open bar on board. Easy, sociable and very good value.
FreeHistoric Bridgetown and its Garrison
A UNESCO World Heritage site where a 17th-century colonial port and the largest early British garrison in the Caribbean sit side by side. Walk the old streets, then circle the Savannah and its historic buildings.
2-4 hoursDetails →
Mount Gay Rum Visitor Experience
A tour and tasting at the name behind the oldest rum brand in the world, with a history lesson in how Barbados invented rum. Tastings, blending talk and hotel pickup are included on the small-group booking.
St Nicholas Abbey Great House and Rum Distillery
A 17th-century Jacobean plantation house in the north of the island, with a working rum distillery, mahogany forest and a steam railway. Beautiful, atmospheric and honest about its history.
Foursquare Rum Distillery and Discover Rum Tour
The connoisseur's rum stop — a craft-minded distillery in a former sugar factory in St Philip, visited on a five-hour tour that pairs it with Mount Gay for a side-by-side lesson in Barbadian rum.
Beautiful Barbados Coastal Sightseeing Tour
A full-day loop that shows you the whole island — Bridgetown, the Garrison, south-coast beaches, Codrington College, wild Bathsheba and the Animal Flower Cave, then the west coast home. The no-stress way to see Barbados.
Oistins Friday Night Fish Fry
Barbados's best-loved weekly party — grilled marlin and mahi-mahi at picnic benches by the fishing harbour, with music, craft stalls and half the island out for the evening. Cheap, loud and very local.
Hunte's Gardens
A tropical garden built inside a collapsed sinkhole in the hills of St Joseph — a shady maze of flowers, palms and statues with quiet benches and a veranda for rum punch. Beautiful, peaceful and open every day.
Carlisle Bay Sunset Catamaran and Snorkeling Cruise
A late-afternoon catamaran out of Bridgetown to snorkel the wrecks and turtles of Carlisle Bay, then watch the sun go down over the Caribbean. Shorter and more romantic than the all-day cruises.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$Fairmont Royal Pavilion
Platinum Coast, west coast
An intimate, all-oceanfront luxury resort on the Platinum Coast — every room faces the sea, the beach is a few steps away and butler service is on offer in the top suites. Barbados's polished splurge.
Rates on Expedia →The Sandpiper
Holetown, west coast
A family-owned five-star boutique hotel in tropical gardens on a white-sand cove in Holetown — elegant but unfussy, with a loyal following, a spa and a sister property next door.
Rates on Expedia →
$$$Accra Beach Hotel and Spa
Rockley, south coast
A big, lively, family-friendly beach resort on Rockley Beach on the south coast, with three pools, a spa, three restaurants and shops and nightlife on the doorstep. Excellent mid-range value near Bridgetown.
Rates on Expedia →Southern Palms Beach Club
St. Lawrence Gap, south coast
A colonial-style beach club on St Lawrence Gap with manicured gardens, over a thousand feet of beach and a home-from-home feel. Mid-range comfort with restaurants and nightlife a few steps away.
Rates on Expedia →Coconut Court Beach Hotel
Hastings, south coast
A family-owned, good-value beach hotel in Hastings, inside the UNESCO Garrison district, with ocean-facing studios, two restaurants, a pool and complimentary airport transfers. The best budget base near Bridgetown.
Rates on Expedia →Barbados guides
First-Timer's Guide to Barbados: What to Book, Where to Go and How Many Days
What to book ahead in Barbados, how to get around without a car, how many days you need and where Harrison's Cave, the catamaran cruises, the rum distilleries and Bridgetown fit into a first trip.
Where to Stay in Barbados: West Coast, South Coast or Near Bridgetown
A plain-spoken guide to choosing a Barbados base: the calm west coast, the lively south coast and the Garrison district by Bridgetown, with five hotels at different price points.
