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Voykit pocket guide · Antigua and Barbuda
St John's
St John's is a half-day town from your beach: the museum, the market and the quays in a morning before the heat, on a day when no cruise ship is in, and a taxi back by 14:00.
Antigua's capital is small, flat and hot, and most visitors sleep at the beaches. The trips that go wrong take the same day as three cruise ships, go on a Sunday when the market and many shops are shut, or try to walk back to the beach. Four small clusters cover the town; keep your beach bed and treat St John's as a taxi-and-walk morning.
- Country
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Best months
- Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · Dec
- Time zone
- America/Antigua
- Stay
- 1 days: Museum, quays and market on one morning, taxi back to the beach
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- XCD
- Money
- Keep EC$100 in small notes for the market and taxis; US dollars are widely taken, but change may come back in EC dollars.
- Daily spend
- Budget EC$80–150 excl. bed · Mid EC$150–350 excl. bed · High EC$350+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Digicel and Flow (APUA's Inet also) sell prepaid SIMs and eSIMs — check.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 or 999 · Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre Check
- Plugs
- Types A, B, G · 230 V, some 110 V (check) · Many hotels have US sockets; bring a universal adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: 10% service is often added; extra is optional.; Taxis: Round up.; Boat crew: 10–15%.
- Water
- Desalinated tap water in hotels; many drink bottled.
- Toilets
- Hotels, restaurants, the cruise port.
Get in
By air
- V. C. Bird International Airport (ANU)
- ANU to St John's or the beaches: one licensed taxi at the posted fare, 15–30 minutes; the risk is a late flight, when the taxi rank thins and small guesthouses lock the door.
Get around
Walk inside a cluster; taxi between clusters, and agree the fare or check the posted list before you ride.
- Passes
- No pass. Taxis do not use meters: use the posted fare list.
- Late at night
- No rail; taxis run into the evening and become scarce late.
See and do
01Antigua Public Market
Go before 09:00 on a Friday or Saturday, when the stalls are full: fruit, vegetables and fish; 20–40 minutes, small notes, and no big bag.
02Museum of Antigua and Barbuda
Go in the morning or in a rain shower: 45 minutes to an hour in the old courthouse on the island's history, cool inside and a few minutes from the quays.
03St John's Cathedral
Go on a weekday morning: the grounds and the interior take 20–30 minutes; do not go during services and cover shoulders and knees.
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Eat
- Redcliffe Quay courtyard cafés
- Lunch in a shaded courtyard between the quays: walk in before 12:30 or after 14:00, and ask the price before you sit on a ship day.
Sleep
- Dickenson Bay (north beaches)
- The usual beach base: hotels and restaurants on the sand, a short taxi to St John's for a morning; better for a first trip than sleeping in town.
- St John's town centre
- The night before an early ferry or flight: the museum, market and quays are a walk away, but pick a place with a staffed desk and a door the taxi can reach.
Language
English is official; Antiguan Creole is what you hear on the street and in the market.
- 'Wadadli' is the old name of Antigua, used in brand names and pride.
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Good morning/afternoon before anything else; avoid: Jumping straight to a request
- Dress: Cover up in town; avoid: Swimwear or camouflage in public
- Photos: Ask before photographing people; avoid: Market stallholders without asking
Red lines
- Never wear camouflage-pattern clothing: it is illegal for civilians.
- Cover up in town, shops and churches; beachwear is for the beach.
- Ask before photographing people, especially sellers at the market.
Scams (Antigua and Barbuda page)
- Taxi fare in the wrong currency: Agree 'US dollars or EC?' and the total before starting.
- Beach vendors pushing tours: Book licensed operators; pay at the office.
- Timeshare pitches: Decline 'free breakfast' offers.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Museum and Long Street, a 12:30 lunch table
- 08:30Museum of Antigua and Barbuda
- heritage quay shops (optional)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Redcliffe Quay)
- Back to the beach or an AC café 13:30–16:00; the quays at sunset if no ship is in.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Museum and Long Street, a 12:30 lunch table
- 08:30Museum of Antigua and Barbuda
- heritage quay shops (optional)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Redcliffe Quay)
- Back to the beach or an AC café 13:30–16:00; the quays at sunset if no ship is in.
Day 2 — Public market and the cathedral
- 08:00Antigua Public Market
- St John's Cathedral
- Redcliffe Quay courtyard cafés
- Afternoon at the beach; take a taxi in the evening.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority: www.visitantiguabarbuda.com/
- Government of Antigua and Barbuda: ab.gov.ag/
- Wikivoyage — St. John's (Antigua): en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Saint_John%27s_(Antigua)
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
St John's
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911 or 999
- Sir Lester Bird Medical CentreCheck
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/st-johns). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.