Nelson's Dockyard

Nelson's Dockyard is the centrepiece of English Harbour and the single most important historic site in Antigua. Set within a walled enclosure on a deep, sheltered bay, it is the only continuously working Georgian-era naval dockyard left anywhere in the world. The British Royal Navy began building here in the 1720s to careen and repair the warships that patrolled the eastern Caribbean, and a young Horatio Nelson was stationed at the harbour from 1784 to 1787.

In 2016 the dockyard and its surrounding fortifications were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the "Antigua Naval Dockyard and Related Archaeological Sites". It sits inside Nelson's Dockyard National Park, which the country established in 1984. The Georgian sail loft, capstan house, officers' quarters, and pillars of the old boat house have been carefully restored, and several of the stone buildings now hold a museum, shops, restaurants, and small hotels, so the yard is living rather than frozen.

Today the dockyard is also a busy working marina. Superyachts moor along the same quays that once serviced ships of the line, and the harbour fills during Antigua Sailing Week and the Classic Yacht Regatta. A walk through the yard takes you past interpretive plaques, the Admiral's House museum, and shaded courtyards lined with sandbox trees.

Combine it with the heights above

Most visitors pair the dockyard with the climb or short drive up to Shirley Heights, the restored lookout that gives the famous panorama over English and Falmouth Harbours. The pretty crescent of Galleon Beach sits just across the water and is an easy add-on. Allow a couple of unhurried hours to do the dockyard justice, and pick up the national-park ticket, which covers Shirley Heights and the Dow Hill interpretation centre as well.