Bridgetown

Bridgetown is the capital and only city of Barbados. In 2014 it had a population of 110,000, about half the island's population, and many more commute in. The well-preserved centre is attractive and is a. The main sights in the city are the Careenage (the original harbour around the river) and Garrison Savannah the 18th- and 19th-century military area a mile south. Bridgetown is a regular port of call for cruise ships and has good duty-free shopping.

Understand
The first English colony on the island was established in 1625 at St James Town seven miles north. The settlement here, from 1628, was initially called Indian Bridge for the structure found crossing the swamp at the river estuary. The colonists set about draining the swamp and found themselves with a better harbour, cultivation land and inland routes than St James Town, so the centre of island affairs shifted here. In 1667 Sir Tobias Bridge arrived as military commander, and it was thought a real smart idea to name the place Bridgetown.

At the centre it has remained, but only for a brief spell 1958-1967 was Bridgetown incorporated as a city. For the rest of its history it has simply been a constituency within the government of Barbados, though with the parliament, political base and big money concentrated here, many islanders might suspect that Bridgetown governs Barbados not the other way round.

Get in
Barbados Airport is usually shown on departure boards as Bridgetown but it's 8 miles west in Southern Barbados. Most tourists are bussed straight to their beach hotels and don't arrive via the city.

Cruise ships dock at Bridgetown Harbour a mile north of the centre. A swarm of touts, taxis and minibuses await them but the harbour is walking distance to the centre.

Bridgetown is the hub for the island's cheap and convenient buses. Buses from the south coast and airport arrive at Fairchild Bus Terminal, next to O'Neal Bridge south bank of the river. Buses from the west coast arrive at Cheapside or Princess Alice bus terminals, on the north bank half a mile west of O'Neal Bridge. Almost all bus lines terminate in the city, but there are through services between Oistins to the southeast and Speightstown to the north.

Get around
The city centre sights are easy walks. The harbour and Mount Gay rum distillery to the north, and the Garrison Savannah area to the south, are only a mile or so out: but the sun is hot and the roads are busy with poor sidewalks, so take a bus for B$3.50.

Downtown

 * is the sheltered creek that was the island's original harbour, and the natural centre of the early town. The first British found a wooden bridge here built by the Arawaks; they replaced it, and its present incarnation is the pedestrianised Chamberlain Bridge. When the eminent Sir Tobias Bridge arrived as commander of local forces in 1667, shrewd islanders came up with a great new name for what they'd hitherto called "Indian Town". 19th- and 20th-century shipping outgrew the creek and a deep water harbour was built further north, so this area was preserved from later industry. It now houses restaurants, bars and shops, in what used to be warehouses and stores for ship supplies. The north bank carries the busy Wharf Road (traffic nowadays crosses on the O'Neal Bridge), the south bank is pedestrianised and the better for relaxing. Enjoy a rum on the waterfront, and recall that "careenage" means hauling a beached vessel over onto one side to scrape the barnacles off the hull: bottoms up! Things get out of hand if you attempt this manoeuvre with a big steel ship, so in the 19th century, they built Blackwoods Screw Dock, a mechanism for jacking-up and dry-docking vessels. It's now rusty and a bit forlorn but worth a look.
 * Broad Street, Swan Street and Cheapside Market are good areas for strolling.
 * Broad Street, Swan Street and Cheapside Market are good areas for strolling.

South of centre

 * is a historic district a mile south of city centre, transected by Highway 7. In the 18th and 19th century the whole area was a military base, centred on the Savannah, the parade ground and sports fields, which are now the island's racetrack. There are many attractive old buildings here, with the chief sights being the George Washington House and the Barbados Museum east of the highway, and St Ann's Fort and Needham's Point to the west. All the buses and minibuses from Bridgetown towards Oistins and south-side hotels run this way.
 * St Ann's Fort: the Garrison area west of the highway remains a military base and is off limits, but a weekly guided tour (on Thursday) visits the historic sections. This takes in the Drill Hall, the cannon collection, and the weekly changing of the guard, dressed in natty Zouave uniforms.
 * Needham's Point is the tip of land beyond the military base. It has a lighthouse, nowadays within the grounds of the Hilton Hotel; it's accessible to the public but you can't go inside it.
 * , just south of the city limits off Errol Barrow Highway, is a Georgian mansion built circa 1760. You can visit downstairs M-F 8:30AM-4:30PM; free, donation appreciated. Upstairs are offices, the HQ of Barbados National Trust.
 * Mallalieu Motor Museum is likewise just south of the city limits in Southern Barbados.

Do

 * West Indies Rum Distillery, which makes Malibu liqueur, is on North Brighton Rd. It was sold in 2017 to Maison Ferrand and tours are only by special arrangement.
 * West Indies Rum Distillery, which makes Malibu liqueur, is on North Brighton Rd. It was sold in 2017 to Maison Ferrand and tours are only by special arrangement.
 * The Shallow Draught is a small boat harbour just north of the cruise liner terminal and south of Mount Gay Distillery. Many boat trips sail from here, for sight-seeing, snorkelling, fishing, partying and so on - operators offer a mix of trips to capture the widest market and adapt to the seasons. Others sail from the Careenage, south or north bank of the river outlet. (Limited parking, so enquire about hotel pick-ups or take a cab.) Operators include Atlantis (see below), Tiami, Silver Moon, Cat and the Fiddle, Seaduced, Calabaza, Jolly Roger (below), Eclipse Fishing, Small Cats, Therapy Charters, IOU Charters, Legacy Fishing and Billfisher III.
 * Scuba-diving: the island's scuba shacks are mostly based near sheltered Bridgetown, but will pick up from hotels along the south coast out to Oistins and the west coast up to Speightstown, and from the cruise ship terminal. There's a selection of reefs and wrecks around these coasts, so operators can vary the programme according to sea conditions. They all offer basic and specialty training courses, equipment hire, and packages for trained divers. For simplicity only the one- and two-tank prices are quoted below, but all have cheaper multi-dive packages. Diving is by small to medium boats, mostly two-tank dives, but from nearby sites they can drop off after a single dive. It's best to call ahead because when a cruise ship is in port, they may get booked out.
 * The only out-of-town operator is Hightide Watersports based at Holetown, see Western Barbados.
 * Scuba-diving: the island's scuba shacks are mostly based near sheltered Bridgetown, but will pick up from hotels along the south coast out to Oistins and the west coast up to Speightstown, and from the cruise ship terminal. There's a selection of reefs and wrecks around these coasts, so operators can vary the programme according to sea conditions. They all offer basic and specialty training courses, equipment hire, and packages for trained divers. For simplicity only the one- and two-tank prices are quoted below, but all have cheaper multi-dive packages. Diving is by small to medium boats, mostly two-tank dives, but from nearby sites they can drop off after a single dive. It's best to call ahead because when a cruise ship is in port, they may get booked out.
 * The only out-of-town operator is Hightide Watersports based at Holetown, see Western Barbados.
 * The only out-of-town operator is Hightide Watersports based at Holetown, see Western Barbados.
 * The only out-of-town operator is Hightide Watersports based at Holetown, see Western Barbados.
 * The only out-of-town operator is Hightide Watersports based at Holetown, see Western Barbados.
 * The only out-of-town operator is Hightide Watersports based at Holetown, see Western Barbados.
 * The only out-of-town operator is Hightide Watersports based at Holetown, see Western Barbados.


 * Cricket:
 * Go to the races at

Buy

 * Several vendors sell tourist kitsch (sea shells, beads) on the Careenage at the south end of Constitution Bridge, next to Independence Arch.
 * There are numerous stores (including Cave Shepherd, the Macy's of Barbados) on Broad Street, especially for jewellery, and offer duty-free prices.
 * Swan Street, a pedestrian mall, has stores selling cheap clothes.

Sleep
There is little accommodation in Bridgetown. Most visitors stay in the beach-strip hotels to the south or along the west coast.


 * Sweetfield Manor is an upscale B&B on Brittons Ridge, northeast of the Garrison Savannah. It was built in the 1900s by a Danish shipping magnate and is occasionally open for public tours.
 * Sweetfield Manor is an upscale B&B on Brittons Ridge, northeast of the Garrison Savannah. It was built in the 1900s by a Danish shipping magnate and is occasionally open for public tours.
 * Sweetfield Manor is an upscale B&B on Brittons Ridge, northeast of the Garrison Savannah. It was built in the 1900s by a Danish shipping magnate and is occasionally open for public tours.

Embassies and High Commissions

 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * 🇺🇸 United States
 * Other nations represented in town are Guyana, New Zealand and Uruguay. A mile or so south along the beach strip are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, European Union, People's Republic of China, and Venezuela.

Go next

 * All the island public transport converges on Bridgetown, so you can reach anywhere on the island, though services are infrequent on the less-populated east coast.
 * Leaving Barbados means a trip to the airport, unless you've come by cruise ship or your own boat.