St John’s
Antigua’s capital on its north-west harbour, a cathedral with twin towers above the rooftops, old warehouses turned into shops on the quays, and the island’s MICHELIN Key hotels within half an hour by road or boat.
- Arrival
- V.C. Bird International · ANU
- To the city
- About 8 km from the airport
- Private jets
- Signature private terminal at ANU
- Best time
- December to July
The city
A harbour town of quays and towers.
St John’s grew up around its harbour, and the town still faces the water. Heritage Quay, beside the cruise berths, fills old trading warehouses with shops; Redcliffe Quay, a few steps away, is among the oldest corners of the capital. Fort James guards the harbour mouth, as it has since the British built it in the eighteenth century.
Above the streets rise the two towers of the cathedral, rebuilt in 1845 after earthquakes brought down two earlier churches. The hotels the MICHELIN Guide singles out lie outside the town, in coves of St Mary’s parish and on a private island offshore, none much more than half an hour away.
Arriving
Eight kilometres from the capital.
V.C. Bird International lies at Osbourn, eight kilometres north-east of St John’s. Its runway, just over three kilometres long, takes the nonstop flights from London.
- St Maarten 35 min
- Barbados 1 h 00
- Toronto 4 h 45
- Los Angeles 7 h 55 long-range jet
- Athens 11 h 15 long-range jet
When to go
December to July.
Antigua stays at 28 to 31 °C in the afternoon through the year, with water from 26 to 29 °C. From December to July monthly rain stays below 100 mm, and February and March see about 40 mm. August to November are the wet months, peaking at 140 mm in September.
- 28° J 67 26°
- 28° F 37 26°
- 29° M 40 26°
- 29° A 57 27°
- 30° M 91 27°
- 30° J 70 28°
- 31° J 79 28°
- 31° A 124 28°
- 31° S 140 29°
- 30° O 134 29°
- 30° N 113 28°
- 29° D 88 27°
What to see and do
Days in and around St John’s.
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Landmark
St John’s Cathedral
Twin towers about twenty-one metres high, raised in 1845 on a site where two churches had fallen to earthquakes.
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Landmark
Museum of Antigua and Barbuda
The island’s story told inside the former courthouse, built in 1750.
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Landmark
Fort James
An eighteenth-century British fort at the entrance to the harbour, looking out over the anchorage.
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Culture
Nelson's Dockyard
Dating from 1725, the Georgian naval dockyard is still in use, became a World Heritage Site in 2016 and has a museum in its 1855 boathouse.
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Nature
Shirley Heights
From these restored fortifications, built between 1781 and 1825, the view drops over English Harbour; the lookout holds a Sunday music party.
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Culture
Betty's Hope
Antigua's first sugar plantation, founded in 1674 by Christopher Codrington, keeps a restored stone windmill and an interpretation centre on plantation life.
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Nature
Devil's Bridge National Park
Atlantic waves have left a natural rock arch and spouting blowholes on this eastern headland, declared a national park in 2008.
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On the water
Cades Reef
Lying about a mile offshore inside Cades Bay Marine Park, the two mile reef has some 20 dive sites, many shallow enough to snorkel.
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Racing & sport
Antigua Sailing Week
Yachts gather in English and Falmouth Harbours each April for this regatta, which reached its 57th edition in 2026.
Official site -
Golf
Cedar Valley Golf Club
Opened with nine holes in 1970 and as a full 18 in 1977, Ralph Aldridge's par 70 course lies just outside St John's.
On the calendar
Dates to plan around.
Dates as published by the organisers. Runways, hotels and slots fill early around these weeks: the sooner we know, the more choice you have.
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4–9 Dec 2026
Yachting
Antigua Charter Yacht Show
Annual show of charter motor yachts, sailing yachts and multihulls for brokers and captains, marking 65 years since yachts first gathered in English Harbour.
Nelson's Dockyard, English Harbour, about 16 km away
In 5 weeks
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22 Feb 2027
Sailing
RORC Caribbean 600
Royal Ocean Racing Club offshore race of about 600 miles starting and finishing in Antigua and rounding 11 Caribbean islands; 18th edition.
Fort Charlotte, English Harbour, about 16 km away
In 4 months
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14–19 Apr 2027
Sailing
Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta
Annual regatta for classic and traditional yachts, racing off Antigua from Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbour.
Nelson's Dockyard, English Harbour, about 16 km away
In 5 months
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21–25 Apr 2027
Sailing
Antigua Sailing Week
Annual keelboat regatta in Antigua, run from the English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour area.
English Harbour, about 15 km away
In 6 months
Where to stay
Coves to the south-west, an island to the north.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
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Hermitage Bay Thirty cottages with plunge pools on a slope above a long beach, for adults and children over fourteen, with two MICHELIN Keys.
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Jumby Bay Island An all-inclusive on a private island of three hundred acres, five minutes by boat from the main island, with two MICHELIN Keys.
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Carlisle Bay Suites that all face the sea, a beach where motorised water sports are banned, and one MICHELIN Key.
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Curtain Bluff An all-inclusive of seventy-two rooms on a sandy point between two beaches, with one MICHELIN Key.
Where to dine
Where to book on Antigua.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Antigua. These are restaurants in Fodor’s Antigua guide, two of them Fodor’s Choice; prices are Fodor’s bands.
- Jacqui O’s BeachHouse Fodor’s Choice Seafood $$$$ Love Beach, south-west coast
- Sheer Rocks Fodor’s Choice Tapas and tasting menu $$$ Valley Road, south-west coast
- East Fodor’s Asian $$$$ Carlisle Bay, about 11 km from St John’s
- Le Bistro Fodor’s French $$$$ Hodges Bay, north coast
Elsewhere in Antigua and Barbuda
More reasons to come.
Flying to St John’s?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.