Must See

Barbuda

Barbuda is a small, flat island popular for its deserted beaches, wild beauty, heavily wooded interior and abundant wildlife. It offers excellent diving opportunities on the coral reef that rings the north-west coast and on the 100 shipwrecks laying in the surrounding waters, and the island's clear waters and calm beaches are also popular with sailors. The Frigate Bird Sanctuary, home to over 5,000 frigate birds, is also here.

The single village, Codrington, sits on the edge of a lagoon and has a population of around 1,000.

Deep Bay

This pleasant little bay has a beautiful sandy beach and protected waters. In the middle of the bay stands the coral-encrusted wreck of the Andes, a barque which went down 100 years ago and which still peeks above the water, as snorkellers swim around in the shallows.

Dickinson Bay

This resort is fronted by a long, white-sand beach, popular for swimming and watersports. Reggae music hangs in the air, stall holders sell T-shirts and jewellery, and visitors can enjoy the many open-air restaurants. Trips to Great Bird Island can be made from the bay, and glass-bottomed boats give leisurely views of the reef.

English Harbour

Formerly a naval base, this popular spot has the richest collection of historic sites in Antigua including restored buildings, museums and hilltops forts. Nelson's dockyard is an 18th century British naval dockyard named after Admiral Horatio Nelson, and is one of the safest landlocked harbours in the world. It was used by Admirals Nelson, Rodney and Hood as a base during the Napoleonic Wars, and is now home to some completely restored Georgian architecture, a busy marketplace, hotels, bars, galleries and a museum.

Fig Tree Drive

Fig Tree Drive is a 32 km (20-mile) scenic route that winds through the picturesque fishing villages and lush tropical hills along the southwest coast. Groves of bananas (fig is the Antiguan name for banana), mangos and coconuts may be seen, as well as the ruins of sugar mills.

Fort James

This small fort was first built in 1675 to guard against French invasion, but most of the present structure dates from 1739. It still has a few original cannons, a powder magazine and a fair portion of its walls intact. Close by is the cemetery, containing an obelisk commemorating the soldiers of the 54th Regiment.

Redonda

Redonda is an uninhabited rocky islet, about 56 km (35 miles) northeast of Antigua. The island is famed for its small population of burrowing owls, which are now extinct on Antigua.

St John's

Antigua's capital and the island's major tourist centre retains a strong West Indian feel. Visitors can browse the shops, restaurants and galleries built in wooden huts along the harbour front complexes of Heritage Quay and Redcliffe Quay. St John's also has an interesting community-run museum, with an eclectic collection of displays depicting island life.

The town's landmark is the twin-spired St John's Anglican Cathedral, which was originally built in 1683. However, it has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times since then; in 1745 the church was rebuilt in stone, then again in 1847 when the structure collapsed after the 1843 earthquakes. It is said that the carved figures of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist originally adorned the masts of one of Napoleon's ships.