If you have opened this article, it is because you, like so many others, have decided to visit the island of Barbados, which is a place of sun, sand, and an inordinate amount of rum. There are people in the world who enjoy such an atmosphere – people who find pleasure in turquoise water, who feel a sense of well-being when presented with a grilled fish platter, and who do not shriek at the mention of a gentle sea breeze. This article is for those people, listing a variety of activities you may pursue, such as visiting an abbey, swimming near the wreckage of sunken vessels, and eating at a fish market that is, strangely, not exclusively about fish. While one cannot promise that your time in Barbados will be entirely free of trouble, it will certainly be filled with things to do. The best of them, in fact.
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If you’re looking for more practical tips, read my 12 Tips for Planning a Trip to Barbados and don’t forget to get your Barbados Travel Bingo Card.
Best Things to See and Do in Barbados
- Spend some time lounging on the white sand beaches of the South Coast. Check out Pebbles Beach, Rockley Beach, Worthing Beach, Dover Beach, or Miami Beach.
- Head to Silver Sands for some windsurfing or kitesurfing.
- Go snorkeling: Check out Folkestone Marine Park, Pebbles Beach, and Brownes Beach for shallow reefs, shipwrecks, turtles, and all sorts of marine life.
- Explore historic Bridgetown: Don’t miss the neo-Gothic Houses of Parliament, built in 1871 and featuring a striking clock tower and stained glass windows. Check out this Historic Walking Tour of Bridgetown.
- Explore the Garrison Savannah: This once British military command on the island is strewn with 17th century cannons and is home to the island’s horse racing track.
- Visit the Barbados Museum: Housed in a former military prison, this museum has engaging displays on all aspects of Barbados’ history. Regular adult admission is $20 BDS.
- Visit some distilleries: Barbados is the birthplace of rum and home to some of the oldest working distilleries in the world.
- Tour Mount Gay: Learn the history of the world’s oldest rum on an interactive distillery tour. All tours culminate with rum tastings. Cost varies depending on which tour you do.
- Explore Foursquare: Visit this working rum factory for a self-guided tour and of course a sampling of their amazing rums! Spend some time in the Heritage Park with its historic buildings, colonial architecture, and folk museum. Take a step back in time and learn about the important role that sugar and rum has played in Barbados’ history.
- Visit St. Nicholas Abbey. Established in 1658, this is one of the oldest plantations on the island of Barbados. A guided tour will lead you through a Jacobean great house, a boiling house, and even a distillery. The tour also includes a taste of aged rum and an educational demonstration of its production process. A train ride through the plantation’s grounds offers insight into the history of Barbados’ railways while providing breathtaking scenic views. I found the shorter train ride to Cherry Tree Hill to be more than sufficient, but there is a longer option as well. Plan ahead for this and reserve you tour online.
- Attend a festival: Barbados Food and Rum Festival is in October or November and Crop-Over Festival lasts several months but peaks mid-July to August. Crop-Over was originally a celebration of the end of the sugar harvest but is now a huge carnival ending on Grand Kadooment Day (the first Monday in August) with a huge caribbean parade in Bridgetown followed by fireworks.
- Spend Friday night at a fish fry: You’ll find almost the entire population at Oistin’s Fish Fry on Friday night. It’s part seafood barbeque, part boistrus block party with a maze of over 30 small restaurant kiosks to choose from. For a more low key option, check out Martin’s Bay Fish Fry.
- Explore the pink sand beaches of St. Phillip: While the currents make swimming difficult, Bottom Bay and Crane Beach are said to be worth visiting purely for their beauty and seclusion. And don’t miss Shark Hole, a hidden cove protected by rocks that form a deep, inviting pool.
- Visit Speightstown: This down-to-earth fishing town has excellent restaurants and vibrant beach bars, perfect for watching the western Barbados sunsets.
- Experience the West Coast from the water: Cruise up the coastline while sipping rum punch. Check out this Turtle and Shipwreck Snorkeling Cruise.
- Visit Harrison’s Cave: This limestone cavern is filled with streams, waterfalls, crystal clear pools, and thousands of crystal formations. Explore via tram ride or on foot with a guide. Walking, tram, and eco-adventure tours are available starting from $130 BDS.
- Stroll through Welchman Hall Gully: This is possibly the birthplace of the grapefruit, but is definitely filled with green monkeys.
- See flowering gingers and heliconias in Flower Forest (rare and exotic tropical blooms and foliage – $30 BDS), or even more blooms at Hunte’s Gardens (roughly 2 1/2 acres in size and mostly built in a collapsed cave in a former sugar plantation – $50 BDS) or Andromeda Botanic Gardens (6 acres of tropical plants, flowers, and trees – $40 BDS).
- Go surfing: Check out Soup Bowl for experts and spectators, or Freights Bay for beginners.
- Take a ride on Atlantis Submarines Barbados: Ride on a real submarine and explore the captivating underwater world that is normally only accessible to scuba divers. You’ll see all sorts of sea creatures as well as an intriguing shipwreck.
- Make the trip to Animal Flower Cave: This is a large sea cave with several huge chambers filled with pools, unusual rock formations, and a few sea anemones. Tours of the cave include pools deep enough to swim in. After touring the cave, enjoy the cliff top views with a rum punch in hand.
- Explore the rugged Atlantic Coast on horseback: Check out one of the rides offered by this highly rated tour company.
- Visit the Sunbury Plantation House: This particular 17th century Great House underwent an extensive restoration in 2018, so you needn’t worry about the roof caving in. Inside, you will find a vast collection of antiques and treasures including a collection of antique cameras. Should you feel parched, you might consider visiting the Carriage House Restaurant for a glass of rum punch.
If you’re looking for more, here’s everything I’ve written about Barbados.
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