St. John'sCapital
Antigua and Barbuda · Country profile
St Johns is the low-key, sun-bleached capital of Antigua and Barbuda, the modest port city of the twin-island country of the eastern Caribbean that serves the yachts, the airlines and the cruise ships of the island world, with its crooked streets, its wooden jetties, its Georgian-style cathedral and its colourful market town business. The town spreads flat around its deep harbour and its bays, a working Caribbean capital with the vendors of the museum quarter, the rum shops, the banks and the duty-free lanes of the long street, and the red dome of the cathedral watching over the rooftops. All the resort life of Antigua, the palm-lined beaches of the north coast, the historical dockyard of the English Harbour at the south, the sailing week and the national parks, lies within a short drive of this small busy hub. Lively, laid-back and unmistakably Caribbean, St Johns is the trading heart of one of the friendliest islands of the Leewards.
About St. John's
St. John's is the capital of Antigua and Barbuda. The city's documented population is around 22,193 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the East Caribbean Dollar (XCD) and English is spoken; the dialling code is +1268.
The Cathedral of the Georgian and the Museum of the Nation
The capital is a compact working town of a few rambling streets, where the essential visits move between the cathedral on its hill, the museum of the nation in the old colonial courthouse, the stalls of the market and the vendors of the jetty, with the views of the harbour and the warehouses of the waterfront. The real anchor of the visit is the network of the beaches and the heritage of the island beyond the town, from the long curves of sand of the west coast, the historic dockyard with its restored Georgian buildings and its yachts at the south, and the national park of the peninsula with its trails and its wild bays. Most travellers pass through the capital on the way to the coast, spending an hour or two among its stalls and its rum shops.
The Jetty of the Vendors and the Hill of the Monk
The climate is the warm and dry for the Caribbean, with the steady trade winds, the sunnier first half of the year and the hurricane season watch of the late summer and the autumn, when the island takes the occasional storm seriously. The dollar of the eastern Caribbean is the currency, the English the language, and the roads of the island are easy and well marked, with the left-hand driving of the region the only quirk. The market day of Saturday, the cathedral and the museum make the core visits of the town, and the beaches, the dockyard and the hills of the island fill the rest. Light cottons, reef-friendly sunscreen and a hat complete the simple kit for this bright, breezy capital.
The Dockyard of the English and the Beaches of the Island
The cathedral of the town, the sturdy Georgian-era church with its iron tower and its carved altarpiece that the earthquakes and the fires have restored again and again, stands on its rise above the commercial streets and anchors the historic quarter, while the museum of the nation, housed in the old colonial courthouse of the settlement, tells the story of the island through the Arawak, the slavery, the sugar and the independence eras and holds the famous bronze figure of the local goddess, a galley-masted vessel, and the timber relics of the ground. The market square and the lanes of the long street carry the vendors of the fruit, the spices, the hot sauce and the crafts, and the rum punch of the local bars keeps the friendly island rhythm, while the devotional shrines of the cemetery and the old towers of the waterfront add the quiet layers. The great prize lies beyond the town, in the dockyard of the English Harbour, the anchor of the British fleet in the age of the sail with its restored officers quarters and its fort, the beaches of the island, and the pink-hued waters of the Barbuda beyond. Easy, smiling and thoroughly island, St Johns is the modest capital that opens the door to the sailing capital of the Caribbean.
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- Country
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Population
- 22,193
- Capital
- St. John's
- Region
- North America
- Currency
- East Caribbean Dollar (XCD)
- Languages
- English
- Calling code
- +1268
- Country code
- AG
Frequently asked questions
Is St. John's the capital of Antigua and Barbuda?
Yes — St. John's is the capital of Antigua and Barbuda.
What currency do I need in St. John's?
The local currency is the East Caribbean Dollar (XCD). Languages spoken in Antigua and Barbuda include English.
What is the dialling code for Antigua and Barbuda?
The international dialling code for Antigua and Barbuda is +1268.
Flying out of St. John's? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.