Antigua and Barbuda is one of my favorite Places in the Caribbean so far. We drove around every day to different beaches, eating street food, exploring old forts and hidden away coves. In this travel guide I’ll tell you about the best things to do in Antigua and Barbuda, where to stay, and I’ll even throw in a full itinerary for you to easily follow.
Skip Ahead
Things to know
Antigua can easily be a very expensive luxury trip for you or it can be an average road trip holiday exploring the island and the many beaches and activities. Antigua has so many choices of resorts and hotels to choose from and we’re not even talking about Airbnb’s in places like Jolly and English Harbor yet.
I stayed in the cheapest All inclusive resort on the island called Jolly Beach Resort. I was shocked by the low cost compared to all the other resorts on the island, especially since it’s on one of the most beautiful beaches in Antigua, Jolly Beach.
Language and Currency
Antigua uses the Eastern Caribbean Dollars (EC) and everyone speaks English. I think Antiguans sound very similar to Jamaicans. 3 EC$ = $1.1 USD. When I was there, I used USD, credit card and EC to pay for everything. I would suggest converting some of your cash for EC as it’s just easier for buying street food and paying for smaller things.
Food
I highly recommend trying the local street food in Antigua as it’s some of the best food I’ve ever. And that comes from someone living in Trinidad and Tobago, which has some of the best food in the world. One of my favorite places to get street food is Roti King in St John’s and inside public market.
Public market is exactly as it sounds. It’s a market that sells raw produce like fruits, vegetables and other local things to eat. There are also a couple very local food places inside this market. Roto King has one of the best roti’s I ever ate. Roti is an Indian food with a Caribbean twist to it. Trust me and make sure to eat these things when you’re in Antigua.
Map of Antigua and Barbuda
This is an interactive map of Antigua that I created with all my favorite places I could think of. You should use this map to easily locate the best beaches in Antigua and things to do and see. Click on the icons to see each landmark.
The best things to do in Antigua and Barbuda
Visit the beautiful beaches
I was shocked by the amount of beaches in Antigua and Barbuda that there’s no chance I could have visited them all, even if I was there for a month. Blue water like out of the movies and white sand to relax on while sipping a gin and tonic. There’s nothing better. Our resort we stayed at for half the trip was situated right on Jolly beach.
My personal favorite beach in Antigua is Valley church beach. It’s obviously got that white sand and turquoise water that the Caribbean is known for and it was never crowded when I visited. I also love Deep bay beach because there is also a cool hike to do there called fort Barrington. You get to explore a fort, hike and swim at a great beach all in one. Make sure to visit those 2 beaches when you’re in Antigua and Barbuda.
Pick a beach, put it in google maps and drive. have a picnic on the beach. Play watersports like kayaking, jet skiing or paddleboarding. There’s so much to do and to experience out of the 365 beaches in Antigua, it’s crazy. For the best snorkeling experience, take a boat trip to Cades Reef, a protected marine park with beautiful coral gardens and lots of life. Beaches are definitely top of the list of things to do in Antigua and Barbuda.
Visit Nelson’s Dockyard
Personally, I find visiting places like this boring. So, I would recommend not spending a lot of time here if you prefer outdoor activities and stuff like that. Nelson’s Dockyard is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most significant historical landmarks in the Caribbean. You can check this attraction out on one of your days here. It’s located in English Harbour and there’s plenty to do there besides just experiencing the dockyard.
Things to do at Nelson’s Dockyard:
- Visit the Dockyard Museum inside the former Admiral’s House to learn about the site’s history.
- Explore Fort Berkeley, a nearby fort that once protected the harbor.
- Walk along the marina and see luxury yachts and sailboats docked in the harbor.
- Have lunch at a waterfront restaurant while enjoying scenic views.
Hike to Shirley Heights
Shirley Heights is really the place to be on a Sunday evening. Overlooking the English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour, not far from Nelson’s Dockyard actually. You can get great pictures and videos from up here. On Sunday evenings, Shirley Heights gets busy and comes alive with a sunset party. Locals and tourists come here to hang out, drink rum punch, eat bbq and listen to live music. This is one of the more laid back and social things to do in Antigua and Barbuda.
Explore the Beaches of Barbuda
Barbuda is the smaller and less populated sister island of Antigua. That’s why we say Antigua and Barbuda. After the hurricane displaced most people from living here, it’s become somewhat of a get away location rather than a normal living area. I think that Barbuda has the better beaches, but nothing much else. There are less beaches and nothing really to do on the island. But Barbuda has the best beach I’ve ever seen in my life; Princess Diana beach.
I wouldn’t recommend staying here there are probably 2 hotels to stay at. Most people just do a day trip and a few tours. I really didn’t like the ferry ride over to Barbuda. It took almost 3 hours, it was hot and unless you’re in the absolute front of the boat, there is no AC.
Check out my article on how to take the ferry from Antigua to Barbuda.
Take A Catamaran Cruise
Antigua is one of the best places in the Caribbean for sailing. Taking a catamaran cruise is a great way to explore Antigua from the water. This is a tour that will last the entire day. The boat takes you around the entire island and stopping off at various beaches and places to snorkel. The cruises often comes with drinks and lunch.
Popular Catamaran Tours:
- Circumnavigation Tour – A full-day tour that sails around the island.
- Sunset Cruise – A relaxing evening sail with drinks and music.
- Half Moon Bay Cruise – A shorter trip that stops at secluded beaches.
Fort Barrington Hike
I was shocked by the amount of cool things you can do just from this one location. If you want to experience hiking, historical structures, amazing view and a beach in one, then hiking Fort Barrington Antigua should be on your itinerary of things to do. You can visit Deep Bay beach which is right behind the fort, soon after doing the hike. If you like fishing, there is a lake connected to the ocean with lots of fish in it and the ocean is right there as well.
We stumbled upon this place my accident and we didn’t realize there was a beach right here at all before exploring further. At the top of the fort you can see out onto the ocean and also the entire lake.
Explore the Capital of St. John
The best way to see and experience a city or a town is to just start walking. You get to see people on their daily routines, smell all the food and experience new things.
St. John’s is the capital of Antigua and Barbuda. It has colonial-era buildings, local markets that sell food and produce and St. John’s Cathedral.
St. John’s is small enough to explore on foot, but parking can be tricky in the city center. The Public Market is a must-visit, with clean stalls and some of the freshest produce you’ll find on the island.
Around the edges of the market, small window shops serve local street food. We found one tucked into a corner and tried Antigua’s national dish, Pepper Pot and Fungee. A rich stew of vegetables, pork, and chicken with soft cornmeal dumplings. It’s a simple but rewarding way to experience local life and flavor in the capital.
Where to Park in St John’s Antigua
If you’re driving, head to Ruthlyn’s Car Park. Get onto Market street, then make a left into Tanner street for secure and affordable parking. From there, walk along Market Street to reach the heart of the city. Here’s a map showing you where Ruthlyn’s car park is.
Eat Street Food
One of my favorite things to do in Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean in general is eating local food. Getting around everywhere in Antigua is very easy for the most part and because the island is so small, it only takes a few minutes to get around anywhere you want to go. We just set our location on google maps to Market Street, St John, in hopes of finding local cuisine. We heard that market street has a lot of street vendors and a public market that sells not only fruits and vegetables but food to.
Be careful when you’re looking for street food anywhere you go. It’s easy for you to get food poisoning and your friend who eats the same thing to be perfectly fine. Sometimes it just happens that way. Always practice proper food safety when traveling.
We did however, had a hard time finding a place to park deep in the city. Eventually, we saw a sign on Market street pointing to private parking. If you ever want reliable cheap and secure parking in St John, Antigua:
Drive along Market Street. Market street is a one way road, so you can only be going in one direction. Drive until you meet an intersection with Tanner Street. Turn left down Tanner street and you’ll come upon a private car park called Ruthlyns car park. If you’re not looking really hard it’s very easy to miss. There’s security there and people in guard booths keeping everything safe.
The cost to park in Ruthlyns car park is 3EC an hour, that’s a little over a $1 USD. I highly recommend parking here anytime you want to explore the city or on the hunt for food like we were, if you’re having a hard time finding a place to park.
At this point, we’re really sweaty and the sun is hot like fire and I’d love a cold drink right about now. We stopped in this little place for some beers. At this time we’re still looking for some authentic street food and just exploring the city and looking around.
After a couple more minutes of walking around we finally stumbled upon the Public market. I was extremely impressed with the insanely high quality of fruit and vegetables in Public Market and also how clean it was. I would usually expect a market to be crowded and messy, like the markets back home. But, this place looked and felt great.
On the outer edges of the market, but still inside , there are little window shops that we noticed sells authentic street food.
We found one of these window shops buried in a corner section of the Market. At first glance you definitely can’t tell what it is they even sell here. But, we’re outgoing people and we like to mingle with the locals. As soon as we showed interest in their food and began asking them what do they sell, do they have any local cuisine, the lady in the back said ” We have some called Pepper Pot and Fungee “. Perfection, this is exactly the kind of food we were looking for. Food we’ve never eaten before, have no idea what it is and is local to Antigua.
These people were so nice and accommodating. Initially there was no table and seating outside the shop, but they immediately set all this up for us to enjoy their tasty food. I definitely rate this humble, tiny place a 10/10.
Pepper Pot and Fungee is the national dish of Antigua. This is a soup like meal, made of a combination of vegetables that make a stew and slow cooked, tender pork and chicken, with the Fungee resting at the bottom of the bowl. The Fungee is made of cornmeal, water and salt with whatever seasonings they use in there as well. It’s similar to coo coo in Trinidad, where I’m from. It’s like a very soft and squishy ball, with the texture of a rice ball.
Visit Stingray City Antigua
This is probably the most popular tourist attraction in Antigua because of how interactive and unique it is. You take a boat out to a shallow sandbar where you can stand, pet, and feed friendly Southern Stingrays in their natural habitat. With a trained professional guide of course.
Go Rainforest Ziplining:
I love adventure activities, the Antigua zip line courses will give you some adrenaline pumping action during your time here through the fig tree drive area. You can soar over the rainforest on multiple zip lines for proper views.
Witness devil’s Bridge:
Head to the Atlantic coast and there’s a natural arch known as Devil’s Bridge. This arch was carved by thousands of years of water erosion, this is a geological marvel where the waves crash through natural blowholes and makes something really cool for people to come and see. this is probably one of the best places in Antigua to take photos.
Where I recommend staying in Antigua and Barbuda
Jolly Harbour
When I traveled to Antigua in September I stayed at an Airbnb in Jolly Harbour. Jolly Harbour has everything you can possibly need within it’s little community, while having access to a plethora of tourist attractions nearby. Jolly Beach, Valley Church Beach, Fort Barrington, Deep Bay beach, Jolly Beach resort to name a few.
If you want more information on the best things to do in Jolly Harbor, my guide should help.
English Harbour
English Harbour is a real gem for historical sites and a vibrant night life. It’s located on the southern coast, near popular spots like Nelson’s Dockyard, a UNESCO world heritage site filled with colonial buildings and history. It’s also near Shirley Heights. A former military lookout and gun base that has been restored to facilitate parties every Sunday. There’s a beautiful view here overlooking the Falmouth Harbour, one of the best views in all of Antigua. English Harbour is one of everyone’s favorite places to stay in Antigua and Barbuda.
If you want to know how expensive is Antigua and Barbuda and a complete breakdown of all the prices. Then my article is a great place to start.
Quick Budget Notes
- Flights from Miami: Around $650 round trip (can be cheaper if booked early)
- Rental car: About $210–257 USD for 5 days
- Barbuda ferry: Around $100 USD round trip
- Gas: Around $37 USD for a standard sedan while driving all day every day
