Antigua & Barbuda Things To Do

- Antigua & Barbuda guide, attractions, activities, fast facts and travel tips
Antigua & Barbuda Vacations, Antigua & Barbuda Hotels, Antigua & Barbuda Travel Guide, Antigua & Barbuda Map, Antigua & Barbuda Events Calendar - Welcome to Antigua & Barbuda!
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Antigua & Barbuda Travel Guide

Welcome to Antigua & Barbuda, come sail away!

Breeze to Antigua where the wind has been billowing sails since Admiral Horatio Nelson anchored his fleet there during colonial times. Climb aboard a catamaran and cruise through secluded coves, intimate inlets and private beaches.

Antigua & Barbuda Fast Facts

Great for: beaches, sailing, kayaking, snorkeling, casino and cricket
Location: Leeward Islands, part of the British West Indies
Population: 82,000
Size: 170 sq miles (Antigua 108 sq miles, Barbuda 72 sq miles)
Capital city: Saint John’s
Airport: V.C.Bird International Airport, Antigua, ANU
Codrington Airport, Barbuda, BBQ
Language: English
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (EC$ or XCD) - check exchange rate
Time Zone: Atlantic Standard Time
Area code: 268

Did you know?
Antigua & Barbuda is a dual island nation known for its beaches. In fact, Antigua claims to have 365 beaches, one for every day of the year. Antigua & Barbuda is also a favorite destination for yachtsmen.

Antigua & Barbuda Travel Tips

Cross the ocean passage to Barbuda in a quick power-catamaran, then cruise up the 14-mile beach to Low Bay for breathtaking views of deserted white-sand beach streaked with shades of pink. In season, you'll see turtle tracks as some species return every two weeks to lay up to 30 nests of 300 eggs.

Clip through crystal clear crests on a catamaran, and feel free on Ahn-tee-gah. Head to English Harbour, the island's historic district, and traipse the Lookout Trail to Shirley Heights. Poised atop this perch, lick sea salt from your lips, and linger over the view of Montserrat and Guadeloupe.

Things To Do in Antigua & Barbuda

Antigua & Barbuda LandmarksLandmarks Antigua & Barbuda BeachesBeaches    

Visit Antigua's most popular tourist sight, Nelson's Dockyard at English Harbour. This 18th century British naval base was named after captain Lord Horatio Nelson. Today English Harbour is a popular yacht haven and it is also the island's main point of entry for yachts.

Antigua & Barbuda LandmarksAntigua & Barbuda Landmarks & Activities:

Betty’s Hope Sugar Plantation - Betty's Hope was the first large sugar plantation on Antigua, and its success led to the island's rapid development of large-scale sugar production. Although the only surviving structures are two stone sugar mills and the remains of the still house, the site's importance in Antiguan history has prompted the government to develop it as an open air museum. About one hundred stone windmill towers dot the Antiguan landscape, and the two restored examples at Betty's Hope provide a dramatic sense of the way these mills must have dominated the island during the hundreds of years that sugar production was the dominant industry. Betty's Hope was built by Sir Christopher Codrington, who came to Antigua in 1674 from Barbados, and was named for his daughter.

English Harbor - Antigua's graceful and evocative historic district, is focused on the fifteen square miles of Nelson's Dockyard National Park. Developed as a base for the British Navy in the great age of sail, the harbor served as the headquarters of the fleet of the Leeward Islands during the turbulent years of the late 18th century. Although the dockyard was greatly expanded at that time by Horatio Nelson, it was gradually abandoned in the nineteenth century and was closed in 1889. Today, Nelson's Dockyard has been completely restored, and it is now the only Georgian dockyard in the world. Numerous shops, boutiques, restaurants and hotels lie within the compound and the dockyard is a hub for ocean-going yachts and Antigua's annual Sailing Week Regatta held at the end of April and early May.

Lookout Trail and Shirley Heights - Climb the Lookout Trail, a nature walk that rises from English Harbour through a forest of trees, to Shirley Heights, where you'll discover the partially restored fortifications of the harbour's colonial observation post. The bluff was named after Sir Thomas Shirley, the governor who fortified the harbour in 1787. The view from Shirley Heights extends out over the harbour and far across the Caribbean to Montserrat and Guadeloupe. On Sundays the vista is enhanced by barbeque and live music at Shirley Heights Lookout restaurant and bar.

Antigua & Barbuda BeachesAntigua & Barbuda Beaches:

Antigua claims to have 365 beaches, one for every day of the year. Popular beaches are Dickenson Bay, Runaway Bay, Fort James, Deep Bay and Galley Bay in the Northwest Coast. The beaches on the Southwest and South Coast are less developed and more quiet: Fryes Bay, Darkwood Beach, Rendezvous Bay, Doigs Beach and Pigeon Point. On the East Coast Half Moon Bay is popular with families. Barbuda has long white (and pink) sand beaches protected by barrier reefs.

Entry Requirements to Antigua & Barbuda

  • A valid passport is required for entry. No visa is necessary for US Citizens.
  • Non-US citizens, please contact the nearest consulate or embassy of the country to which you are traveling to determine your entry/visa requirements.
  • Departure tax, which is not included in this package, is $20 in US or Eastern Caribbean dollars, payable at the airport when leaving Antigua.
  • Passport, visa and travel advisory information may be found at the U.S. Department of State's Antigua & Barbuda pages. Although most travel to international destinations is completed without incident, Caribbean-TravelDeals.com urges passengers to review travel prohibitions, warnings, announcements and advisories prior to booking.

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Antigua & Barbuda Resources
Nevis Toursim Authority - Nevis Tourism Authority
Visit Montserrat - Montserrat Tourist Board
Aruba - The official tourism website of Aruba
The Bahamas - The official website of the Bahamas
Visit Jamaica - The official website of Jamaica
Dominican Republic - Ministry of Tourism official site
Puerto Rico - Puerto Rico Tourism Company
U.S. Virgin Islands - USVI Tourism - official site
Anguilla - Anguilla Tourist Board - official site
Antigua & Barbuda - Official website
Visit Barbados - Barbados Tourism Authority
Travel Belize - Belize Tourism Board
Bermuda Tourism - Bermuda Department of Tourism
Bonaire - Official tourism website of Bonaire
BVI - British Virgin Islands Tourist Board
Cayman Islands - Department of Tourism
Curacao - Curacao Tourist Board
Dominica - Tourism Dominica
Grenada - Grenada Board of Tourism
Guadeloupe - Official website
Martinique - Martinique Tourism Authority
St. Barts - Official website
St. Eustatius - St. Eustatius Tourist Office
Saba Tourism - Saba Tourist Bureau
St. Lucia - St. Lucia Tourist Board
St. Kitts - St. Kitts Tourism
St. Maarten - Official website
St. Martin - St. Martin Tourist Office
St. Vincent & The Grenadines - Ministry of Tourism
Trinidad and Tobago - Official website
Turks and Caicos - Official website
Guyana Tourism - Guyana Tourism Authority
Suriname - Suriname Tourism Foundation
Cheap Flights to Anywhere - TravelDeals.travel
Discount Hotels Worldwide - Hotel Guide
Passport, Visa & Travel Advisory - US Dep. of State
Caribbean Marketing - Innovative Travel Promotions