The Eastern Caribbean islands are scattered like an arc of emeralds across the indigo sea. This is a region of vibrant cultures, breathtaking beaches, coral reefs, volcanoes, lush rainforest, and fascinating history.
Explore ancient fortresses and discover the underwater world. Inhale the aroma of spices in Grenada, swim under waterfalls in Dominica, and climb the pointed Pitons in St. Lucia. Or simply choose a beach chair in the shade of a coconut palm and sip a rum punch.
However you choose to spend your time, the islands of the Eastern Caribbean are a delight; a sunny melting pot of cultures, cuisines, and music that blend to create blissful vacation memories.
St. Maarten
Grand Case, St. Maarten
Divided between France and The Netherlands, St. Maarten (called St. Martin on the French side) effortlessly blends the two cultures with its easygoing Caribbean spirit.
You’ll find Dutch pancakes and duty-free shopping in Philipsburg, and French boulangeries and designer fashion around Marigot.
Orient Bay Beach, St. Maarten
The island is fringed by gorgeous beaches. Orient Bay Beach is the most fashionable beach in St. Maarten, lined with bars and waterfront restaurants, with a wide array of watersports. Mullet Bay is quieter, while Great Bay Beach is just a short hop by water taxi from Philipsburg.
Maho Beach, St. Maarten
At Maho Beach, located at the end of the runway of Princess Juliana International Airport, plane spotters gather in the warm, shallow water, cheering and waving whenever a massive jet roars overhead. Arrival and departure times are chalked onto a surfboard at the lively Sunset Beach Bar.
Restaurant in St. Maarten
One of the best things to do in St. Maarten is to visit the former fishing village of Grand Case, on the French side of the island. Here, locals flock to the cluster of lolos, casual little restaurants serving fresh Creole cuisine.
The lolos sit alongside some extremely high-end French restaurants with menus to rival anything in Paris, featuring frogs’ legs and fancy cheese boards alongside fresh seafood.
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Magens Bay in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Thomas, the epicenter of the U.S. Virgin Islands and one of the most popular islands in the Eastern Caribbean, is best known for its beautiful beaches.
These range from the sugar-white sands of Magens Bay to the deliciously undeveloped Smith Bay Beach, protected as a marine park. Snorkel over the reefs, explore the tide pools, and enjoy a picnic, which you’ll need to bring as there are no facilities.
Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
The U.S. Virgin Islands were once a Danish colony, which becomes clear as you explore pretty Charlotte Amalie, the capital. Old houses in the rainbow colors of the Caribbean are adorned with intricate wrought-iron balconies. Leafy staircases lead up and down the steep hills that cascade down to the waterfront.
Mountain Top in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Visit the red brick Fort Christian, built in 1672, which served as a jail, church, and residence of the island governor over the years. For jaw-droppingly beautiful views, head up to the lookout point on Mountain Top, from where you can see 15 islands and sandy cays scattered across the cerulean sea.
One of the best things to do in St. Thomas, should you run out of steam from the excellent duty-free shopping, is to explore the local cuisine on a culinary tour.
Curried chicken
For a taste of Caribbean cuisine, try the classic curried chicken with rice ‘n’ peas, a tasty combination of rice cooked in stock with kidney beans and spices. Souse, for the adventurous, is a soup comprising various body parts of the pig, while Johnnycakes are cornmeal pancakes drenched in syrup.
Antigua
Beach in Antigua
The claim to fame of Antigua, a hilly coral island, is that has an astonishing 365 beaches. They are a joy to discover, whether you make for lively Dickenson Bay or more peaceful Galleon Beach, fringed by palms and sea grapes.
One of the best things to do in Antigua is to visit the historic Nelson’s Dockyard, built in 1725 at the sheltered English Harbour for the British Navy. The old stone buildings have been carefully restored, and you’ll find a museum, galleries, shops, and restaurants arranged around neat gardens.
Nelson’s Dockyard, Antigua
English Harbour is a fashionable place for the sailing crowd, so there are always plenty of gleaming yachts to admire.
For the best views on the island, head for The Lookout at nearby Shirley Heights, a restored gun battery gazing down over English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour. If you’re feeling energetic and are reasonably fit, you can walk here from Galleon Beach, or the other way around, with a rewarding dip after your hike.
Read: Best Beaches in Antigua
St. Kitts & Nevis
Beach in St. Kitts & Nevis
St. Kitts and its much sleepier neighbor, Nevis, are small islands packed with history and surrounded by long, sandy beaches and teeming Caribbean coral reefs.
On St. Kitts, take time to wander around Basseterre, the surprisingly stately capital, where grand 18th-century Georgian buildings sit alongside the more typical gelato-colored architecture of the Caribbean.
Brimstone Hill Fortress, St. Kitts & Nevis
If you’re interested in military history, one of the best things to do in St. Kitts is to visit the Brimstone Hill Fortress. Clinging to a hilltop 800 feet above sea level, this is one of the most intact and impressive military structures in the region.
The elegant Fairview Great House, built by the French, takes you back to the 18th century, with a glimpse into how life was then for wealthy landowners. There’s a taste of life today, too, with rum tastings and a tapas bar on the premises.
You’ll find more of historic interest across The Narrow, the water channel between St. Kitts and Nevis. In Charlestown, the capital of Nevis, you can see the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States.
St. Kitts Scenic Railway
But if you do one thing during your time on St. Kitts, make it a ride on the enchanting St. Kitts Scenic Railway. Built in the early 20th century, it brought sugar cane from the many plantations to the processing factory in Basseterre.
Today, the train carries visitors, rather than sugar, in a three-hour loop along wave-pounded shores and across lush countryside, where the remains of the old plantation houses still stand.
Grenada
Grand Anse Beach, Grenada
It’s said that in Grenada, you can smell the aroma of the spices that are grown here: nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. You’ll see all of these and more fruits on sale in the market in St. George’s, the colorful little capital.
Grenada grows cocoa, too, and one of the best activities for chocoholics is a trip to the Grenada Chocolate Company to see how chocolate is made and create your own bar.
The island is famous for its beaches, too. Grand Anse is the most popular, the archetypal Caribbean setting of golden sand and shimmering aquamarine water.
Underwater Sculpture Park, Grenada
While you’re on the island, don’t miss the chance to snorkel over the world’s first underwater sculpture park at Molinere Bay, created in 2006. The underwater statues stand on the sandy sea bed, many of them now colonized by marine life.
One of the most impressive is a circle of 26 children holding hands, facing outwards, the figures now encrusted with colorful coral and sponges.
Grand Etang National Park & Forest Preserve
Away from the beaches, Grenada is a paradise for hikers. Take a walk to the Grand Etang National Park & Forest Preserve, where lush vegetation overlooks a crater lake. It’s just one reminder of the volcanic nature of many of the Caribbean islands.
Hike to Concord Falls, where water plunges 65 feet over a rock shelf. You can take a dip in the cooling pool here, but leaping off the top, which some daredevil locals do, is not recommended.
Dominica
Morne Trois Pitons National Park, Dominica
Verdant Dominica is nicknamed the “nature island” thanks to its dramatic appearance. Green cliffs plunge into the sea, black beaches sparkle in the sunshine, and inland, more than 350 ribbon-like waterfalls tumble over rocks and escarpments into jagged gorges.
Roseau, the capital, is a pretty little place. Its streets are lined with colorful Caribbean-style houses, with St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral cutting a rather austere figure in contrast.
Take a stroll around the Botanic Garden, famed for its exhibit of a baobab tree that fell on an empty school bus after 1979’s devastating Hurricane David. The bus and tree have been left as they were as a reminder of the power of nature.
River tubing in Dominica
Admire nature for yourself in the island’s green interior. You can hike to Victoria Falls and cool off in the rock pool at the base, or visit Emerald Falls, which is equally scenic.
Drift down rivers in an inner tube, gazing up at the forest canopy, with a rum punch at the end as a reward for your sense of adventure.
Read: Best Hiking in the Caribbean
St. Lucia
St. Lucia
The showy beauty of St. Lucia makes it one of the best Caribbean islands. Its skyline is defined by the sheer-sided spikes of the twin Pitons, two jungly volcanic plugs.
You can hike up Gros Piton, which takes about four hours with a guide, for breathtaking views across the island and over the sea to St. Vincent.
St. Lucia is also famed for its “drive-in volcano” at Soufriere, in the shadow of the Pitons. You’ll see sulfurous craters belching gas and feel mountain streams warmed by geothermal energy.
Sulphur Springs, St. Lucia
Best of all is the mud baths, where you immerse yourself in hot rock pools, slap on a lot of black mud, let it dry in the sun, and then wash it off.
The island is also blessed with gorgeous beaches, one of the finest of which is Reduit Beach, an easy journey from Castries. Sugar Beach, meanwhile, lies between the Pitons, so you can lay back on your beach chair and gaze up at the forested mountains.
Barbados
Barbados
Enchanting Barbados is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands, with a distinctly British vibe in everything from its Georgian architecture to the historic Garrison, the Anglican St. Michael’s Cathedral, and the Kensington Oval, where all the greats have played cricket.
Having said that, the island has its own colorful personality, too. Look out for the colorful chattel houses, tiny houses that belonged to workers in the days when the island was covered in sugar plantations. Now, they’re a visitor attraction. Sugar is still grown, too; Barbados is the home of the famed Mount Gay rum, which you can visit for a tasting.
Carlisle Bay, Barbados
The magnificent beaches of Barbados are one reason the island is so popular as a vacation destination. You’ll find palm-shaded stretches of sand and gentle seas where sea turtles swim along the west coast. Bridgetown itself borders Carlisle Bay, a popular spot for swimming, sunbathing, and enjoying live music and buzzing bars.
The wilder east coast, popular with surfers, is pounded by Atlantic surf; head for Bathsheba for beach strolls in a dramatic setting, sea spray on your face.
Bathsheba Beach, Barbados
Are you tempted to explore the lush beauty of the Eastern Caribbean? Browse our Eastern Caribbean cruises and plan your tropical adventure.
