Bridgetown

Bridgetown is the capital of Barbados. It's the only city, over half the island's residents live here and many more commute in. It's a regular port of call for cruise ships and has good duty-free shopping. The impeccably maintained centre is attractive and a Unesco World Heritage Site. The main sights in the city and the surrounding Saint Michael parish are the Careenage - the original harbour around the river - and Garrison Savannah the 18th / 19th C military area a mile south.

Travel to Bridgetown

Your flight may be shown as "Bridgetown" but the airport is 8 miles west in Southern Barbados: most travellers 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 agents, taxis and shuttle vanes await them but the harbour is walking distance to the centre.

Bridgetown is the hub for the island's affordable 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. Many bus lines terminate in the city, but there are through services between Oistins to the south and Speightstown to the north.

How to get around in Bridgetown

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The downtown and downtown sights are easy walks. The harbour and Mount 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$2, one US$.

What to see in Bridgetown

Downtown

• The Careenage 13.096, -59.614 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 C 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 retail outlets, 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) and the south bank is pedestrianised and the better for relaxing. Enjoy a 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 C 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.

• Street Michael's Gothic Church 13.0978, -59.6124 ☎ +1 246 426 2761 Gothic Church Church of Saint Michael and All Angels Rebuilt in 1789 after hurricane damage and promoted to a cathedral in 1825 when the Anglican Diocese of Barbados was created, it's a pleasant coral-stone structure. Note the tower, 17th C font, stain glass windows and chapel. Sir Grantley Adams and the island's first Premier, is buried in the graveyard.

• St. Mary's Church 13.098654, -59.618801 ☎ +1 246 426 2761 The current building was constructed in 1827 but there has been a church here since 1630.

• Nidhe Palestine Synagogue (בית הכנסת נדחי ישראל) was first built in 1654, so it's one of the oldest in the Americas. Yahudi refugees arrived from Brazil in that era; they knew a lot about sugar production and helped the Barbados cane industry to get started. The synagogue was wrecked by a hurricane in 1831, rebuilt, but fell into disuse and was deconsecrated in 1929. It was on the verge of being demolished, but refurbished and services resumed in the late 20th C, though it's nowadays primarily a museum. Excavation in 2008 revealed a 17th C mikveh or ritual cleansing bath. Sited on Magazine Lane, it's open Monday to Friday 9AM Monday - 4PM.

Parliament Bridgetown Barbados - Parliament Building in Bridgetown

• Parliament Broad Street near Trafalgar Plaza - Opening Hours: Monday, W-Sa 10AM Monday - 4PM B$5 . The neo-Gothic parliament buildings are open to the public when parliament is in session.

• Broad Street, Swan Street and Cheapside Market are good areas for just strolling.
• Ilaro Court the official residence of the Barbados Prime Minister, is occasionally open for public visits. It's on Two Mile Hill at the eastern edge of the city.

South of centre

• Garrison Savannah and Street Ann's Fort 13.080, -59.607 is a historic neighborhood a mile south of downtown, transected by Highway 7. In the 18th & 19th C the whole area was a military base, centred on the Savannah and 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 Street Ann's Fort and Needham's Point to the West. All the buses and shuttle vanes from Bridgetown towards Oistins and south-side hotels run this way.

• George Washington House signposted from bus stop Opening 9AM Monday - 4PM B$50 The only overseas trip George Washington ever made was to Barbados, in 1751 aged 19, accompanying his older half-brother Lawrence who was seriously ill with tuberculosis. He stayed several weeks in this plantation-style mansion, fell ill himself with smallpox, but recovered to make his mark on history. His observations of Barbados farming methods, social structure and military defences were to serve him well when he returned to Mount Vernon, Virginia. The ground floor is reconstructed to that period, upstairs is an exhibition on island life over the centuries. The house backs onto that archaeologists' delight, a midden: the island's limestone gullies were long used as trash & dung heaps, so there's a rich mixture down there of Arawak fish-bone artefacts, plastic cups, broken buttons and Washington's poxy poop. Beneath the house in 2011 were discovered tunnels, a star-burst of long, deep channels radiating from the Savannah, built circa 1820. They're said to be for drainage, but they're excessively elaborate for that simple task, up to 17 foot deep and half a mile long - maybe a work-creation Folly for the post-Napoleonic peace? There's a pleasant cafe.

• Barbados Museum Street Ann's Garrison, Street Michael 13.082222, -59.6025 jcn of Garrison Road & Dalkeith Road ☎ +1 246 427 0201 +1 246 436 1956 Opening Hours: Monday to Sat 9AM Monday - 5PM, Sunday 2PM Monday - 6PM Adult B$20, child B$10 Barbados Museum & Historical Society Housed in the former British Military Prison, this museum covers the emergence from the sea of this coral island, its indigenous peoples and the arrival of Europeans and African slaves and the colonial period, emancipation of the slaves, independence from Britain and more recent history.

• St Ann's Fort: the Garrison area west of the highway remains a military base and is off limits, but a weekly guided tour (currently Thurs) visits the historic sections. This takes in the Drill Hall and they 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.
• Wildey House 13.092, -59.582 - just south of the city limits off Errol Barrow Highway, is a Georgian mansion built circa 1760. You can visit downstairs Monday to Friday 8.30AM Monday - 4.30PM; free, donation appreciated. Upstairs are offices and the HQ of Barbados National Trust.
• Also just south of the city limits in Southern Barbados is the Mallalieu Motor Museum.

Top Travel Tips

• Mount Rum Distilleries @ointreau.com Spring Garden Hwy, Saint Michael 13.11269, -59.62644 ☎ +1 246 425 8757 Opening 9.30AM Monday - 2.30PM, Saturday (November - April) 10.30AM Monday - 2.30PM The sugarcane is nowadays imported, but the rest of the process of making remains local. The basic tour is the "Signature tasting", B$40, 45 mins every hour, kids free. Pricier tours include transport, more and meals.

• West Indies Rum Distillery, who make Malibu Colas, is on North Brighton Rd. It was sold in 2017 to Maison Ferrand and tours are currently only by special arrangement.

• 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 & 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 and they may get booked out.

• Eco Dive - Cavens Lane, Careenage, Bridgetown ☎ +1 246 243 5816 Opening from Monday to Saturdayt One-tank dive B$150, 2-tank dives B$270
• West Side Scuba - Boatyard, Highway 7 jcn Bay Street & Wellington Street ☎ +1 246 262 1029 Opening Hours: Daily One-tank dive B$160, 2-tank dives B$270
• The Dive Shop - Ameys Alley, Upper Bay St, Saint Michael ☎ +1 246 426 9947 Opening Hours: Daily One-tank dive B$140, 2-tank dives B$240
• Roger's Scuba Shack Carlisle Bay, Bridgetown near jcn Highway 7 & Jemmottts Lane ☎ +1 246 436 3483 Opening from Monday to Saturdayt One-tank dive B$140, 2-tank dives B$240 . Well organised friendly outfit, Mark and George are the main men.

• Barbados Blue Diving Hilton Hotel Needham's Point, see "sleep" marker ☎ +1 246 434 5764 Opening Hours: Daily One-tank dive B$160, 2-tank dives B$270 -

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• The only out-of-town operator is Hightide Watersports based at Holetown, see Western Barbados#Do.

• Watch cricket at
• Kensington Oval | Pickwick 13.106, -59.622 off Westbury Road, north of centre

. West Indies play as a combined team for international games. These are staged across the Caribbean and will include games here, in a variety of formats: Test matches lasting up to five days and one- and two-day internationals. Barbados also plays as a nation in Caribbean tournaments. For tickets see the .com/ West Indies Cricket website. The Oval, capacity 28,000, is sometimes used for other sports, rock concerts etc but is primarily a cricket ground. It hosted its first international in 1895; in 2007 it was extensively redeveloped with the opening of the new "3 W's" stand and Sir Garfield Sobers Pavilion.

• Go to the races at
• Garrison Savannah Racetrack | one mile south of centre on Highway 7 . Thit is a six-furlong clockwise (right-hand turning) grass track for flat racing, on the former parade ground of the 18th / 19th C military base. Notable fixtures are the Barbados Gold Cup (late February / early Mar, 8.95 furlongs) and the "Triple Crown" of the Barbados Guineas (mid-April, 7.8 furlongs), Midsummer Creole Classic (early July, 9 furlongs) and Barbados Derby (early Aug, 10 furlongs).

Shopping in Bridgetown

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

Halal Restaurants & Food in Bridgetown

• Waterfront Cafe The Careenage, Bridgetown ☎ +1 246 427 0093 Opening from Monday to Saturday 10AM Monday - 10PM B$15-B$50 Set on the cool side of The Careenage, Waterfront Cafe is an excellent place to sample Bajan cuisine washed down with a punch or Banks on tap. Live music every night. Fast food it's not - relax, you're in the Caribbean.

• Harbour Lights - Marine Villa, Bay Street 13.089921, -59.609033 - This has three aspects. By day it's a beach-club, B$20 entry, for cruise passengers and others who don't have a hotel beach. Another B$20 gets you a snorkeling trip with the turtles. On Monday & Wednesday evenings there's a dinner show, B$190, steel bands and all the you can handle. And Wednesday & Friday evenings it's a nightclub.

eHalal Group Launches Halal Guide to Bridgetown

Bridgetown - eHalal Travel Group, a leading provider of innovative Halal travel solutions for Muslim travelers to Bridgetown, is thrilled to announce the official launch of its comprehensive Halal and Muslim-Friendly Travel Guide for Bridgetown. This groundbreaking initiative aims to cater to the diverse needs of Muslim travelers, offering them a seamless and enriching travel experience in Bridgetown and its surrounding regions.

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The Travel Guide encompasses a wide range of features that will undoubtedly enhance the travel experience for Muslim visitors to Bridgetown. Key components include:

Halal-Friendly Accommodations in Bridgetown: A carefully selected list of hotels, lodges, and vacation rentals that cater to halal requirements, ensuring a comfortable and welcoming stay for Muslim travelers in Bridgetown.

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Prayer Facilities: Information on masjids, prayer rooms, and suitable locations for daily prayers in Bridgetown, ensuring ease and convenience for Muslim visitors in fulfilling their religious obligations.

Local Attractions: An engaging compilation of Muslim-friendly attractions, cultural sites such as Museums, and points of interest in Bridgetown, enabling travelers to explore the city's rich heritage while adhering to their values.

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Speaking about the launch, Irwan Shah, Chief Technology Officer of eHalal Travel Group in Bridgetown, stated, "We are thrilled to introduce our Halal and Muslim-Friendly Travel Guide in Bridgetown, a Muslim friendly destination known for its cultural richness and historical significance. Our goal is to empower Muslim travelers with accurate information and resources, enabling them to experience the wonders of Bridgetown without any concerns about their faith-based requirements. This initiative reaffirms our commitment to creating inclusive and memorable travel experiences for all our clients."

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eHalal Travel Group Bridgetown is a prominent name in the global Muslim travel industry, dedicated to providing innovative and all-inclusive travel solutions tailored to the needs of Muslim travelers worldwide. With a commitment to excellence and inclusivity, eHalal Travel Group aims to foster a seamless travel experience for its clients while respecting their religious and cultural values.

For Halal business inquiries in Bridgetown, please contact:

eHalal Travel Group Bridgetown Media: info@ehalal.io

Buy Muslim Friendly condos, Houses and Villas in Bridgetown

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Ramadan 2024 Celebrations in Bridgetown

Ramadan 2025 in Bridgetown

Ramadan concludes with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, which may last several days, usually three in most countries.

The next Ramadan shall be from Friday, 28 February 2025 to Saturday, 29 March 2025

The next Eid al-Adha shall be on Friday, 6 June 2025

The next day of Raʾs al-Sana shall be on Thursday, 26 June 2025

The next day for Mawlid al-Nabī shall be on Monday, 16 September 2024

Muslim Friendly Hotels

There is little lodging in Bridgetown itself. Most visitors stay in the beach-strip hotels to the Southern Barbados|south or along the Western Barbados|west coast.

• Radisson Aquatica | Aquatic Gap, Bridgetown 13.083, -59.609 just north of Garrison Savannah ☎ +1 246 426 4000 Check-in: 3PM / Check-out: noon . 4-star hotel, building is tired but good reviews for location, views and services.

• Hilton Barbados Needham's Point, Street Michael, Bridgetown 13.079, -59.611 ☎ +1 246-426-0200 Boxy 4-star hotel, wide range of facilities, gets very mixed reviews for quality of rooms and services.

• Sweetfield Manor is an upscale Bed & Breakfast 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.

Cope in Bridgetown

Embassies and High Commissions

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• Canada | Bishop's Court Hill Bridgetown, Barbados BB11113 ☎ +1 246-429-3550 +1 246-429-3780
• United Kingdom Lower Colleymore Rock Road ☎ +1 246 430 7800 Opening Hours: Monday - Thursday 9AM Monday - 4PM, Friday 9AM Monday - 1PM . United States Wildey Business Park ☎ +1 246 227-4000 Opening 8AM Monday - 4:30PM
• 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.

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