A short drive or taxi ride from town, heading north from St John's on Fort Road, a left turn at the old pink Barrymore Hotel (just north of the Texaco station) takes you out to the capital city's most popular beach and some of the best-preserved military ruins on the island. The road winds its way around to the coast at Fort Bay, where a long, wide strand of grainy white sand - packed with city-dwellers on weekends and holidays - offers the nearest quality beach to town. At its northern end, you can hire beach chairs from Millers , and there's a vendors' mall nearby if you want to hunt for souvenirs.

At the other end of the strip, 550ft further on, a host of food and drink stalls open up at busy times, when a crowd descends from town, transforming the place into a lively outdoor venue. If you want to swim, there's a protected, marked area at the top of the beach; elsewhere, the water is normally fine but you'll need to watch out for occasional undercurrents

 St John's

St. John's
  St John’s
  Getting around
  Eating and drinking
  Nightlife, casino, karaoke
  Airlines, embassies

Exploring St. John's
  Fort Bay
  Fort James
  Long Street
  National Museum
  Redcliffe Quay
  St. John's Cathedral

Antiqua guide

Antiqua
Where to go
When to go
Getting there
Money and costs
Getting around
Food and drink
Phones and post
Best of Antiqua
Holidays and festivals
Tours
Diving and snorkeling
Dive operators
Boats and catamarans
Boat operators
Economy, natural hazards
Antiqua brief history

Exploring Antiqua
- Barbuda:
  Getting there
  Beyond Cordrington
  Great Fort George
  Falmouth Harbour
  River Fort
  Cordrington

- Falmouth and English
  Harbour
  Eating, drinking, nightlife
  Falmouth
  Nelson's Dockyard, Shirley
  Heights, Pigeon Beach

- From Runaway Bay to
   Half Moon Bay
  Eating, drinking, nightlife
  Betty's Hope to Long Bay
  Half Moon Bay
  Runaway & Dickenson Bay

- West coast