Visitors Guide
Explore the island of Barbados with confidence using our Barbados Insider Guide, your go-to resource for driving advice, local attractions, and travel tips for your Bajan adventure. Whether you are a first-time visitor landing at Grantley Adams International or a returning traveler, navigating the island requires a bit of local knowledge to truly find the hidden gems. This Barbados Insider Guide was curated by the team at Philrod Car Rentals to ensure you have everything you need—from mastering the roundabouts to finding the most scenic coastal lookouts—to make your trip unforgettable.
Understanding the island geography is a core part of any Barbados Insider Guide. As noted in the Virgin Atlantic Barbados Destination Video. Barbados tourism relies on the unique character of our eleven parishes with four distinct coasts. From the sheltered ‘Platinum Coast’ on the west—ideal for snorkeling—to the rugged ‘Scotland District’ in the north, the variety is incredible for such a small landmass. This Barbados Insider Guide encourages travelers to explore beyond the resort to see the ‘Untamed East Coast’ and the world-class surfing at Bathsheba.
Labeled Los Barbados by the Portuguese and colonized by the UK, Barbados today is a prospering and independent Caribbean tropical island and a global-class vacation destination. For those arriving soon, the Virgin Atlantic Barbados Airport Guide offers excellent logistics for your landing at Grantley Adams International. These Barbados travel tips are essential for a smooth start to your trip. With the friendliest people, the most beautiful landscapes, and incredible family-friendly beaches, Barbados really does have it all. Barbados tourism truly offers a global-class vacation destination. Understanding the geography and the history of the island is a vital part of the experience for Barbados tourism and anyone following a Barbados Insider Guide.
Driving in Barbados
Driving in Barbados
If you’re planning to rent a car during your vacation in Barbados, here are some techniques for getting around this tropical island safely and securely. The minimum age for tourists renting a car in Barbados is 21 years. Car rental services ordinarily require between 2 and 5 years of experience driving a motor vehicle. Automobile drivers over 70 years of age are required to have a medical certificate in Barbados today. Always take your home country driver’s license with you. In Barbados, this will be the basis for issuing you a local driving permit. If you have an existing license from elsewhere, you won’t have to take any sort of driving test. In Barbados, driving is on the left side of the road. In Barbados, locals sometimes tend to assume that drivers operating vehicles designated with an “H” license plate for HIRE or rental are less familiar with the roads, and, drive slower. Don’t try to compete with aggressive local drivers.
Fascinating History of Barbados
The island of Barbados was inhabited by Arawaks and Caribs at the time of European colonization of the Americas in the 16th century. Barbados was an English, and later British colony, from 1625 until 1966. Since 1966, Barbados island has been a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy modeled on the Westminster system with Queen Elizabeth the second as titular head of state. On 30 November 2021, Barbados transitioned from a parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the hereditary monarch of Barbados (Queen Elizabeth II) to a parliamentary republic with a ceremonial indirectly elected president as head of state.
Cricket Central to Barbados
Kensington Oval Home of Barbados Cricket
Barbados cricket has played a crucial role in the history and development of cricket, not just in the Caribbean, but in the world of the sport. The island has produced numerous cricketing legends and has been a central hub for the sport in the West Indies. Cricket has historically been the number one sport in the Caribbean. Cricket is what brings all the people out and what brings a lot of tourists to Barbados. It’s in the veins of everyone and people who you never thought would follow cricket are actually following. It’s also in our veins at Philrod Car Rentals. If you’re visiting Barbados for cricket, as many of our customers over the years have, you will find us to be a wealth of information about cricket on the island.
