England's former Little England in the Caribbean — cricket at Kensington Oval, rum from the Mount Gay Distillery, flying fish on every restaurant menu, and the finest white sand at Crane Beach.
- Capital
- Bridgetown
- Population
- 267,800
- Area
- 431 km²
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- Barbados Dollar (BBD)
- GDP
- $7,552M
Good to know
Driving side
Left
National dish
Cou-Cou and Flying Fish
Annual visitors
966,000 (2019)
Safety
Moderate (7.44/100k)
Avg temp
26.6°C
Religion
Christianity
Coast
Coastal
☎ Police 211 · Ambulance 511 · Fire 311
Travel guide
Barbados is an island in the Caribbean region, but which lies out in the Atlantic many miles east of the Caribbean Sea. Its nearest neighbours 100 miles (160 km) west are Saint Vincent and Saint Lucia, part of the arc of the Lesser Antilles that separate Atlantic and Caribbean. Those islands are a partly-submerged chain of mountains. By contrast Barbados has formed from deposits of coral and has a gentler landscape. It's fertile, and is sometimes called "Bimshire" or the "Little Britain" of the Caribbean because of its long and uniquely unbroken history of British colonisation and settlement. It became independent in 1966 and tourism is nowadays its main industry. In 2019 the population was 287,025. "Bajan" is the word for the people and products of Barbados.
© Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA)
Explore Barbados
Best time to visit
December–April is the dry season and the best time to visit. May–November is wetter with occasional hurricane risk. The Barbados Crop Over festival (July–August) is a major cultural celebration.
Visa
Citizens of US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and most Western countries receive 6 months visa-free in Barbados.
Public holidays
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (1)
Book your trip to Barbados
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