Cruises are one of the most popular ways for people to visit Barbados. Thousands of people visit Barbados yearly via cruise ships. The Barbados cruise port is located about a 15 minute walk from the center of Bridgetown, Barbados’ capital. This is what most visitors tend to do as their Barbados excursion or they book a standard shore excursion from the cruise ship. There is so much more to do in Barbados, even for a day. We want to give visitors a few more options with some off beat Barbados excursions for your day. Barbados has so much to offer so why not get out there and explore some of it on your own.

Barbados Excursions

1. Close to Port

One of the best Barbados excursions would be to hit the beach (obviously!). Grab a quick taxi down to Pebbles Beach. Pebbles beach has loads of facilities, the best place to go is the Cruising Club. The Cruising Club is a great spot to spend the day, not only can you get food and drinks, you can also rent beach chairs and umbrellas. There are loads of sea turtles around Carlisle Bay, you can rent a paddle board to go and swim with the turtles. You can even go scuba diving here as well and explore many of the wrecks located around Carlisle Bay.
If you are not feeling very active and just want to relax then just drink a rum punch, or a Banks beer on the beach and one of Cuz’s fish sandwiches with fish, egg and cheese. Enjoy the beach before heading back to the cruise port in the afternoon.

TIP: Do not forget your sunblock. If you don’t plan on renting a beach chair and umbrella then it’s going to be hot! There are no spots with shade on this beach. Save yourself the sunburn and rent the umbrella.

Budget:
Cuz Fish Sandwich ~$6 USD
Banks Beer ~ $3 USD

2. Adventurer’s Itinerary

Rent a car from the cruise port and head across the island to the rugged east coast. You can either drive up the towards Cattlewash or sit and watch the surfers at Barbados’ world famous surf spot known as Soup Bowl. If you get over to the East Coast at low tide you can paddle in the tide pools dotted along the beach. Have lunch and one of the east coast restaurants such as Round House Inn or Atlantis and take in the views and maybe spot some whales, depending on the time of year. Most of these restaurants have fantastic views, you can’t go wrong! After lunch make your way back to the cruise port. This is one of our favorite Barbados excursions! We love day trips over to the East Coast.

Barbados Cruise Excursions: Atlantis

Rum Punch at Atlantis is always a good idea!

You can also rent a taxi to take you for the day if you don’t feel confident enough to drive there and back! This is the perfect Barbados excursion as it allows you to see the other side of the island.

TIP: Do not swim on the East Coast unless you are paddling in the tide pools, do not go past the reef. The currents on the East Coast are very strong

Budget:
Day Car Rental ~$70 USD
Lunch ~ $75 USD

3. Take a tour

There are so many tours that will pick you up from the cruise port and get you back in time. These are not necessarily off beat options for a Barbados excursion but they are loads of fun.

Cruise ship itinerary: Mount gay Rum Tour

Mount Gay Rum on display at Mount Gay Rum Tour

Mount Gay rum tour is another awesome option for your Barbados excursion. Definitely take a taxi there or just walk, it may be about a 20 minute walk. You can read all about the best tour in Barbados here. It is definitely worth it and you have the option to buy some of our world famous rum at great prices at the gift shop (winning!). We have done the lunch tour before which serves up some delicious Bajan (Barbadian) cuisine and bottomless rum punches.

TIP: Make sure you get a taxi back to the port… the walk will feel a lot longer after a few rums, or you can just get a taxi down to Pebbles and relax for the afternoon.

Budget:
Island Safari ~$98 USD
Mount Gay Rum Tour ~$20USD

4. West Coast & North Coast

One of the most beautiful drives has got to be from the cruise port to the North of the island. As you head down highway 1, there is almost always a beach view on your left hand side. The main attraction is definitely Animal Flower Cave though, so follow the signs or your google maps to reach the north of the island. The North of the island is a lot more rugged than the west coast. If you get up there on a good day there will be some really impressive waves crashing against the rocks. Take in the view with an ice cold beer in hand before making your way back down to the west coast where you can stop at Alleyne’s Bay and hopefully swim with some sea turtles. After lunch and a swim, make your way back to the cruise port to continue on your adventure.

Barbados Cruise Excurions: North Point

North Point

TIP: Leave as early as you can. When cruise ships come in Animal Flower Cave can get pretty busy on those days.

Budget:

Banks Beer ~$2 USD

5. Daredevil Itinerary

If you want to try and see as much as you can then you can definitely check out this self-drive island tour of Barbados. It’s one of our favorite drives to do when we have friends come and visit and it is the perfect itinerary for your Barbados excursion. It will take the whole day especially if you plan on taking a lot of pictures. If your cruise ship leaves a bit later then this may be perfect for you! The self-drive island tour of Barbados also has a google map of all the locations so it’s easier to get around!

TIP: Do not drink and drive. If you want to stop at rum shops along the way the just hire a taxi.

Budget:

Banks Beer ~$2USD

Have you visited Barbados on a cruise before? What did you do?

 

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