Antigua and Barbuda Vacation Guide

Introduction

Antiguans claim to have a different beach for every day of the year and their island’s many beautiful soft, sandy beaches and coves certainly constitute its main attraction. Low-lying and volcanic in origin, Antigua and Barbuda form part of the Leeward Islands group in the northeast Caribbean. Barbuda lies 40km (25 miles) north of Antigua and is an unspoiled natural haven for wild deer and exotic birds. The beaches are excellent with coastal waters rich with all types of crustaceans and tropical fish. The most popular resorts have hotels located either on beaches or close by, where you can cool down with a local drink such as ice-cold fruit juice or, should you prefer something stronger, Antiguan-produced red or white rum. Restaurants and bars can be found in the main tourist areas. Steel bands, combos and limbo dancers travel round hotels, performing nightly during the winter season (November to April).

Full country name: Antigua and Barbuda
Area: 170 sq km
Population: 66,422
Capital City: Saint John's (Antigua)
Language: English
Religion: Anglican Church (about 50%), Roman Catholic, Moravian
Government: constitutional monarchy within the British Commonwealth
Time Zone: GMT/UTC -4
Dialling Code: 268
Electricity: 230V ,60Hz
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$)

We constantly update vacation deals and flights + hotel packages for Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean. You can also check out some of the best hotels and resorts in Antigua and Barbuda with exciting attractions like golf, casino, scuba diving and other water sports. Popular hotels & resorts in Antigua and Barbuda are Cocobay Hotel and Jolly Beach Resort.

Visitors from the USA, Canada and the UK may enter the country for stays of less than six months with either a valid passport or a birth certificate with a raised seal and a photo ID. Most other visitors, including citizens of Australia, New Zealand and western European countries, must have passports but do not need visas. Officially all visitors need a round-trip or onward ticket.
More Information About Visa Requirements

Travellers from the USA have the easiest access to Antigua. American and Continental offer direct daily flights to the island during the peak tourist season (mid-December to mid-April), though services are less frequent in the off-season. Weekly direct flights are available on Air Canada, British Airways and Air France. You can make direct or connecting flights to Antigua from over two dozen Caribbean islands on LIAT, the major inter-island carrier. All flights to Barbuda connect at VC Bird Airport in Antigua.

Antigua's VC Bird International Airport, about 6km (4mi) east of St John's, is the main airport on the island. There are daily 20-minute flights between the airport and Codrington Airport in Barbuda. There is no airport bus service from Bird Airport, but taxis are available. Taxi fares are regulated by the government, but confirm the fare with the driver in advance.

Buses from St John's to Falmouth and English Harbour are plentiful, cheap, and take about 30 minutes. There are more than a dozen car rental agencies on Antigua, most of them with representatives at the airport. To drive, you need to buy a temporary 90-day license, which is usually obtainable from rental agents and from the Inland Revenue Department in St John's. There's no scheduled passenger boat service to Barbuda, but if you want to try your luck hitching with a private yacht, check around at the marinas, local tour agencies and hotels on Antigua.

Antigua and Barbuda are best visited during the cool and dry winter months (mid-December to mid-April), the peak tourist season. In January and February, the coolest months, the average daily high temperature is 81°F (27°C). The islands get even hotter in the summer. In July and August, the warmest months, the average daily high is 86°F (30°C). It's less dry in the autumn (September to November), during the rainy season, though Antigua's fairly dry year-round.

Carnival, Antigua's big annual festival, is held from the end of July and culminates in a parade on the first Tuesday in August. Most Carnival activity takes place in St John's.

Most of Antigua's many beaches, with their white or light golden sands, are protected by coral reefs, and all are officially public. Prime spots include the adjacent Dickenson and Runaway beaches on the eastern coast, Deep Bay and Hawksbill Beach to the west of St John's, and Darkwood Beach to the south of Jolly Harbour. On the eastern coast, Half Moon Bay is a top contender. In the English Harbour area, Galleon Beach and secluded Pigeon Beach are good sites. The far ends of some public beaches, including the northern end of Dickenson, are favored by topless bathers; nude bathing is also practiced along a section of Hawksbill Beach.

Antigua has some excellent diving, with coral canyons, wall drops and sea caves. Marine life includes turtles, sharks, barracuda and reef fish. Antigua's sheltered western coast is good for inexperienced windsurfers, while the exposed eastern coast has onshore winds good for slalom and wave-slalom sailing. The other major watersport is game fishing - there are plenty of marlin, tuna and wahoo.

The historical society, which operates the Museum of Antigua & Barbuda, sponsors a monthly cultural or environmental theme hike. Walks average about 90 minutes in duration and typically include visits to old estates or interesting landscapes. There's excellent bird watching at Codrington Lagoon, home to a large colony of frigate birds.

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