Antigua & Barbuda Travel Guide: Best Beaches, Top Things to Do & the Perfect Caribbean Escape
- Barbara
- 5 days ago
- 11 min read
For my boyfriend’s birthday I surprised him with a trip to Antigua & Barbuda! I chose this location because it is easy to reach from London with direct flights leaving from Gatwick taking around 8 hours, and March is one of the best times to visit. After a long English winter, we were more than ready for a Caribbean escape.
We were there for 10 days and decided to split the time between relaxing at the resort and exploring the island. We rented a car for 4 days (so that we can have time to explore and relax on beaches), and we also set aside one full day for a trip to Barbuda.
Table of Contents:
Arriving at the airport
Getting from the airport to the hotel was very easy. We took a taxi from the rank just outside the airport, and they accepted both US dollars and local currency.
So what are the top things to do in Antigua & Barbuda?
Top things to do in Antigua
Visit Stingray City
One of the most memorable experiences of the trip was visiting Stingray City. Here, you can swim with stingrays and tropical fish in a beautiful shallow sandbank.
When you arrive, the team explains exactly what to expect and how to behave around the stingrays so that both you and the animals stay safe. This is also the moment to grab a life jacket if you want one. You can touch the ground at the sandbank, but I’d still recommend taking one if you feel a little unsure.
After that, you jump on a boat and within a few minutes you arrive at the sandbank. From the moment we got there, there were already so many stingrays swimming around us. It was so beautiful!
They recommend shuffling your feet while walking, as stingrays can hide under the sand and you definitely do not want to step on one. The whole experience felt magical. The stingrays swam so close to us that they brushed against our legs.
As some days can be quite busy, especially when cruise ships are in port, I chose a day when only one cruise ship was arriving, compared with three the following day, and I’m really glad I did. Our group was small, there were several guides in the water with us, and they also took photos during the experience.
You can take your own pictures, but they also offer professional photos at the end, and honestly, I thought they were worth it. That said, I did leave feeling a little unsure about how happy the stingrays are being held for photos.
Once back at the base, everyone is offered rum punch or fruit punch. The whole experience lasted around 1.5 hours.
It’s highly recommended to book in advance through their website. You pay on arrival, and they accept cards. We drove there ourselves and there is a small car park on site, but you can also organise a taxi or go as part of a tour. There’s also an option to combine it with the nearby Laviscount island visit where you can see Giant Aldabra Tortoise and various birds.
Devil’s Bridge National Park
Devil’s Bridge is definitely worth a stop. Here, you can watch the waves crashing against the rocks, and on the left, you’ll spot the limestone bridge that has been shaped over time by the force of the sea.
It’s free to visit, there’s a large parking area, clean bathrooms, and a few local stalls selling souvenirs and coffee.
Betty’s Hope Sugar Plantation
Betty’s Hope is a 1674 sugar plantation. Now in disuse but you can still see two windmills.
Shirley Heights
Shirley Heights is a restored military lookout, from there you will see the English Harbour. It is 15 USD to enter and with the admission fee you can also visit the Nelson's Dockyard (which is located near the harbour). On Thursday they do Reggae music from 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM, and on Sunday there is live music and BBQ from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
Academy of Rum
In this masterclass you will create and bottle your own rum using different flavours! It is a fun class where you will also have the chance to taste different types of rums. Book in advance, the experience takes 60-90 minutes an it is $99 for one person or $150 for 2 people. For booking and more info: Academy of rum
Pig’s Paradise (Now closed)
This was actually one of the places I most wanted to visit, but unfortunately it is now permanently closed. I still wanted to mention it here so you’re aware before adding it to your own itinerary.
Top beaches to explore in Antigua:
Antigua has 365 beaches, you could literally visit a new beach everyday for one full year! So of course it will be hard to visit all of them in a short trip. Here are some of my favourites:
Dickenson Bay Beach
This is one of the most popular beaches in Antigua and is also where some big resorts are located so it is often quite busy, but it is lovely to walk along the long stretch of sand. There are few bars and restaurants, so we stopped for a drink and a bite at Starfish Beachbar, which is in front of the iconic red telephone box. You can rent a chair and umbrella along the beach.
There is a small free parking here. From the parking you can easily reach the beach. Taking a picture by the iconic red telephone box is a must, just to be aware that it opens at 15:00 and during the morning it is covered.
At Dickenson Bay there is also a small floating bar called Kon Tiki Bar and Grill, you can reach it by boat which you can take from the beach just in front of it or you can also swim there! I tried snorkeling off the floating bar but I couldn’t see anything. The drinks and the vibe was amazing tho!
Deep Bay beach
To reach it you will have to drive along a dirt road with some potholes, at the end there is a parking space and from there, after crossing a metal bridge you can either walk up to Fort Barrington or to the beach. The water is clear and calm like most beaches in Antigua and apparently there is also a shipwreck (we didn’t swim to it, but did some snorkelling near the beach and saw some fishes). There is a small beach bar ‘Just Grillin’ that sells food and drinks. I absolutely suggest you walk up to Fort Barrington as you will have fantastic views of the beach and surrounding from there. It is a bit of a steep hike, so I suggest wearing proper shoes (I did it in flip flops and I don’t recommend it). Here is where you can find the parking for Deep Bay Beach and Fort Barrington: Parking
Galleon Beach
This is a great beach for snorkelling, especially, towards the end of the beach where it is more rocky. Here you can also spot sea turtles, unfortunately we didn’t see any. If you want to go for a walk you can reach a small lookout. We also found goats on the road! From there we couldn’t see the Pillars of Hercules as they were below us, to see them you will need to walk along the beach and then step into rocks or from a boat for an easier view!
At Galleon Beach there is a great beach bar ‘Loose Cannon Beach Bar’ which is perfect for relaxing with some drinks and a bite.
In front of Galleon Beach you can also find the ‘Academy of Rum’ where you can make your own rum bottle!
Jolly Beach
Jolly Beach is a great beach and it was where our hotel was located. It is a long stretch of sand, warm and quiet waters. There is parking near the beach and you can rent chairs and umbrellas on the beach. The part with the hotels is slightly busy, but if you are looking for a quieter part just walk to the other side of the beach and you will find a quiet area. There are also a few bars on the beach. On Jolly beach you can also rent kayaks or rent a jet ski (about $70 for 30 mins).
Galley Bay Beach
We took some time to find this beach. There is no proper parking, so you will just have to park on the road. There is a small gate and from there you walk on a path next to a resort until reaching the beach. Because it was just a gate next to the resort we were unsure if that was the right gate to reach the beach, but we asked people there and yes. Galley Bay Beach is a very quiet beach and from there, on the hill you can see Giorgio Armani’s house. We stopped at Galley Bay briefly. Here is where you can find the gate to the beach: Gate to the beach
Darkwood Beach
Darkwood is another nice beach, clear water and a long stretch of sand. There is also a water park in the water and some restaurants nearby. You can rent chairs and beach umbrellas on the beach. The water is calm and nice to swim in, but not much luck with snorkelling. There is parking near the beach.
Carlisle Bay Beach
Carlisle Bay is a quiet beach. There is a small resort on the end of the beach, but it was one of the quietest we have been to. Not much luck with snorkeling here. There is a small car park right at the entrance of the beach and another one just up the road.
Half Moon Bay Beach
Half Moon Bay is another quiet beach with fine white sand. You can rent beach umbrellas and chairs on the beach and there is a bar ‘Beachbum’ nearby for food and drinks and there is parking nearby. This beach is famous for its half moon shape, some waves can be a bit rough especially if windy, but otherwise a very good beach to relax and swim.
Long Bay Beach
Not too far from the Devil’s Bridge there is this clear and quiet beach. We relaxed here before going to Stingray city.
We did these beaches by car, but an option is to join a catamaran tour. For example Wadali cats does a circumnavigation tour, going around the island for $130, you can check it here: Wadali Cats
Where to eat:
Sheer Rocks
A place I absolutely adored is Sheer Rocks. It is a beautiful restaurant on the top of a cliff so you will face the ocean while having a delicious dinner. It is located near Ffryes Beach and there is parking. It is on the pricey side and you can choose between a two or three course meal. They had vegetarian options. Overall I loved the location and the food was tasty. We went there for dinner and booked in advance. I noticed that you can also go there during the day and by buying one of their packages you can use the pools. For more info: Sheer Rocks
Kaikoconut (Now closed)
After going to dinner at Sheer Rocks we discovered that there was a floating bar not too far away, so the following day we booked to go there. We caught a small boat from Small Ffryes Beach (you can whatsapp them once you are at the beach) and reached the floating bar. There was a DJ, great cocktails and they did food too (but we only had drinks). It was on two floors with 2 slides. We also snorkeled out of the boat and saw many fishes including a barracuda. Unfortunately after leaving that night it burnt down. The owner said that he will rebuild a new one, so even though right now it is not possible to go there, keep an eye on this space as hopefully they will re-open again soon!
Day trip to Barbuda:
Barbuda is the sister island of Antigua.
How to get to Barbuda from Antigua:
Ferry: The ferry leaves from here. You should book tickets in advance as they often run out. There is only one ferry a day (it leaves from Antigua at 6:30am) and then returns from Barbuda at 15:00), most of the days. Check ferry schedules here: Ferry Schedule. So it is possible to visit Barbuda as a day trip.
You should arrive at the ferry port 45 minutes before departure to collect the ticket. The ferry ride is 90 minutes, it can be rough at some points, but for us it wasn’t too bad and the afternoon ride was better than the morning one.
We initially tried to rent a car in Barbuda to drive around, we contacted Rental Barbuda, but they didn’t have cars available so we ended up booking a tour with Hillside Tours and we were very happy we did! You can check the Hillside Tours here.
What to do in Barbuda:
Frigate Bird Sanctuary
One of the highlights of the tour is the Frigate Bird Sanctuary. Frigates are big seabirds, the females have a white chest while the males have a huge red throat which inflates more during mating season. You will have to take a short boat ride from here (which is near Codrington). You will get to the sanctuary by boat and here you can see hundreds of Frigates bird flying above you and some nesting in the trees. You can also spot baby Frigates!
Pink Sand Beach
After the Frigate bird sanctuary the boat captain will take you to the pink sand beach! It was very beautiful because there was no one else here and it felt so peaceful. The color of the sand was also truly nice and pink! Please notice that to reach the pink beach you will have to take the boat that also does the Frigates bird sanctuary.
Two Foot Bay Cave
Our next stop was the two foot bay cave. You can go in and climb up to reach some good views from the top, but please notice that it can be steep and to wear proper footwear to go up in the cave. You will not need any light as it is open on top and on the side there is light coming in. It was nice and the view was great, but personally due to the limited time I would have spent more time on the Princess Diana beach.
Princess Diana Beach
I loved this beach! I think it is one of the best beaches I have been to. It is a long stretch of white fine sand, blue crystal water and great for snorkelling, I even found a big conch shell while snorkelling.
There is a bar at the entrance of the beach with toilets. As we joined the Hillside Tour they did provide lunch which we ate at a restaurant near the Two Foot Bay Cave, but if you are coming without the tour I suggest you have lunch here! You can pre-order (at least the day before) a lobster lunch for $35. To pre-order you can contact Shack a Kai on 714-6612 or 734-6618.
I loved Antigua & Barbuda. If you’re looking for a Caribbean destination that combines easy travel from London, plenty of beach time, sunshine, warm waters and enough variety to keep things interesting, this is such a good choice. Do you have any other suggestion for top thing to do in Antigua & Barbuda? Let me know in comments!
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