Within Walking Distance

Some consider Bridgetown beyond walking distance from Carnival cruises to Barbados, but for those who like a bit of a stroll, it’s a pleasant walk into town. For the truly hearty hiker, a first-class beach is just down the road once you cross over the charming bridge in town.

Beyond the Port Area

Learn how sugar cane is turned into rum—and taste the local Bajan spirit on your way to seeing the Sunbury Plantation House, a 300-year-old home filled with antique mahogany furniture and A Flavor of Barbados provides the tour of the rum distillery. Southeast of Bridgetown, fishermen sell their day’s catch at the Oistins Fish Market and dozens of little cottages dish up fried or grilled fish steaks fresh from the sea.

See the otherworldly underground caves with Harrison’s Cave Tour from the comfort of a shuttle after depart from your Carnival cruise to Barbados. Discover the natural beauty of Barbados in Bloom where you can explore the enchanting Orchid World, and the lush landscape of the Andromeda Botanical Gardens, with its huge tropical flowers. See if you can spot the occasional wild green monkey with Aerial Trek Zipline Adventure. One of three remaining Jacobean manor homes in the Western Hemisphere, St. Nicholas Abbey, in nearby St. Joseph, has a splendid locale amid emerald sugarcane fields.

Beaches In Barbados

Gentle, crystal-clear seas make the Caribbean beaches on Barbados’s western Gold Coast preferable (and closer) to those on the surf-pounded Atlantic side. Take in the beautiful coastline aboard the Tiami Sail, Turtles & Beach or Five Star Catamaran & Turtle Encounter where you can explore beautiful sandy beaches, snorkel and even swim with fascinating sea turtles.

For a truly exhilarating excursion, Sea Turtle & Shipwreck Snorkel will take you to the island’s south coast, Carlisle Bay Beach where you’ll see and snorkel the Berwyn Shipwreck, home to turtles and a variety of tropical fish. Windsurfers are particularly fond of the trade winds that sweep across wide Casuarina Beach. Silver Sands Beach is a favorite with many Bajans.

Shopping in Barbados

The shopping mall-sized Barbados cruise terminal contains retail stores, duty-free shops, and vendors selling arts and crafts, jewelry, liquor, china, crystal, electronics, perfume, leather goods, and great local hot sauce, as well as yummy Punch de Crème, a creamy rum drink. Local clay potters turn out unusual pieces, some based on centuries-old designs.

The shopping mall-sized Barbados cruise terminal contains retail stores, duty-free shops, and vendors selling arts and crafts, jewelry, liquor, china, crystal, electronics, perfume, leather goods, and great local hot sauce, as well as yummy Punch de Crème, a creamy rum drink. Local clay potters turn out unusual pieces, some based on centuries-old designs.

Travel Tips

• English is the official language of Barbados.
• The Barbados dollar is the official currency, but U.S. dollars are commonly accepted.
• Barbados weather is warm and consistently sunny, with average temperatures between 75 and 85 degrees year-round. 
• Barbados cruises dock about a mile from the capital Bridgetown. The modern Barbados cruise ship terminal provides car rentals, taxi services, and sightseeing tours.
• You’ll probably need transportation to get to the beaches, though you can walk into Bridgetown in about 15 minutes via a scenic shoreline park. You’ll find taxis just outside the cruise terminal.