Tips for Visiting Barbados
Barbados is an island country located northeast of Venezuela in the Lesser Antilles. It is a small island, 21 miles long and 14 miles wide, but there is a lot to do. Great things come in small packages after all. The name Barbados was first used by the Portuguese explorer Pedro Campos. He originally called the island Los Barbados, “The Bearded Ones”, after the fig trees on the island. Their hanging aerial roots made him think of beards.
Residents of the majority of countries do not need a visa to enter Barbados. English is the official language. You can get to Barbados by either plane or boat. The Sir Grantley Adams International Airport is a fairly large international airport and receives tens of flights from Europe and North America each day. Seventeen cities have nonstop flights to Barbados. The airport is 13 miles from the capital Bridgetown. Buses run between the airport and Bridgetown for a fee of B$2 per person. The most convenient way of getting to your hotel, however, is by taking a taxi. A popular way of travelling to Barbados is by cruise ship. The dock in Bridgetown can handle many cruise ships at a time and dozens of taxis are waiting to take tourists around town or to their accommodation. The recommended way of getting around is by renting a car. This is quite expensive, but it allows you to explore those parts of islands that are not on the bus routes. Keep in mind that people drive on the left side of the road in Barbados. The bus network is extensive and cheap, but it won’t take you to the more secluded spots. Bicycles and mopeds can be rented as well.
Barbados attracts half a million visitors per year and it is easy to understand why. On Accra Beach, the largest beach on the island, tall trees provide shade and restaurants and shops are plenty. Barbados is one of the most developed countries in the region. Especially the south coast is well-developed and the west coast has several luxury beach resorts. Bridgetown – which by the way is the only city on the island – is a bustling place. You could easily spend an entire day there, wandering through the neighbourhoods and seeing the old colonial buildings. As you may expect from an island like Barbados, there are several rum shops as well. Other activities are shopping or sipping coffee and tasting local dishes in cafés along the Constitution River. For watersports fanatics, especially surfers, the world-famous Soup Bowl is a reef break in Bathsheba worth checking out. Other water-related activities in Barbados are scuba diving, swimming with sea turtles, catamaran cruises, glass bottom boat cruises and submarine tours.
There’s plenty of accommodation available and a bit more variety of price ranges than on some of the smaller Caribbean islands. Like most places in the Caribbean, there are all inclusive options, but you can also find self catering apartments such as Butterfly Beach Hotel.
Central Barbados is vastly different from other Caribbean islands. The interior of the island consists of rolling hills and lush vegetation. This used to be a place with enormous plantations and slave trade. There are museums displaying the cruel history of this country and tropical botanic gardens show off the possibilities of a perfect climate. Hiking in the hills is also a popular activity among adventurous tourists.
