Bridgetown, Barbados

Why go?

Cheapside, Milk Market, Wellington Street...there’s a familiar ring to the street names in this easygoing waterfront capital graced with splendid neo-gothic Parliament Buildings, an inner harbour known as the Careenage and the Garrison Historic Area, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its ‘outstanding British colonial architecture’.the city centre is easily explored on foot, taking in notable landmarks such as the veranda-ringed Mutual Building, erected in 1895, and National Heroes (formerly Trafalgar) Square. Tucked away on the south side of Chamberlain Bridge, the 1893 Blackwoods Screw Dock is the oldest surviving ship-lift in the world, while the nearby dazzling sands and turquoise waters of Brownes Beach may prove irresistible. For a sense of the island’s past, tour the Barbados Museum and George Washington House (where the future United States president stayed in 1751) in Garrison Savannah, which lies 3km to the south.

Don’t miss: A day at the races. All island life comes to the Garrison Savannah track, where horses have been running since 1845. Meetings are generally held on Saturdays (barbadosturfclub.org).

Local flavours: Try some Bajan dishes such as fried flying fish, pepperpot (a spicy meat stew with cassareep and cinnamon) and coconut cream pie at Brown Sugar, a garden courtyard restaurant near Garrison Savannah that offers a bountiful buffet lunch (brownsugarbarbados.net).

Our tip: Barbados has a trusty network of blueand-yellow public buses that provide a cheap and entertaining way to travel in and out of the capital. Pay as you board with Barbados dollars (transportboard.com).

Sand, spirit & the Savannah (clockwise from bottom left) There are beaches in walking distance from central Bridgetown; the red clock tower on the main guardhouse at the Garrison Savannah was built around 1803; arts and culture are vibrantly celebrated on Barbados and in 2017 it hosted CARIFESTA, the biannual Caribbean Festival of Arts; the entire downtown area of Bridgetown was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012