A country · 24 places · 5 regions

Antigua and Barbuda, all of it.

24 curated places across 5 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.

Dickenson Bay · via Wikimedia Commons

The 4 biggest regions — Saint John, Saint Paul, Barbuda and Saint Mary — read below as chapters, with 1 more waiting past them.

Chapter I · Saint John · 5 places

Saint John

A calm, resort-lined bay of white sand on Antigua's northwest coast with gentle water for swimming. It is one of the island's liveliest beaches for watersports and beachfront dining.

Dickenson Bay

Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda

✦ December to April · $$

Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Antigua

Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda

✦ December–April · $

Museum of Antigua and Barbuda

Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda

✦ December–April · $

All 5 places in Saint John →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter II · Saint Paul · 4 places

Saint Paul

This small fort stands on a low spit guarding the narrow entrance to English Harbour, the historic naval anchorage on Antigua's south coast. Built from around 1704, its battery of cannon and a stretch of curtain wall could sweep the channel that ships had to pass to reach the dockyard beyond. A short waterside walk from the harbour leads to the ruins. Together with the dockyard it forms part of a protected complex commemorating the island's Georgian naval history.

✦ December–April · $

Meet Fort Berkeley All 4 places in Saint Paul →

Chapter III · Barbuda · 3 places

Barbuda

A large lagoon on Barbuda's west side sheltering one of the biggest magnificent frigatebird colonies in the Western Hemisphere. Local boatmen run short trips from Codrington village to the mangrove nesting sites, where males inflate their scarlet throat pouches during the winter breeding season.

Codrington Lagoon

Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda

✦ September to April

Barbuda Frigate Bird Sanctuary

Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda

✦ September to April

Codrington Lagoon National Park

Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda

✦ September to April

All 3 places in Barbuda →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter IV · Saint Mary · 3 places

Saint Mary

This extinct volcanic hill in the interior of Antigua rises to a summit ringed by large upright stones, some of which have been interpreted as a possible megalithic arrangement while others regard them as natural formations. A walking trail climbs through dry scrub to the top, where the boulders and wide views over the island reward the ascent. The site's origins remain debated among archaeologists. Its combination of geology and speculation makes it an unusual inland landmark on a low-lying island.

✦ December–April · $

Meet Green Castle Hill All 3 places in Saint Mary →