How to make the most of Bridgetown in a day
Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, is a bustling and colourful city with serpentine streets framed by coral-stone cathedrals, gabled warehouses and pastel-painted shops.
An easy day can be spent here, wandering through market stalls sweet with the smell of tropical fruit, stopping off at rum shops blaring calypso beats and pausing at harbourfront cafés where the salt breeze drifts in.
Parliament's neo-Gothic towers and the broad verandahs of Georgian townhouses hint at the city's colonial past, but it's the easy warmth of the present - music, colour and conversation - that pulls you in.
Unlike some purpose-built Caribbean ports, Bridgetown feels like a working city as well as a visitor hub, and that lived-in character is part of its appeal. Most ships dock in the Cruise Terminal, north west of the city centre.
You can walk into town in about 20 minutes, although most cruise ships provide complimentary shuttles, or you can take a taxi for under $10. The terminal has craft stalls and duty-free shops, but it's worth stepping out into town to soak up the atmosphere.
Getting to Bridgetown: sail into Barbados with Marella Cruises, which offers various itineraries including stops with time to explore Bridgetown in a day.
Colourful shopping
If you decide to walk, then follow Princess Alice Highway southeast and you'll soon arrive at Pelican Village craft centre, which makes a good first stop on the hunt for souvenirs.
Watch craftspeople working and pick up handwoven baskets, pottery and bottles of hot pepper sauce. From here you can detour north into Cheapside Market, best visited in the morning when its stalls brim with tropical fruit and the banter is as bright as the colours.
To begin shopping in earnest, continue east to Broad Street, the main shopping street. Start at Mall 34, a compact arcade of boutiques including stalls selling bright batik prints, before moving on to the landmark Bridgetown Duty Free (still fondly remembered as Cave Shepherd).
Browse perfumes, beachwear and bottles of Mount Gay rum, or head upstairs for a fish cutter (a classic Bajan street food of fried flying fish in soft salt bread with lettuce, tomato and a splash of pepper sauce) while you check messages on the free Wi-Fi.
Broad Street grows livelier as you continue eastwards into the town centre, with jewellers such as Diamonds International, Colombian Emeralds and Little Switzerland, alongside the more eclectic Colonnade Mall, where you might find yourself picking up a phone charger or a jar of fiery Bajan pepper sauce.
Along the way, you'll find street vendors selling tamarind balls, fresh coconuts and nutmeg from makeshift stalls. For something sweet, stop at a stall for nut cake, a traditional Bajan treat.
As you near the western end of the street, the road crosses the Careenage at the Chamberlain Bridge. This is a good spot for a photo of the neo-Gothic Parliament Buildings, which look like they've been lifted from an English town. Also worth a stop is Independence Square, where benches along the riverfront offer a shady break.
Step into history
For lunch, join locals at a rum shop for flying fish and macaroni pie washed down with a cold Banks beer.
In the afternoon, continue eastwards to Queen's Park, where a vast baobab tree shades the lawns, and stop at the Cathedral of St Michael and All Angels, an elegant 18th-century Anglican church with coral-stone walls and stained-glass windows and a serene graveyard.
Ten minutes further inland is the Barbados Museum, housed in a former military prison. Its exhibits range from Amerindian artefacts to plantation-era relics, and give a good grounding in the island's layered past.
If rum is more your flavour, continue to the Mount Gay Visitor Centre, where short tours and tastings tell the story of the world's oldest rum distillery.
Head for the beach
Allow time for Carlisle Bay, just a five-minute taxi ride from the cruise terminal or 20 minutes on foot from the Careenage. This long arc of white sand is famous for its calm, turquoise water and shallow wrecks that make for excellent snorkelling. Beach clubs rent loungers, and Cuz's Fish Shack on the sand is an institution for fish cutters.
As the day cools, loop back towards the waterfront. The Careenage is particularly atmospheric in the late afternoon, with fishing boats bobbing and cafés setting out chairs. Before heading back to the cruise terminal, raise a glass of rum punch at a harbour-side bar.
If you've got longer
Beyond Bridgetown, the island offers tempting half-day trips. At Harrison's Cave Eco-Adventure Park, you can take a tram through a network of crystallised limestone caverns, with impressive stalactites and stalagmites.
In the hills above the capital, you can explore more than 84 species of flowers, plants and birds at Hunte's Gardens, or head north to St Nicholas Abbey, a Jacobean plantation house that now doubles as a rum distillery, complete with a heritage railway ride through sugarcane fields. Each can be reached in under an hour, making them manageable on a cruise stop if you're organised.
Practical tips
Shops generally open from 9 am to 5 pm, and most accept US dollars and credit cards (though change is often given in Barbados dollars).
Free Wi-Fi is available at the cruise terminal and in some cafés. Allow at least 15 minutes for the return journey by taxi, or 30 minutes on foot, as traffic around the port can be unpredictable.
Climate in Bridgetown
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum daytime temperature °F |  82 |
84 |
 86 |
86 |
88 |
88 |
86 |
88 |
86 |
86 |
84 |
84 |
| Hours of sunshine (daily) | ||||||||||||
| Days with some rainfall |  13 |
 8 |
8 |
7 |
 10 |
15 |
 18 |
16 |
15 |
15 |
17 |
14 |
| Sea temperature °F |  81 |
79 |
81 |
81 |
 82 |
82 |
82 |
82 |
84 |
84 |
82 |
82 |
The above guide shows the climate in Bridgetown. Find out more about conditions across the island in our complete guide to the climate in Barbados.
Ready to discover Bridgetown? Browse the latest deals on Caribbean itineraries with Marella Cruises.
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