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Barbados Souvenirs

Barbados Souvenirs

We know you will want to take home souvenirs from your Barbados vacation. That’s why we’ve outlined some great ideas just for you!

We’ve also explained where these items can be purchased to help guide you in your search for the perfect Barbados gift or souvenir.

There are countless souvenirs you can get to remember your time in Barbados, but there are a few items that are always considered distinctly ‘Bajan’:

Barbados Rum

There are two leading brands of rum manufactured in Barbados – the 300+-year-old Mount Gay Rum and Cockspur Rum. These names have a regular blended brand and a more refined blend to take home. Mount Gay Rum additionally invites guests from all over the world to explore the history of Mount Gay rums and take a guided tour of their distillery in action.

Note: The Totally Barbados team always encourages you to drink responsibly and in moderation.

Hot Pepper Sauce

During your stay, you’ll notice locals in Barbados eat this infamous hot pepper sauce with anything and everything, and you may find yourself getting into this Bajan habit! There are many varieties of hot pepper sauce, each with varying spice levels to suit any taste.

Did you know? This spicy sauce is one of the essential ingredients in many traditional Bajan dishes – see our Barbados recipes for more delicious treats for you to try.

Bajan Rum Cake (aka ‘black cake’)

Black cake is a Bajan version of traditional fruit cake and consists of dried fruits, nuts, citrus peel, mixed spice, sugar, eggs, and of course, the infamous Bajan dark rum.

Note: The alcoholic content of rum cake means it won’t spoil before you reach home!

Local Art and Craft

Barbados has a vibrant arts scene, and there are various galleries, potteries, studios, and souvenir shops all over the island showcasing our local talent. You can find anything from woven baskets, paintings, photography, wood carvings, leather, jewelry and crafts, books, and pottery, all made by local and regional artisans. For more information, see our Barbados Art and Craft Guide.

Want to know more? See Things to buy and take home for more insider souvenir tips.

Where Can I Buy My Barbados Souvenirs?

Earthworks is an open pottery studio that makes functional hand-decorated dinnerware and various red clay ceramic pieces. You can walk in and see experienced Bajan potters crafting their work. One of the best places to get authentic Bajan souvenirs is the Best of Barbados Gift Shops.

Best of Barbados is a family-owned business that has been making and designing top-quality local gifts and handicrafts on the island for over 40 years. They sell many Bajan-made souvenirs, from prints and designs by the company’s founder (artist Jill Walker) and her family to jewelry, art, paintings, cookbooks, beach bags, towels, T-shirts, music, and DVDs – to name a few.

Their stores are in five convenient locations island-wide – The Chattel Village in Holetown, Quayside Centre in Rockley, Southern Palms Hotel in St. Lawrence Gap, Bridgetown Cruise Terminal, and the Departure Lounge at Grantley Adams International Airport.

You can also pick these up at most supermarkets, convenience stores, and local rum shops island-wide for more basic souvenir items like pepper sauce and rum.

Bridgetown and Coastal Areas

In the nation’s capital Bridgetown, the central shopping area is Broad Street, where there are many duty-free shopping and souvenirs for sale. Street vendors across the bridge will also sell souvenir items like leather goods and handmade jewelry at reasonable prices.

If you’re staying on the south coast, there are some shopping centers and department stores like Cave Shepherd for you to get your local souvenirs. Along the southern coast main road, you’ll find Coconut Walk, with a few shops selling clothing, jewelry, homewares, and surfwear, and Quayside Centre, where there are some souvenir shops with great gift options.

Further down in St. Lawrence Gap, some street vendors sell leather goods, sarongs, and handmade jewelry, amongst other things. The Chattel House Village also has some boutiques and shops selling all local souvenirs.

Another excellent souvenir place is the Oistins Fish Market, especially on a Friday night at the infamous Barbados Fish Fry. Head towards the back of the action, close to the sea, and you will come across a long line of local vendors selling traditional and unusual souvenirs.

If you’re staying on the west coast, you will also find souvenirs for sale at West Mall Shopping Centre and The Chattel Village and numerous souvenir stores along this coastline.

Cruise Ship Shopping and Surrounds

If you’re arriving by cruise ship, you can find an assortment of souvenir shops at the Bridgetown Cruise Terminal.

The Pelican Village Craft Centre sells locally made and designed arts and crafts outside the cruise terminal.

Further inland, another excellent souvenir place is Earthworks Pottery in St. Thomas. Here, you can see the potter at his wheel-making vibrant creations, and of course, purchase a unique piece for yourself!

Any Last Minute Purchases?

Suppose you’ve been too busy soaking up the sun and getting into the local action. In that case, there’s always time for those last-minute souvenir purchases, including duty-free shopping at the Airport Terminal Building.

As you can see, the options for souvenir shopping in Barbados are endless, and the variety of things to purchase is wide. The only problem is, trying to fit it all in your suitcase!

Photos

See photos of shopping places and other shop locations within our Adobe Portfolio.

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About Totally Barbados (Edit profile)

Brett Callaghan is the founder and managing director of Totally Barbados. I specialize in writing content for the tourism industry for my island home of Barbados. I help companies build strategies to grow online businesses with SMART marketing, advertising, and social media goals.

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