Antigua Cruise Port • The Best Guide to the Colourful City of St John’s

Although Antigua cruise port welcomes thousands of passengers every day during the winter season, the colourful city of St John’s hasn’t lost its charm or fallen trap to the tourists. Most people visit Antigua and Barbuda for its glorious beaches (and rightly so), but here are the best things to do in St John’s, for those want to discover a slice of local life in Antigua.

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A Brief Introduction to Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda is one ultra-colourful location. Although the island nation is part of the British Commonwealth, they have their own Prime Minister who governs the islands independently of the UK.

Like almost every Caribbean state or nation, Antigua’s history is completely intertwined with the slave trade. Back in the day when the English first colonised the islands, they attempted to use locals as their slaves, before resorting to importing Africans to work the sugar plantations and mills. The mortality rate was monumental, and the mills had to be running 24 hours a day because of how quickly the cane can spoil. The sugar industry here was at one point so reliant on slavery to succeed that there were 37,500 slaves and fewer than 3,000 white people actually ‘in charge’ of the whole shebang in Antigua and Barbuda. Lord Nelson (you know, the guy from Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square), was one of these English folk, stationed on Antigua for a few years, where he met his wife Fanny Nisbet (great name Fanny, good on you).

Thankfully slavery is long gone, and the main industry around these parts now is the rather more cheerful one of tourism. Thank goodness for that.

St John’s, the capital city and home to Antigua cruise port, is located on the northeast corner of the bigger island of Antigua, and Antigua itself is where the majority of the population of this little Caribbean nation live. The island of Barbuda is to the North of here.

Heritage Quay and Redcliffe Quay

If you’re arriving in St John’s at Antigua cruise port, you’ll dock at either Heritage Quay or Redcliffe Quay. The two are right next to each other, and are really close to everything that you need, including shopping (everything in the direct vicinity of the port is really aimed at cruise passengers, not locals), taxis (there are always plenty of drivers waiting to haggle a good price with you), and wifi.

Redcliffe Quay consists of mostly 17th and 18th century wooden buildings nestled around and along a boardwalk which was once the main trading point for rum, sugar, coffee, and slaves. Nowadays this historic- and very pretty- area houses boutiques, restaurants and wine bars.

Heritage Quay is its more modern neighbour, filled with newer buildings which are home to jewellery stores, perfume shops and very overpriced swimwear chains.

Crew members: flash your crew ID to get a discount at many of the stores in Antigua cruise port at Heritage Quay.

My favourite of all the activities: go for a wander

St John’s is a small city, which means that it’s very much discoverable on foot. Trust me: it’s 100% worth leaving the tourist shopping at Heritage and Redcliffe Quays behind for an hour or so, to explore everything else the city has to offer. The colourful buildings and busy bustling streets and markets are perfect for a slow wander, and to soak up local life away from the resorts.

The shops, houses and restaurants of St Johns are the most vivid paintbox colours, with hand painted lettering and pictures on top, outlining menus or price lists for what they have on sale inside. People here are open and friendly- it’s not unusual to be greeted with a ‘good afternoon’ as you explore- and the smells of fresh fruit stands and cooking food emit from every street corner. The market is a must-see, if for no other reason than to check out the weird and wonderful tropical fruits and vegetables on offer.

If you’re the sort who loves a guided walking tour, my own opinion is that for a city as small as St John’s, the walking tours on offer are slightly overpriced for something you can do on your own. However, add in some local food to the mix and a paid tour would definitely be worth it. This City Lime Food Tour includes plenty of food stops, plus rum tasting; a food tour in the Caribbean surely wouldn’t be a true food tour without rum, would it?

Pay a visit to St John’s Cathedral

The two white towers of the St Johns Cathedral sit at the highest point of the city, looking out towards the Caribbean Sea, and the building is beautiful but also errs a little on the spooky side.

When it was first built (and then the second time it was built, and then the third, because it’s been knocked down a few times by earthquakes), it was really a place for the white planters to worship. For the slave population of St John’s, the cathedral was a symbol of English power and therefore definitely not the kind of place they could sing their praises like they do nowadays. It wasn’t until the era of WW1 that the black citizens of St John’s began to attend the Cathedral too.

The imposing structure sitting behind slightly rusting iron gates seems a bit dusty these days, and isn’t in the greatest state, with an overgrown graveyard directly in front of it. But soaking in the atmosphere here is a great thing to do in Antigua cruise port, and a complete contrast to the glossy beach resorts around the island.

The best restaurants in St John’s

There’s no point visiting somewhere new if you’re not going to try some of the local food, is there pals? Each of these restaurants and bars are tried-and-tested by yours truly, and are within easy walking distance of Antigua cruise port.

Alligators Bar and Restaurant is tucked away in a shady courtyard near the busy main road through St Johns. The relaxed atmosphere and friendly service combined with some downright delicious and affordable dishes make for a lovely location to enjoy a meal. (Try the creole shrimp.) All the food is cooked fresh and this place is just as popular with locals as cruise ship passengers and resort guests.

Hemingways is another popular eatery right in the centre of St Johns. The restaurant’s verandah overlooks the street and is always full of customers sampling the freshest seafood Antigua has to offer.

If you’re looking for a bar near Antigua cruise port, my favourite is the Harbour View Bar and Cafe in Redcliffe Quay. The narrow bar is on the second floor of a bright yellow and green wooden building, and its seats overlooking the harbour (clue’s in the name there), are the perfect spot to people-watch from. Disclaimer: the rum punch is delicious and super-strong.

The best beaches near Antigua cruise port

Antigua is famous for luxury beach resorts, and many an Antiguan proudly declared to us that they have ‘365 beaches, one for every day of the year!’ It goes without saying that these beaches are absolutely amazing. Bright white sand and milky turquoise water, and every last one of them is fully open to the public, which is an added bonus which not many other Caribbean islands can offer.

The most popular beach near Antigua cruise port is Dickenson Bay, which is only about ten minutes away by taxi. When there are a lot of ships in port, this beach tends to be very crowded- but there’s no denying its beauty.

Read my guide to the best beaches near St Johns.

Further away is Jolly Beach, which is my favourite Antigua beach to visit. The atmosphere is a bit more relaxed, although this is partly due to its proximity to several resorts and rental properties. Valley Church Beach is slightly further along the road from here, and both beaches are around 15-20 minutes from St Johns. Even aside from the beautiful beaches themselves, it’s worth the journey just to see some of the luscious countryside of the island.

If you fancy getting a public bus to the beach instead of a taxi, it is super easy to do. Find bus times and routes here. We got the bus to both Dickenson Bay and Jolly Beach for less than a few dollars. (And bus drivers accept US dollars as well as Eastern Caribbean dollars.)

Book a catamaran tour from Antigua cruise port

The port at St John’s isn’t just a place for cruise ships to dock, oh no. The boardwalk is also the starting point for many a boat tour, which is a great way to experience the coastline of the island.

I went on a half day catamaran tour with Wadadli Cats, which was a really fun way to spend an afternoon. (Although- beware of seasickness if you’re not great on choppy seas.) All the food and drinks were included, and we went out to a reef just off the shore of Antigua, as well as to a nearby beach which we could swim to from the catamaran.

Sundays in St John’s

On a Sunday in Antigua, the majority of the local shops and restaurants are closed. Anywhere outside of the small open-air shopping mall, and the wall of taxi drivers clutching laminated pictures of Antigua’s best beaches, is fairly tranquil.

The streets of St John’s on a Sunday are almost devoid of people, but there is always a sound to be heard in the distance. And that sound, pals, is the sound of church. I’m not actually a church-going kind of gal, but the sound of any kind of music on the wind makes my ears prick up in the style of a hunting dog. I have to track down the source of the music on the double.

It’s sort of an obsession, if you will.

The sound of a joyous Antiguan congregation loving life and singing their praises is absolutely glorious. I’m not even ashamed to say that several times on my strolls through St Johns, I legged it towards the sound of singing and then hung out outside a random church building, appreciating the music all by myself. Life’s too short to worry about the weirdness factor of hanging around outside churches, and those moments really brightened up my days!

It’s a strange experience to walk around a place that looks so cheerful in the baking Caribbean sun and yet feels so deserted, with only that faint sound of the church congregation in the distance to remind you that people do live here.

Related: The Beautiful Caribbean Island of St Kitts

St Johns is a beautiful little city, and so easy to explore from Antigua cruise port even if you don’t have a lot of time on your hands. Don’t miss this vibrant pocket of the island if you’re heading to Antigua, whether on a cruise ship or for longer.

LOGISTICAL STATISTICALS

• Currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, but US dollars are widely accepted in Antigua as well.
• If you want to use WiFi in a cafe, be prepared to hand your phone or tablet over to let the waiter put the password in for you.
• If you’re arriving by ship and are wanting to get a taxi to a beach, be prepared to haggle, and to share the taxi with strangers. The fewer passengers in the taxi, the more expensive it’ll be.
• Safety in Antigua. On one day when out by myself, I was catcalled and followed by a man for no longer than a few minutes. I didn’t feel particularly unsafe as it was broad daylight and I wasn’t too far from the port, however as a solo female strolling around the city when 95% of visitors head straight for a beach, I wasn’t surprised that I attracted some unwanted attention.