Destination information - Barbados

What to see and do: Recommended places to visit are the old plantation houses, such as St Nicholas Abbey and Francia, the Botanic Gardens at Andromeda and the Flower Forest. The military forts and signal stations at Gun Hill and Grenade Hall provide an interesting insight into the history of the island. The capital Bridgetown is a lively place to visit, with an excellent national museum and great nightlife. Speightstown, formerly a thriving a weathly port, is small and less touristy, it is a pleasant place to have a wander and enjoy a drink on the seafront. And, of course, there are the beaches, from the often crowded strips such as Accra Beach and Mullins Bay to tiny but superb patches of palm-fringed sand like Bottom Bay in the southeast. Festivals and public holidays. Crop Over is the main festival 1 July to 7 August with parades and calypso over the weekend leading up to Kadooment Day (the first Monday in August). Jan - Jazz Festival
Feb - Holetown Festival
Jun - Rainbow music festival
Jul - Aqua Festival
Dec - Golf Championship

Regional Activities: Diving, watersports and beach activities are all widely available. There are also many full day and half day tours and boat trips that are an excellent means of seeing more of Barbados and the surrounding area if you are on a short stay. For example and island excursion will take you to the key sights on the island, to an historic plantation house and a rum shop, with a stop for lunch en route or you could enjoy a day out on a catamaran cruise, with swimming and snorkeling stops. If you are keen to see the underwater world without having to dive you can on the unique Atlantis submarine, which takes you to a depth of 40 metres in an air-conditioned pressurised cabin.