St John’s is a real capital rather than a resort town: about 22,000 people, a working port, government offices, schools and a market, laid out on a grid that runs downhill to the harbour. It has been the seat of government since 1632, and its two white baroque towers — the Cathedral of St John the Divine, rebuilt in 1845 after an earthquake — are visible from most of the north of the island.
Cruise ships dock right in the centre at Heritage Quay, which means the two blocks nearest the water are duty-free shops and the ten blocks behind them are the actual city. Walk uphill for five minutes and you are in a Caribbean capital going about its day, with rum shops, roti stands, hardware stores and some very fine, very tired timber buildings with fretwork balconies.
Top things to do at St John’s
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The Cathedral of St John the Divine
The current building dates from 1845 and was designed to be earthquake-proof — a stone shell around an entirely separate interior of pitch pine. The result is strange and rather beautiful, and it is free to walk in.
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The public market on a Saturday
The market at the southern end of Market Street is at full volume on Saturday mornings: Antigua Black pineapples, soursop, dasheen, saltfish, seasoning peppers and a great deal of conversation. It is the best hour you can spend in the city.
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Museum of Antigua and Barbuda
Housed in the 1750 courthouse on Long Street, this small museum runs from Arawak pottery to the sugar era to Viv Richards’ cricket bat. It is modest, honest and takes about 45 minutes.
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Redcliffe Quay
Restored warehouses around a cobbled courtyard, now shops and cafés. The buildings were once part of the slave-trading quarter, a fact the site does not hide, and it is a far more pleasant place to sit than Heritage Quay next door.
How to get to St John’s
- On foot: everything above is within a fifteen-minute walk of the cruise terminal, and the city centre is compact and flat near the water.
- By bus: minibuses run from the West Bus Station (for the west and south) and the East Bus Station (for the east) for a couple of US dollars. They leave when full rather than to a timetable, and rarely run on Sundays.
Insider tips
- Antiguans dress neatly. Beachwear in town — and especially in the cathedral — reads as rude rather than casual.
- Prices at Heritage Quay are aimed at cruise passengers. Walk two streets inland for local prices on food and drink.
- Sunday is very quiet: most shops shut and the buses barely run. Plan a beach or the Shirley Heights party instead.
Best tours & tickets for St John’s
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to enjoy St John’s and the coast around it:
