Towns of Barbados

The capital of Barbados is a busy commercial city set on Carlisle Bay. It's short on must-see sights but certainly worth a saunter. It's an architectural mishmash of modern and colonial, with side streets leading off into residential neighbourhoods sprinkled with rum shops and chattel houses.

True to the island's British heritage, there are obelisks, gothic parliament buildings, and a large Anglican cathedral. More surprising is Bridgetown's distinctive 19th-century synagogue; the first synagogue on this site was built in the 1600s, when Barbados had a Jewish population of more than 300.

Holetown

Founded in the 1620s, Holetown is the oldest town in Barbados, but you'd hardly know it from its modern appearance. Now a major cog in the island's tourism machine, you can still absorb some of the town's history at the 19th-century St James Church.

Folkestone Park fronts a narrow beach where you can picnic, snorkel (there's a sunken barge nearby) when the water is calm or surf when the waves are up. What's more, there's a marine museum in the park with exhibits on fishing and boat building.

St Lawrence

Along the southwest coast of Barbados, there's a cluster of small, low-key towns with excellent beaches and much of the island's low to mid-range accommodations. St Lawrence, about 15km (9mi) southeast of Bridgetown, is Mr Popular, offering plenty of opportunities to chow down or party down.

Dover Beach, the town strand, has powdery white sand. A few minutes' walk west along the beach at low tide brings you to the towns of Worthing and Hastings, which have interesting local crafts and lovely pristine beaches.