Last updated on July 13th, 2022
When you think of Barbados, you may be picturing a small island with beautiful white sand beaches with calm turquoise waters. Home to some of the best beaches in the world, Barbados is a popular beach destination. While this island may be small, only 439 km² in size, there are so many things to do in Barbados, both at and away from the beach.
Barbados has many fun and unique natural attractions to enhance your Bajan experience. Unlike anywhere else, Barbados was one of my favourite countries I’ve visited, and I cannot wait to return. You will want to take some time to explore what Barbados has to offer.
Here are 15 Fun and Unique Things to Do in Barbados:
15. Visit the Most Eastern Point of the Caribbean
Deebles Point is a cliffside in east Barbados, the most eastern point of the island. At Deebles Point, you will see panoramic views of Barbados’ coastline. A unique place, Deebles Point is the most eastern part of the Caribbean, and there isn’t any land east of here until you reach Africa. You will find a lighthouse, a viewing platform, and an art gallery at Deebles Point.
14. Attend a Rum Tour
Barbados is considered the birthplace of rum, so where better a place to attend a rum tour than where it was born. There are four rum distilleries on the island: Mount Gay, Foursquare, Saint Nicholas Abbey, and West Indies. Mount Gay Rum Distillery has been making rum for over 300 years and is the oldest on the island. You can tour any of the four rum distilleries, learn about their history, and indulge in rum tastings. The most popular rum tour is of Mount Gay Rum Distillery.
13. Enjoy a Delicious Seafood Dinner
Oistins Fish Market is a fish and crafts market along Barbados’s south coast. Each Friday, locals and tourists visit the market to enjoy delicious Bajan cuisine. Choose from multiple vendors; the food is prepared fresh upon placing your order. The dining section is very informal and relaxed, and there is often live music and dancing at Oistins Fish Market on weekends.
The market is open other days of the week, but the best time to visit Oistins Fish Market is a Friday night.
During our visit to Oistins Fish Market, we chose grilled marlin and swordfish, and it was delicious. I hadn’t tried marlin before, but I fell in love. The cost of the marlin was 25 BBD, and the swordfish cost 30 BBD.
12. Visit a Hidden and Unique Beach
Shark Hole is a beautiful little spoon-shaped beach tucked away along the southeast coast of Barbados. Protected from the waves of the Atlantic by coral reefs, the waters of Shark Hole are calm. While the name may sound scary, there are no sharks at Shark Hole Beach. This small beach is only 40 ft wide and a popular choice with locals.
11. Visit the Most Northern Point of Barbados
North Point is a cliffside at the most northern point of Barbados. Located beside Animal Flower Cave, you can see North Point from within the cave. From North Point, you can see panoramic views of the ocean where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. A highlight of my trip was to visit the most northern part of an island.
10. Walk the Boardwalk in Bridgetown
The Barbados Boardwalk, or the Wickham Lewis Boardwalk, is a wooden waterfront trail in the heart of Bridgetown. Take a stroll, watch the boats, and admire the colourful buildings surrounding the boardwalk.
9. Have a Picnic on a Private Beach
Having a picnic at a secluded beach in Barbados is a great way to spend an afternoon. All beaches in Barbados are considered public. Depending on the beach location, some need vehicles to access them, and others are pedestrian access. With no private beaches, you can search out a secluded section of a beach and enjoy a private picnic. There is nothing like that feeling of having a beach all to yourself.
8. Watch the Sunset in Speightstown
After a day of exploring, there is nothing like relaxing and watching the sunset. Located on the west coast, Speightstown has beautiful and colourful sunsets. Find a quiet spot along the beach or choose a restaurant overlooking the ocean and enjoy. The sunset in Barbados is around 6 pm each day, year-round.
During my visit to Speightstown, I enjoyed the sunset near the pier seeing a gorgeous vibrant coloured sky.
7. Walk the Richard Haynes Boardwalk
The Richard Haynes Boardwalk is a 1.2 km boardwalk that connects two beaches, Sugar Bay and Rockley Beach. Overlooking the Caribbean Sea, you will find the boardwalk scenic. Richard Haynes Boardwalk is popular with turtles trying to lay their eggs, so they can often be spotted at night on the boardwalk. There are multiple restaurants and bars along the way.
6. Swim in a Natural Sea Cave
Animal Flower Cave is a natural sea cave within a cliff in north Barbados. Within the cave is a natural pool that sits above sea level. You can tour the cave with a Bajan guide and swim in the pool. There is also a restaurant that serves local Bajan cuisine for lunch and features cliffside views. Animal Flower Cave is a unique place to visit in Barbados and makes for a fun experience, especially if you get the cave all to yourself.
5. Rent a Car and Drive Around the Island for a Day
One of the best ways to see all of Barbados is to rent a car and drive around the island. Renting a car will allow freedom to see more of Barbados in less time and on your schedule. Being a small island, it won’t take you more than a day to visit all four coasts; it would take approximately 3 hours to drive about 100 km around the perimeter of Barbados.
Visit popular attractions or find hidden gems along the way on your road trip. You can rent a car from Grantley Adams International Airport.
4. Ride the St. Nicholas Abbey Steam Train
St. Nicholas Abbey is a 400-acre estate in the hills of St. Peter that includes a sugar cane plantation, distillery, and heritage railway. At the heritage railway, you can ride a restored steam locomotive. The train ride takes you around the property, around a lake, through the woods, and provides views of the coastline; the ride lasts for approximately 1 hour. You won’t find anything else like it on the island.
3. Snorkel or Scuba Dive with Shipwrecks
A fun thing to do in Barbados is snorkel or scuba dive in Carlisle Bay, a highlight of my trip. Within Carlisle Bay, there are six shipwrecks, all at various depths between 12 m and 55 m. You can head from the shore if you own gear or take a tour boat to snorkel or scuba dive with the shipwrecks.
During my trip, I snorkelled and saw three of the shipwrecks. You can also spot sea life such as turtles, starfish, and many kinds of fish.
2. Eat Fish Cutter Sandwiches from Cuz’s Fish Stand
Fish Cutters are a popular Bajan dish, and the best place to try one is from Cuz’s Fish Stand; they are legendary for theirs. What is a fish cutter? A fish cutter is a fish sandwich made on salt bread and topped with lettuce, tomato and cheese. You can add mayo, Bajan hot sauce or an egg to it also.
You will find them in a small shack in Carlisle Bay beside the Hilton resort. While the fish shack may not look like much from the outside, the food is fresh and delicious. You will smell the aroma of freshly grilled fish when you get near the shack. Locals and tourists travel across the island for their fish cutters; Cuz’s Fish Stand has the best fish cutters in Barbados.
During my trip to Barbados, we had fish cutters from Cuz’s Fish Stand twice, as they were so good we had to return. You won’t want to miss eating here on your visit to Barbados.
1. Swim with Turtles
Swimming with turtles is one of the most fun and memorable things you can do in Barbados. Turtles love the shores of Barbados, and you can find them at many of the beaches on the island. The best beaches to swim with turtles include Carlisle Bay, Dover Beach, Alleyne’s Beach, and Drill Hall Beach.
When swimming with turtles, please do not touch or feed them. You can swim without a tour, or you can join a snorkel tour to swim with the turtles. Turtles are my favourite sea animal; it was incredible to swim with them. It will be a highlight activity of your Barbados trip.
And there you have it, 15 things to do in Barbados during your trip. Barbados offers more than beaches, although the beaches are a must-visit. You can add all these activities to your Barbados itinerary or choose to visit a few of them. If you are looking for a ready-to-use itinerary for Barbados, here is my 5-day Barbados itinerary; it includes everything I did on my trip to Barbados.
Hope this information helps you find fun and unique things to do in Barbados.
Happy travelling!