Barbados Attractions

Bridgetown

The capital of Barbados is a busy commercial city set on Carlisle Bay. It's short on must-see sights but certainly worth a saunter. It's an architectural mishmash of modern and colonial, with side streets leading off into residential neighbourhoods sprinkled with rum shops and chattel houses.

True to the island's British heritage, there are obelisks, gothic parliament buildings, and a large Anglican cathedral. More surprising is Bridgetown's distinctive 19th-century synagogue; the first synagogue on this site was built in the 1600s, when Barbados had a Jewish population of more than 300.

St Lawrence

Along the southwest coast of Barbados, there's a cluster of small, low-key towns with excellent beaches and much of the island's low to mid-range accommodations. St Lawrence, about 15km (9mi) southeast of Bridgetown, is Mr Popular, offering plenty of opportunities to chow down or party down.

Dover Beach, the town strand, has powdery white sand. A few minutes' walk west along the beach at low tide brings you to the towns of Worthing and Hastings, which have interesting local crafts and lovely pristine beaches.