I've skipped these places in Barbados, you shouldn't

I wrote about the Top 5 places that you must visit, however there are several others on this beautiful island that worth the time, but we didn't have the time go there or they didn't make it to my personal top 5.

We travel for fun, so we always try to mix the active leisure with just resting. It happens nowadays that we start travelling in a very tired status, so I often feel that I just put down work and crash into my well-deserved vacation (not like a graceful gazelle, rather like an exhausted walrus). After our arrival, we like to spend 1-2 days with exploring the area to know how to get around there. In Barbados, this meant finding the supermarket, get to know how easily we can pay by card and how crowded the beach might be. Do we need to fight for the last sunbeds or some free space in the shade or not (spoiler - there was no crowd at all!).

Within a few days, we also planned the itineraries for the excursions, so it became clear quickly, that we won't see everything. Below you can find all those places that we missed (or weren't part of my top list), but I would definitely visit them, if I would come back.

1. Mount Gay Rum Distillery

It can be found in the northern part of the island and has been operating for 300 years. The surrounding is beautiful and you can choose from a range of tour packages depending on your interests. It is an understatement that I don't like rum (I even try to avoid rum flavoured chocolate) and we also travelled around by car, so we skipped this. Don't panic, we bought a bottle of XO to take home. It would be a waste, if I would be drinking it, but this can be a nice guest welcoming drink that a connoisseur could enjoy. You can find their website here.

2. St. Nicholas Abbey & Cherry Tree hill kilátó pont

This is also situated in the northern area of the island, closer to the eastern coast. This is a plantation house, museum and rum distillery. There are different kind of tickets with all the tour combinations. It must be a great experience just to visit the house and travel with the heritage railway. If you opt for rum tasting too, that would be a bonus. Now I regret a bit, that we didn't visit this place, maybe next time! You don't have to book in advance, however it is advisable, especially if you know when wou'll arrive and which train you'd like to catch (it departs four times a day). You can find their website here.

Next to this place there's a viewpoint that offers a view of the eastern coast of the island. Don't let the name fool you, you can't find any cherry trees. Despite of seeing this place on the top lists that many forums offered, I didn't have any wow moments there, it din't make it to my top 5.

3. Botanical gardens

Barbados is a really green island, its nature is breathtaking and there are multiple botanical gardens that are open for visitors, in some cases free of charge.

National Botanical Garden: It can be found in Bridgetown and it is a nice spot for taking a walk or having a picnic. When we were there, a reggae weekend took place in this area, so we tried to avoid it and the crowds. You can find their website here, the entrance is free of charge.

Flower Forest Botanical Garden: It's in the northeastern part of the island, more equipped for welcoming visitors. There's places to eat and a souvenir shop too. No need to book in advnace, you can find their website here.

4. Snorkelling and catamaran tour:

The sea life in the ocean is colourful, so it is a must to go on a snorkelling or catamaran tour. We spent some days with taking diving lessons, so we didn't book any further trips to see the underwater world. Nothing could beat the feeling of diving in Carlisle bay and see the shipwrecks with turtles and morays swimming around. Regardless of this, snorkelling can be still a unique experience, no need to dive to enjoy this paradise. On the site of Tripadvisor you can find several tour options, don't miss it!

If you enjoyed reading this article, check out the related ones and don't forget to share with others!