|
|
With a gorgeous location beside the white-sand beaches of Carlisle
Bay, busy Bridgetown is the capital and only city of
Barbados. One of the oldest cities in the Caribbean, the
architecture of Bridgetown today is largely a blend of attractive,
balconied colonial buildings, warehouses and brash modern office
blocks. The centre of activity is the Careenage, parking place for
numerous sleek yachts overlooked by the Barbadian parliament
. A number of the island's main religious buildings are within five
minutes' walk of here, including St Michael's Cathedral and
the synagogue , both erected on the sites of their
mid-seventeenth-century originals.
Just north of the city there are a couple of rum factories
that you can tour, while Tyrol Cot is an unusual
nineteenth-century house that was home to two of the island's
leading post-war politicians, Sir Grantley Adams and his son Tom
Adams.
Southeast is the historic Garrison area , where the British
empire maintained its Caribbean military headquarters from 1780 to
1905. It's an evocative place; the huge grassy savannah, today a
racecourse and public park, was once the army's parade ground. The
ranks of brightly colored military buildings around its edge include
the worthwhile Barbados Museum and the Barbados Gallery of
Art.
Bridgetown is an extremely safe city, even at night, though
you may want to avoid the seedy area southeast of the Fairchild
Street bus station, particularly around Nelson Street and Jordan's
Lane where the red-light district is located.
|
The City
A good place to start your tour of Bridgetown is beside the
Careenage, a long, thin finger of water that pushes right into
the city centre. There are always plenty of expensive yachts and
fishing boats moored at its western end. The parliament buildings
(open to visitors during parliamentary debates), as well as bustling
shops and a couple of smart restaurants can all be found in the
immediate vicinity, some of the latter two housed in restored
warehouses.
Getting there
Efficient buses and minibuses run to the city from all
over the island. If you're driving here, you'll have to negotiate a
slightly tricky one-way system, but there are many safe areas to
park in the centre. Seeing the central sights is easiest on food.
|
Caribbean guide
Barbados Travel Guide
Barbados
Where to go
When to go
Getting there
Money and costs
Getting around
Food and drink
Phones, post
Brief history
Best of Barbados
Information, maps
Festivals, holidays
Sports, outdoor activities
Tours
Explore Barbados
-
Bridgetown
Eating, nightlife
Listings
Central Bridgetown
National Heroes Square
Old City
Central
Barbados
Explore Central Barbados
Flower Forest
Francia
Gun Hill
Harrison's Cave
Welchman Hall
Gully
East Coast
Explore East Coast
Andromeda Botanical Gardens
Bathsheba
Codrington College
St. John's Parish
Garrison
Hackletons Cliff & Scotland
Barbados Museum and
Gallery of Art
Savannah, Garrison area
Barbados
Wildlife Reserve
Cherry Tree
Hill
Farley Hill Nat'l Park
Grenade Hall
Morgan
Lewis Sugar Mill
St Nicholas
Abbey
Bridgetown
North
Mount Gay Rum Factory
Tyrol Cot |
|
