Must-see attractions in Barbados

  • Shark Hole

    Barbados

    Well off the beaten track, the pint-sized Shark Hole is one of those special places for which your selfie will not do justice. Down a short flight of…

  • Lifegard's paradise

    Miami Beach

    Barbados

    A somewhat hidden gem that is the antithesis of its American namesake. Small, shady and intimate, it's well removed from the often frenetic south-coast…

  • April 22, 2019: Exterior of St. Nicholas Abbey, a sugar cane plantation heritage museum and rum distillery.
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    St Nicholas Abbey

    Barbados

    St Nicholas Abbey is a Jacobean-style mansion that is one of the oldest plantation houses in the Caribbean and a must-see stop on any island itinerary…

  • Bottom Bay

    Barbados

    On an island blessed with beautiful stretches of sand, Bottom Bay is up there with the best. With translucent turquoise waters framed by rocks and…

  • Rockley Beach

    Barbados

    The largest beach in the area, Rockley is a picture-perfect crescent of sand. Backed by shade trees, there’s moderate surf. The new boardwalk allows you…

  • Paynes Bay Beach

    Barbados

    Fringed by a fine stretch of sand, gently curving Paynes Bay is endlessly popular and its calm waters make it one of the west coast’s best spots for…

  • Hunte's Gardens

    Barbados

    These gardens at the home of famed local horticulturalist Anthony Hunte already have a magical aura. Set mostly within the confines of a collapsed cave,…

  • Animal Flower Cave

    Barbados

    At the northern tip of the island, near where the Caribbean and Atlantic meet, you'll find this large waterside cave carved into a cliff face. It is…

  • Pebbles Beach

    Barbados

    Running between two high-end hotels, this lovely stretch of sand is really just an extension of Brownes Beach. It has soft sands and calm waters and is…

  • Sandy Beach

    Barbados

    This wonderful strip of white powdery sand was hit hard by the sewage failures of 2017/18 when it was closed to visitors after waste from nearby roads…

  • Mt Standfast Beach

    Barbados

    A narrow but pretty stretch of sand just north of Holetown with good swimming. The real reason to come here is the marine life. The waters are inhabited…

  • Crane Beach

    Barbados

    Crane Beach, 7km northeast of the airport, is a hidden beach cove backed by cliffs and fronted by aqua-blue waters. An adventurous trail over rocks along…

  • Brownes Beach

    Barbados

    A fine beach close to downtown Bridgetown (a 10-minute walk) that makes a good break before and after lunch and shopping. A long white crescent of sand…

  • Beach at Soup Bowl in Bathsheba, Barbados.

    Bathsheba Beach

    Barbados

    A wild stretch of golden sand that's framed by rough headlands and punctuated by magnificent rock formations standing defiant in the shallows against the…

  • Garrison Savannah Area

    Barbados

    About 2km south of central Bridgetown and inland from Carlisle Bay, the Garrison is part of the World Heritage area and was the home of the British…

  • George Washington House

    Barbados

    Just west of the Barbados Museum is a place that can truly claim that the great man slept here. After decades of research and debate, it was finally shown…

  • Bath

    Barbados

    This wonderful long and remote stretch of golden sand is usually totally empty. It is one of the few places on this coast where it's safe to swim, thanks…

  • River Bay

    Barbados

    You can drive right up to this beautiful little bay, where two rivers have come together to carve a way through low windswept cliffs to the Atlantic…

  • Flower Forest

    Barbados

    A 20-hectare botanic garden on the site of a former sugar estate that has many stately, mature citrus and breadfruit trees as well as a fine range of…

  • Mullins Beach

    Barbados

    A popular and family-friendly beach along Hwy 1 between Holetown and Speightstown with waters that are usually calm and good for swimming and snorkeling…

  • Welchman Hall Gully

    Barbados

    Once part of a large estate that covered the area, this National Trust property contains some rare tracts of original Barbados tropical rainforest,…

  • Andromeda Botanic Gardens

    Barbados

    The island's original botanic gardens, this lovely spot has two exploratory paths that wind their way through a wide collection of tropical plants,…

  • Harrison's Cave

    Barbados

    This cave is promoted as one of the island's premier attractions, but how much you enjoy it will depend on which tour you choose. The main 'tram tour'…

  • Arlington House

    Barbados

    A radiant vision in white stucco, this 18th-century colonial house now has an engaging museum run with love by the National Trust. It's divided into…

  • Farley Hill National Park

    Barbados

    A tree-covered hillside set around the ruins of an old estate home. Climb to the top and sit on one of the benches in front of the pagoda for a fresh…

  • Barbados Museum

    Barbados

    This excellent museum is housed in an early 19th-century military prison. It has engaging displays on all aspects of the island’s history, beginning with…

  • Heywoods Beach

    Barbados

    One of the best strands on the west coast for day-trippers from elsewhere on the island, Heywoods Beach offers good parking, a location well off Hwy 1 and…

  • Cherry Tree Hill

    Barbados

    A historic avenue lined with mahogany trees that leads from St Nicholas Abbey down to the Atlantic. The view from the top is spectacular.

  • Sunbury Plantation House

    Barbados

    Built between 1660 and 1670, the handsome Sunbury Plantation House was painstakingly restored after a 1995 fire. The house has 60cm-thick walls built of…

  • Gun Hill

    Barbados

    This 1818 hilltop signal tower has impressive views of the surrounding valleys and the southwest coast. The island was once connected by six such signal…

  • Archer's Bay

    Barbados

    Fierce waves pummel stone cliffs, eroding them into mushroom-shaped oddities at Archer's Bay, a desolate and ruggedly attractive bit of the north coast…

  • Barclays Park

    Barbados

    The reason to come to this remote Atlantic facility Is more about the beach below than the park itself, which is really just a collection of picnic tables…

  • Long Bay

    Barbados

    Down below Sam Lord's Castle, this coconut-lined, windswept bay doesn't get many visitors. It's not a safe place for swimming, but is a good place for a…

  • Coco Hill Forest

    Barbados

    Covering 53 acres of the interior of the island, this small private nature reserve contains tracts of forest that protect some of the tallest native palms…

  • Martin's Bay

    Barbados

    Fronted by a sliver of sand, this little village is about as local as you get. It has a combined bar/restaurant, a shop and some picnic tables – that's it…

  • Morgan Lewis Windmill

    Barbados

    The largest complete windmill in the Caribbean, this impressive stone structure sits proud on a hilltop north of Belleplaine. It was used to grind…

  • Grenade Signal Station

    Barbados

    Right across the car park from the Barbados Wildlife Reserve, and under the same management, you'll find a mahogany forest on a hillside that cloaks an…

  • Sam Lord's Castle

    Barbados

    This abandoned Georgian mansion overlooking Long Bay was built by buccaneer Samuel Hall Lord in 1820. It's said he amassed a fortune by hanging lanterns…

  • Barbados Wildlife Reserve

    Barbados

    Barbados Wildlife Reserve is a walk-through zoo opposite Farley Hill, with short paths that meander through a mahogany forest containing green monkeys and…

  • Tyrol Cot Heritage Village

    Barbados

    Famed as the birthplace of Grantley Adams, Barbados' first prime minister, this colonial-era house is now administered by the Barbados National Trust. It…