One Week in Antigua: The Classic 7-Day Itinerary

Fly into V.C. Bird International Airport on the northeast of the island and pick up a rental car or pre-booked taxi. The resort north around Dickenson Bay is only about a 20-minute drive, which makes it an easy soft landing for your first night.

Check in, then walk straight onto Dickenson Bay Beach, a mile of calm, shallow, pale sand that is forgiving for a jet-lagged first swim. If you want a quieter stretch, stroll south to Runaway Bay, which carries the same sand with far fewer vendors.

Have your first rum punch at a beach bar and watch the sun drop over the water. Keep tonight low-key: you have a full week ahead, and the north has the island's best spread of casual waterfront dining within walking distance.

Drive across to the calm leeward west coast, about 30 to 40 minutes from the north. Base your beach-hopping around Jolly Harbour, the island's marina village. Start at Jolly Beach, a long, broad arc of sand with plenty of room to spread out.

Work your way down the coast to the trio that regulars rate highest: Ffryes Beach, Valley Church Beach and Darkwood Beach, each with bright, shallow water and a beach grill for lunch. Turners Beach sits in the same run if you want one more stop at Turners Beach.

The west coast faces the sunset, so linger for it before heading back north. If you would rather not drive after dark, eat at one of the restaurants around the Jolly Harbour marina before the run home.

Move your base south to the historic English Harbour area, about 45 minutes from the north. Spend the morning at Nelson's Dockyard, the restored Georgian naval base inside Nelson's Dockyard National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016.

Cool off at Galleon Beach or Pigeon Point Beach, both a short hop from the dockyard. If you have energy, the short trail to Fort Barrington or a stop along scenic Fig Tree Drive rounds out the heritage theme.

End at Shirley Heights for the lookout over English and Falmouth harbours. If tonight is a Sunday (or Thursday), the steel-band BBQ party runs from late afternoon into the evening, with live pan, jerk and rum punch as the sun sets.

Catch the early Barbuda Express catamaran from St. John's High Street for the roughly 90-minute crossing to Barbuda, Antigua's low-lying sister island. Booking the Barbuda day trip as a package keeps the ferry, transfers and guide simple.

The headline stops are the frigate bird sanctuary in Codrington Lagoon National Park, home to one of the Caribbean's largest colonies, and the famous pink-sand beach, where crushed coral tints miles of empty shore a soft rose.

Take the afternoon ferry back to Antigua and return to your English Harbour base for a quiet dinner. After a long day on the water, keep tonight easy.

Head to the east coast and the North Sound for Stingray City, a shallow sandbar off Seatons where you can stand, snorkel and hand-feed wild southern stingrays. The stingray tour reaches the site by a short speedboat ride from the village.

Drive up to Devil's Bridge, a natural limestone arch on the rugged Atlantic shore where the surf blasts through blowholes. Nearby Long Bay has a reef-protected beach: cap the day at Long Bay Beach with calm, snorkel-friendly water.

Return to English Harbour for dinner. If you have not yet tried the local classics, tonight is a good night for fungie and pepperpot or a plate of fresh-caught fish.

Antigua is a yachting capital for a reason, so give it a full day on the water. Book a catamaran day cruise (many sail from the south and west coasts) for a relaxed mix of sailing, swimming stops and snorkeling, with lunch and drinks on board.

Most cruises drop anchor for snorkeling and a swim at a sheltered cove. Prefer something more hands-on? A skippered yacht charter lets you set the route, and dedicated snorkeling trips reach the reefs around Cades Reef and the offshore islands.

Back on land, toast the sail with an English Harbour rum at a dockside bar. The marina restaurants in the English Harbour area come alive in the evening during high season.

Spend the morning in the capital, St. John's. Walk the restored 18th-century warehouses of Redcliffe Quay, climb to the twin-towered St. John's Cathedral, and pick up last gifts at the duty-free shops near the cruise quay.

Keep this final afternoon deliberately slow. Drive out to Fort James Beach just outside town, or back up to Dickenson Bay Beach for one last unhurried swim with nothing else on the schedule.

Depending on your flight, allow about 20 to 30 minutes back to V.C. Bird International Airport from the north, plus time to return the rental car. Aim to be at the terminal well ahead of departure.