According to health-beauty-guides, Barbados is a country and island in the Caribbean (North America) that is part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. The name Barbados originated when the Spaniards discovered the island. They found the roots of the Ficus (tree species in Barbados) to resemble a beard. The Portuguese name for beard is Los Barbados. The capital of Barbados is Bridgetown. A number of major cities in Barbados are: Speightstown, Oistins and Bathsheba.
Barbados is known for its many white beaches and clear blue water. The island is ideal for diving the many wrecks and coral reefs and for playing golf at one of the many golf resorts. There is also a lot of water sports, such as: kitesurfing and windsurfing. Due to the many tourists who flood the island, Barbados has become a jumble of hotels. The capital Bridgetown is known for its beautiful colonial buildings from the English period. See healthinclude for top experiences of Barbados.
Where is Barbados?
Travel information of Barbados
Official name: Barbados
Continent: North America
Area: 430 km²
Capital: Bridgetown
Country code: BB, BRB
Population: 294,560 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Republic
Highest point: 336 m (Mount Hillaby)
Distance (Amsterdam – Bridgetown): 7,141 km
Flight time: about 10 hours
Travel advice
Current status: No special security risks.
Current color code: Green.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there may be (temporary) measures in place in Barbados that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of Barbados, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete trips and holidays to Barbados. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compile your ideal trip yourself.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Barbados?
Excursions, activities and day trips
With the help of Countryaah you can reserve an excursion, activity, tour, entrance ticket and/or day trip for your stay in Barbados at a discount. This way you are assured of a place, in some cases you can skip the queue and you can already plan your travel program.
Weather and climate
Barbados has a tropical climate. The temperatures are around 30 degrees all year round. The rainy season is from July to November.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Barbados can be found on our extensive weather page.
Detailed information about the climate of Barbados can be found at Climate info.
Best time
January, February, March and April are the best months to travel to Barbados. This avoids the rainy and hurricane season.
Language
English is the official language in Barbados. In addition, Bajan is widely spoken.
Would you like to translate from or into English for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a valid passport.
A visa is not necessary if you stay in Barbados for less than 3 months.
You will be required to pay a departure tax of approximately USD 60 per person upon departure from Barbados.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago (also for Barbados):
netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Dutch consulate in Barbados: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Embassy of Barbados in Belgium (also for the Netherlands): rijksoverheid.nl.
Consulate of Barbados in the Netherlands: rijksoverheid.nl.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
You do not need any vaccinations to visit Barbados. Yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for Barbados if you have visited a yellow fever country
in the seven days before visiting Barbados.
Money and Currency
In Barbados, payment is made with the Barbadian dollar (BBD).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in Barbados can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
The prices in Barbados are a lot higher than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is +21% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (3% cheaper), food (47% more expensive), imported beer in catering (11% cheaper), cigarettes (2% more expensive) and public transport (67% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In Barbados it is customary to tip. If no service costs have been calculated yet, people give a tip of approximately 10-15%.
Time difference
During our summer time it is 6 hours earlier in Barbados.
During our winter time it is 5 hours earlier in Barbados.
Barbados has no difference between winter time and summer time.
The local time, date and time zone for Barbados can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
In Barbados you must drive on the left.
You must apply for a temporary driver’s license in Barbados to operate a motor vehicle. This is possible with rental companies.
Information on public transport in Barbados can be found at Transportboard.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Barbados.
Electricity
In Barbados you need a travel plug. In addition, in some cases you need an inverter.
More information about common plugs and sockets in Barbados can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 211
– Fire: 311
– Ambulance: 511
Tap water
Tap water is safe to drink.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to Barbados can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from Barbados can be found at Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Barbados end in.bb.
Barbados official website: visitbarbados.org.
Telephone
The country code (international access code) to call someone in Barbados is 001246 or +1246.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Barbados? Then use the Dutch country code 01131.
(If you use a country code, you must omit the first 0 of the number to be called.)
Telephone numbers can be found in the Telephone Directory of Barbados.
Company details can be found in the Barbados Yellow Pages.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos from Barbados.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Barbados.
Holidays
An overview of all public holidays in Barbados can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations on Barbados, supplemented with photos, videos and points of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Barbados?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Bornholm. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in Barbados can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in Barbados can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Barbados? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, money and perfume, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. In addition, on this website you will find the laws and regulations regarding the importation of pets and a list of everything that may not be imported and/or exported to Barbados.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant laws and regulations, which you may encounter during your visit to Barbados.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking from the age of 16.
– Alcohol and traffic: No maximum permitted alcohol content.
– Tobacco: Buying and/or smoking from the age of 18.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Not allowed. Prison sentence more than 10 years.
– Clothing: Wearing camouflage clothing is prohibited.
Did you know…
…There are only two bus routes in Barbados?
…Rum was invented in Barbados?
…Barbados is loved by celebrities from all over the world?
…In 1846 had about 490 active sugar plantations?
… Barbados was mainly inhabited by wild pigs until 1625?
…Singer Rihanna was born in Barbados?
