What you can do in 8 Hours in Barbados

Here are a few ideas for spending your day in Barbados!

Tax free shopping in Bridgetown and the Cruise Terminal

Thousands of guests to our sun-splashed shores have found that the tax-free world-class shopping available in Barbados is second to none. Everything from the original handiwork of local craftsmen to imported Tiffany crystal is at one of the shops on our island - at prices from 30-50% less than our competitors! 

You can find that unique souvenir for a friend back home at one of our open-air markets, buy a one-of-a-kind painting for your guestroom, or choose that South American emerald that will ensure this trip is one she never forgets. 

Barbados hosts a weekly market exhibiting the finest Bajan arts and crafts at Pelican Village. The Wednesday event showcases Barbadian culture and includes dancing, music and much more.

About Bridgetown - Walks, Shopping, Banking, Facilities & Services
Bridgetown is the Capital of Barbados. It is also the largest shopping area and is located one mile from the Cruise Terminal. 

Pelican Village
Pelican Craft Centre is dedicated to the arts and crafts of Barbados where you can go and see, firsthand, items being made. The Pelican Craft Centre is just a five minute walk from the Cruise Terminal. 

The Pelican Craft Centre s a modern facility, the largest of its kind in the Caribbean, dedicated to the arts and crafts. The Centre is divided into a retail section and the Pelican Workshops. The retail section comprises 25 retail shops, a gallery and annex, a wine bar & bistro, a restaurant, and an artist wall.

The Pelican Workshops are where visitors can see firsthand the creativity of our craftsmen including pottery, woodcarving, basketry and straw work, fine art, glass blowing, weaving, moulded figure-making, sewing and cigar making.

The Centre is also the home of the Pelican Dooflicky, a festive carnival event replete with pageantry and culture. The Pelican Dooflicky is staged weekly during the tourist season and visitors are encouraged to join the revellers in the carnival parade and show. 

Taxis for the day
The Barbados Association of Seaport Taxis modernised fleet of 200 taxis provides excellent and personalised services at cost effective prices. 

The guides of the Barbados Association of Seaport Taxis can take you on a memorable journey.

A tour with them can take you to the local rum shops, village craft shops or places where you can experience village life and culture.

You can also visit the traditional historical stops such as Bathsheba, St. John's Church, Gun Hill, or old plantation houses to name a few or just drive around and enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the island.

For the sea bathers, there can be direct stops at any of the lovely beaches.

The Barbados Association of Seaport Taxis provides the alternative for your tours and can accommodate one person or large groups on coaches complete with commentaries and wheel chair lifts.

Passengers are free to decide where to go and what to do.

The modern fleet of 200 taxis allows for the provision of a variety of tours featuring excellent and personalised services at short notice and with cost effective prices.

The taxis and guides can be found just outside the Cruise Terminal building.

Island Tours and Activities
Barbados has many places of interest and lots of activities in which you can be part of such as St. Nicholas Abbey, Sunbury Great House and Codrington College to name a few.  

Popular Beaches
Barbados has quite a number of good beaches which are all accessible to the public. Those beaches close to the Cruise Terminal are Carlisle Bay, Brandons and Brightons Beach. 

Barbados has over 70 square miles of beaches ranging in hues from pink to purest white, and never overcrowded.

In Barbados there is a beach to suit very mood. The calm waters of the sheltered West Coast are ideal for bathing. Brandons, Batts Rock, Paradise, Sandy Lane, Holetown, Folkstone, Mullins and Heywoods are the popular west coast beaches where you can snorkel, enjoy watersports, swim with the Turtles or just lie in the sun.

Swimming is also a treat on the South Coast beaches of Brownes Beach, Pebbles, Greaves End, Rockley, Dover, Casuarina, Maxwell and Enterprise (Miami). The south eastern coast offers the Silver Sands and Crane Beaches for relaxing as well.
During the Winter (December to April) the increased winds provide excellent conditions for Windsurfing on the Silver Sands Beach.

On the East Coast the pounding Atlantic Ocean is perfect for those who love to surf. Bathsheba (Soup Bowl) is noted for its excellent surfing conditions. Barclays Park and Bath complete the list of the more popular east coast beaches.

Lifeguard stations manned by trained personnel are in place at most of the popular beaches.
Kindly observe the “No Swimming” signs on some parts of the East Coast, where currents are strong and therefore dangerous.
Also please do not swim when the Red flag is flying and don't swim near pipes, rocks, and breakwaters.

All Beaches in Barbados are public. Please note however that topless sunbathing is illegal in Barbados. 

Brighton/ Brandon Beach
Located just 1/2 mile by road from the Bridgetown Port on the west coast of the island, this approximately 1½ mile long stretch of white sands offers a tranquil place to relax in the sun or calm waters to bathe.

The Weisers Beach Bar on the beach provides lunch, dinner, watersports and a volley ball court for patrons.

Carlisle Bay Beach
Approximately 3 miles long and located just a mile from the Bridgetown port this beach has a spot that’s right for you. You can make use of the services provided by the Bayshore Complex, The Boatyard or the Carlisle Bay Centre.