Antigua Sights, Forts and Museums

Sightseeing in Antigua splits neatly into three areas. English Harbour in the south holds the naval heritage, St. John’s in the north-west has the museum and cathedral, and the east and centre hold a sea arch and a former sugar estate. Prices are in US dollars where sites quote them, and the Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$) is pegged at EC$2.70 to US$1.

English Harbour: allow a full day

Nelson’s Dockyard National Park is the centrepiece. UNESCO inscribed the Antigua Naval Dockyard and Related Archaeological Sites in 2016. The adult heritage pass is about US$15 (EC$40), and it covers the Dockyard, the Dockyard Museum, Fort Berkeley and the Dow’s Hill Interpretation Centre. Shirley Heights is open to pass holders by day. The park lists opening hours of 8am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday.

Within the Dockyard:

  • The Dockyard Museum occupies the Naval Officer’s and Clerk’s House of 1855.
  • The Copper and Lumber Store, finished in 1789, now operates as a historic inn.
  • The Admiral’s Inn fills the former Pitch and Tar Store of 1785.
  • The old Pay Office and the Commissioner’s Room are also here, now used as shops. Clarence House, the Naval Commissioner’s former residence, belongs to the park too.

Fort Berkeley, listed from 1704, guards the harbour mouth along a short coastal footpath that takes about 10 minutes from the Dockyard. Dow’s Hill Interpretation Centre shows a multimedia presentation of about 15 minutes. Shirley Heights is a fortified lookout above English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour, with views towards Montserrat when the air is clear. Come on a Sunday afternoon if you want the party, and avoid Monday, when it is closed.

St. John’s: a morning in town

The Museum of Antigua and Barbuda stands at Long and Market Streets in the former courthouse building, and it opened in 1985. Its published hours are Monday to Thursday from 8:30am to 4pm and Friday from 8:30am to 3pm, with earlier closing on cruise ship days.

St. John’s Cathedral, the Anglican church on Newgate Street, reopened after an eight-year restoration, and some work continues. Visitors have paid an entry fee since January 2024, so ask what it is at the door. The cathedral opens from 9am to 4pm on weekdays and from 9am to 1pm on Saturday.

The east coast: Devil’s Bridge

Devil’s Bridge National Park lies at Indian Town Point, near Willikies. The sea has carved an arch into the shore, and waves force spray through blowholes without warning. The rock is slick. Three people died here in 2023, so watch the sea only from behind the barriers and never walk onto the arch or swim anywhere nearby.

Betty’s Hope

Betty’s Hope was a sugar estate worked by enslaved Africans. It is best visited quietly and with attention to what happened here. The Codrington family held the estate from 1674 to 1944, and 393 enslaved people were recorded on it in 1680.

Of the two windmill towers, one has been restored, and its sails and crushing gear are in place. The Great House is a ruin that has been excavated since 2007, and visitors cannot go inside. A visitor centre in the old cotton-house store and an open-air museum complete the site, which the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda manages. Unlike the Dockyard, it is not a UNESCO site. Opening hours vary from one listing to the next, so telephone before you drive out.

Read more: Walks and trails in Antigua and Barbuda . A 4-day Antigua and Barbuda itinerary puts these sights in order.

Park details are at National Parks Antigua , and museum information is at Antigua Museums . For guided options, search GetYourGuide .