Flights to Antigua and Barbuda

Arriving in Antigua

V.C. Bird International (ANU) is about 8 km from St John's, the capital, so most hotels on the north and west coasts are under half an hour away. The resorts around English Harbour and Falmouth in the south take around 40 minutes by taxi. Fares are fixed by zone and usually quoted in US dollars, so agree the price before you set off.

Island history

The British settled Antigua in 1632, and sugar plantations worked by enslaved Africans covered much of the island for two centuries. The Royal Navy based its Caribbean fleet at English Harbour, where a young Horatio Nelson served in the 1780s. The restored dockyard is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Antigua and Barbuda became independent in 1981 and remain in the Commonwealth.

Beaches and Barbuda

Antigua is said to have a beach for every day of the year, from calm Caribbean bays on the west coast to the Atlantic surf at Half Moon Bay. Barbuda, about 50 km north, is flat and lightly populated, with long pink-tinged sands and a frigate bird colony in Codrington Lagoon.

Entry, money and time

British visitors don't need a visa for holidays but must show a valid passport and onward ticket. The Eastern Caribbean dollar is the currency, and US dollars are widely taken. Traffic drives on the left. Antigua is four hours behind the UK in winter and five in summer. Check current UK government travel advice and your insurance before you go.

When to go

December to April is dry and breezy, with highs near 29°C. Sailing Week fills the southern harbours in spring, and carnival takes over St John's in late summer. Hurricane season runs from June to November.

Want to add Barbuda or another island to your trip? Call 020 7871 4545 and we'll price it for you.