Saint John's.
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Overview

Saint John's is the capital city of Antigua and Barbuda. It is on the island of Antigua. In 2011, it was home to 22,000 people.

Understand

St. John's attracts tourists from the resorts on the island and from the cruise ships which dock in its harbour at Heritage Quay and Redcliffe Quay several times a week.

St. John's has a tropical with summer-like weather year-round, with hot days and warm nights. Rainfall is at its highest from September to November due to hurricane activity.

Get around

There are car rentals and many taxi services available.

The local bus service is pretty reliable (ask locals for assistance).

See

Saint John the Divine Cathedral. The Anglican cathedral with its two towers was built in 1681 as a timber construction, rebuilt in stone in 1722, destroyed in 1843 by the great earthquake, rebuilt in 1845-47. Damaged by an earthquake in 1974 and hurricane "Hugo" in 1989, the interior wood construction and paneling of pine wood has proven to be a good protection against earthquakes and hurricanes. The cathedral is built in baroque style with two towers. On the south portal are life-size, iron statues of John the Baptist and John the Evangelist from 1789. The church offers 2,000 worshipers place. It is still damaged.

Fort James. Foundation stone laying about 1675, today's building stock from 1749, was built together with the on the opposite harbor entrance Fort Barrington for the protection of the port of St. John. It was designed for a crew of 70 and 36 cannons. The well-preserved walls and 10 cannons can still be visited today. The guns weigh about 2.5 tons, their range should be nearly 2,400 m.

Government House. The official residence of the governor-general was built as two separate houses in the 17th century. In 1801, Lord Lavington of Carlisle acquired the house. Renovations are expected to be completed Jan 2026. It is not open to the public.

Museum of Antigua and Barbuda. In 1747-1750, the Old Court House was built by American architect Peter Harrison using rocks that were broken on the islands of Long Island, Pelican Island and Guiana Island. Also this building was heavily damaged by the earthquakes of 1843 and 1974. It was not restored until the early 1980s. Since 1988, the National Museum of Antigua and Barbuda has been housed here. Curiosities such as stone artefacts of the Arawak Indians can be found in the museum along with uniforms from the Second World War. A visit takes about 30 minutes.

Botanical Garden. This small park's shaded benches and gazebo provide a quiet refuge from the bustle of activity of Saint John's.

Do

Carnival. Annual festival from late July to early August.

Cricket: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Established in 2006 and with a capacity of 10,000, it hosts all first class matches in Antigua.

Antigua Recreation Ground. Since 2006 this only hosts cricket at junior level.

Buy

The city is famous for its shopping malls and boutiques throughout the city, selling designer jewellery and haute-couture clothing.

Eat and drink

There are many restaurants in the St. John's area.

There bars all around the island. There are a few distilleries too.

Antigua Distillery Limited. This local rum distillery was established by eight local businessmen in 1933.

Antilles Stillhouse. A gin distillery established by a Canadian expat family in 2016. Tours are an hour long and require advance booking online.

2SIX8 Craft Brewery. Family-run brewery

Sleep

At one of the many hotels or guest houses. For the traveller on a budget try to stay at a local rented apartment or a cheap motel.

Jumby Bay. This luxury resort offers suites and villa accommodations, afternoon tea, tennis instruction, beauty and massage services, and wedding facilities.