St. Nicholas Abbey
St. Nicholas Abbey
4.5
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
About
Our hours of operation are 10.00 a.m.; with our last tour at 3.30 p.m. We recommend allowing 2-3 hours for your visit, with a minimum of an hour to tour the property. (All guests must depart the property by 4.30 p.m.) Visitors can enjoy lunch, tea and other light refreshments at the Terrace Café during our opening hours. The steam operated syrup factory c.1890, grinds sugar cane from January to May. Adults (13 and over): BBD $30* (US $15) Youth (Ages 5-12): BBD $10* (US $5) We also have a steam railway onsite
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4.5
2,690 reviews
Excellent
1,607
Very good
732
Average
241
Poor
70
Terrible
40
Bailey Joshua
Felpham, UK5 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
If you’re interested in seeing production of rum this isn’t a great insight as you only see a small part through a door, no “distillery tour”, and even the great house is mostly shut off. We started with a very brief 10 minute ish walk around the downstairs of the house before walking around the grounds and left by the tour guide in an old stable to be shown a 15 minute clip from almost 100 years ago what Barbados was like and how the abbey was run back then, this is the best part. Then you get a small rum taster in the gift shop where you can buy personally engraved bottles of rum starting at £50/$65 roughly. The tour staff are good, the cafe and staff in that part was very poor, and the shop staff were average. Nobody was particularly welcoming and I wouldn’t really recommend this to anyone unless you’re really scratching for something to do. The highlight for me was the magnificent steel pan drum player in the cafe area!
Written 18 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
croatialover
Dublin20 contributions
Dec 2019
Beautiful place to visit while in Barbados.
But what spoilt it for us was the sight of some colourful exotic birds locked in cages FAR TOO inadequate in size for them to fly around.
There were two affectionate macaws and two cockatoos without any vegetation, toys or anything to stimulate them in a small, dark enclosure.
There were also nine other birds crammed into a wire cage that wasn't much bigger than a large laundry basket!
These are highly intelligent animals, so please give them the bigger, more modern aviary they deserve.
But what spoilt it for us was the sight of some colourful exotic birds locked in cages FAR TOO inadequate in size for them to fly around.
There were two affectionate macaws and two cockatoos without any vegetation, toys or anything to stimulate them in a small, dark enclosure.
There were also nine other birds crammed into a wire cage that wasn't much bigger than a large laundry basket!
These are highly intelligent animals, so please give them the bigger, more modern aviary they deserve.
Written 8 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
laprug81
Leamington Spa, UK28 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
We hadn’t planned on visiting st Nicholas Abbey but “stumbled across” it during our drive back from the east coast and heading towards the wildlife reserve. The drive up to the Abbey is spectacular and then the Abbey itself is beautiful - it’s a working rum distillery which is great to see.
I would recommend a guided tour (which seem to take place every half an hour on the day we visited). Our guide was fantastic and very engaging as well as the other staff. Our young children loved it too.
We had a small bite to eat in the cafe. The staff were clearly struggling to keep up with orders and needed several prompts. They could probably do with a bit of help including providing good customer service as we felt they didn’t want to serve us or anybody. This did let the whole experience down a little but I haven’t marked down the rating as it’s not the reason we visited and overall we had a great experience.
There is a steam train on the grounds too.
We spent the whole afternoon there leaving the wildlife reserve for another day.
I would recommend a guided tour (which seem to take place every half an hour on the day we visited). Our guide was fantastic and very engaging as well as the other staff. Our young children loved it too.
We had a small bite to eat in the cafe. The staff were clearly struggling to keep up with orders and needed several prompts. They could probably do with a bit of help including providing good customer service as we felt they didn’t want to serve us or anybody. This did let the whole experience down a little but I haven’t marked down the rating as it’s not the reason we visited and overall we had a great experience.
There is a steam train on the grounds too.
We spent the whole afternoon there leaving the wildlife reserve for another day.
Written 7 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mikesierra
Bourne, UK1,986 contributions
Dec 2019
It is well worth a visit to see this plantation’s beautifully restored Jacobean style 17th century mansion taking you back to how the wealthy lived. There was a group tour, but unfortunately our guide was somewhat disorganised and our group seemed to scatter in all directions after the main house. Our rum punch included in the visit was also very poor and weak. Combine a visit to the steam railway and distillery.
Written 1 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jamaicasun
Eastern Canada921 contributions
Mar 2020
1st time vising St. Nicholas Abbey & it was an enjoyable experience! The Abbey has a historic plantation house, rum factory, gardens, and a train that circles the property. You can take a tour and learn from a knowledgable guide or wander at your own pace. The patio is an excellent place for a cool drink or lunch.....one of the best meals that I had on the island!
The owners are on the property and very welcoming.
The gift shop offers a wide variety of sprits besides rum as well as local products such as cane syrup, rum flavoured coffee, and more.
It is definitely worth a visit!
The owners are on the property and very welcoming.
The gift shop offers a wide variety of sprits besides rum as well as local products such as cane syrup, rum flavoured coffee, and more.
It is definitely worth a visit!
Written 9 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BobWE
Manhattan Beach, CA753 contributions
Jan 2020
In the middle of the island of Barbados is one of the islands oldest surviving plantation built in 1658. There are over 400 acres of sugar cane fields, tropical gullies, mahogany forests, and gardens. Setting in the middle of the plantation is the famous Jacobean mansion heavily influenced by the Dutch architectural style. It is one of only three remaining Jacobean mansions in the Western Hemisphere (the other two are in Barbados and West Virginia). The tour guides are well informed but we were not granted access to the upper floors. Included in the tour is the boiling house, distillery, rum bond, gardens, orchards and gullies. Definitely try the delicious rum and if you are there in the late afternoon inquire about a high tea experience. Nearby is the St. Nicholas Abbey Heritage Railway which provides a 30 minute ride Monday through Friday through plantation fields, a quarry and a turnaround experience of the east coast of Barbados from Cherry Tree Hill. A family adventure for sure.
Written 12 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
localred
Manchester, UK275 contributions
Feb 2020
The owners are to be complimented on their new steam train ride funded by themselves without government help. The driver & staff on the train are also to be praised for making it an enjoyable & funny ride. Bye a combo ticket & enjoy the guided trip around the house. The only downside is that you only get to sample one rum.
Written 12 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Leilla F
Scotland, UK6 contributions
Feb 2022 • Couples
We visited St Nicholas Abbey on 25th February 2022 and opted for the tour and rum tasting without the steam train option.
We were greeted by Virginia who was very helpful and looked after us since she was able to sync our visit with a small group so we could be guided round the house. Virginia was very engaging, knowledgeable and charismatic and shared lots of interesting history about the house and the surrounding gardens.
We were fortunate to visit during sugar cane crushing to make the sugar cane syrup used in their rum and Virginia answered all of our questions with her detailed knowledge. The process was very interesting and we watched a video to understand how the rum production was made.
This was followed by a rum tasting which we really enjoyed. So much that we have a memento engraved 8yr rum bottle and sorrel rum (Virginia’s recommendation) to take back and treasure our time in Barbados when we return to Scotland.
Thank you Virginia and St Nicholas Abbey staff!
We were greeted by Virginia who was very helpful and looked after us since she was able to sync our visit with a small group so we could be guided round the house. Virginia was very engaging, knowledgeable and charismatic and shared lots of interesting history about the house and the surrounding gardens.
We were fortunate to visit during sugar cane crushing to make the sugar cane syrup used in their rum and Virginia answered all of our questions with her detailed knowledge. The process was very interesting and we watched a video to understand how the rum production was made.
This was followed by a rum tasting which we really enjoyed. So much that we have a memento engraved 8yr rum bottle and sorrel rum (Virginia’s recommendation) to take back and treasure our time in Barbados when we return to Scotland.
Thank you Virginia and St Nicholas Abbey staff!
Written 25 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian B
London, UK19 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
A beautiful Jacobean House with extensive grounds sympathetically renovated by the current owners. There is a sugar cane plantation and working rum distillery producing relatively small batches of quality rum. We had an interesting tour led by a very enthusiastic guide (all the staff wore very smart uniforms). The black and white film from the 1930s was a highlight. Guests were offered rum punch on arrival and we sampled the 5 year old rum at the end of the tour. We then had a lovely informal walk around the house and grounds including seeing the heritage steam railway recently completed by the owner. Reasonable value at BDS$45 but felt the BDS$60 for the steam train ride a bit pricey so didn’t go on it! Well worth a visit.
Written 3 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LordHow
Australia51 contributions
Apr 2022
First came here in 2005 and it was interesting to visit but rather rundown. The current owners have vastly improved the house and gardens as an attraction. And the addition of the railway ride to Cherry Hill was excellent. The conductor on the train gave a very insightful talk about the history of the original railway and the newly built one. Our guide for the house and rum was funny, friendly and very knowledgeable and the walk though the rum making activity was very interesting. The rum tasting was great!
Written 8 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We want to visit St Nicholas Abbey by taxi but we would rather not pre-arrange the return taxi as we don’t want to be restricted time wise. Are there taxis waiting there or is it possible to get someone at the abbey to call a taxi for us?
Written 10 September 2021
Answering my own question but basically there are no taxis there but our hotel told us that the taxi drivers normally wait there for you for $10 usd per hour.
Written 13 September 2021
Some of the posts say you receive a "gift" with the tour, some say you get a free bottle of rum. Is this true?
Written 10 February 2020
With every tour you are given a complementary glass of either fruit punch or rum punch and also a rum tasting with me.
If you take part in the Rum experience tour with my father you receive a 200ml bottle of our 5 Year old rum.
Please check our Facebook page for details on the "Rum experience tour."
look forward to greeting you soon. please also check our new (old) steam train attraction.
Simon
Written 5 March 2020
Would like to travel by public transport from Bridgetown -is this a good idea?
Written 20 January 2019
We used the $2 buses often with no problems. They were very helpful and told us if the bus went where we wanted to go.
Great experience and friendly people.
I will use them more when I return.
Written 23 January 2019
Is it worth the cost over the Mount Gay Tour? Have done Mount Gay before and really enjoyed it. Have found St Nicholas and $135 seems a lot for a tour and some rum?
Written 26 November 2018
Simonjacksonwarren
Speightstown, Barbados
TICKETS
St. Nicholas Abbey is open six days per week, Sunday - Friday. We are closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday and Kadooment Day. We are open for half-day on December 31st. Please check our calendar for any updates and special events, or call 422-8725.
Our hours of operation are 10.00 a.m.; with our last tour at 3.30 p.m.
We recommend allowing 2-3 hours for your visit, with a minimum of an hour to tour the property. (All guests must depart the property by 4.30 p.m.)
Visitors can enjoy lunch, tea and other light refreshments at the Terrace Café during our opening hours.
The steam operated syrup factory c.1890, grinds sugar cane from January to May; please view our Special Events for more information.
DAYTIME ADMISSION
Adults (13 and over): BBD $45* (US $23)
Youth (Ages 5-12): BBD $20* (US $10)
General admission includes entrance to St. Nicholas Abbey, with an hourly tour of to the great house, syrup factory and bottling plant. Guests are also encouraged to explore the plantation’s beautiful formal gardens, gullies and nearby Cherry Tree Hill, a majestic avenue of Mahogany Trees offering a breathtaking view of the island’s rugged east coast.
During your visit, you can enjoy a charming home movie c.1935, the plantation’s museum and a complimentary rum or fruit punch on our terrace overlooking the gully. Visitors over the age of 18 may also enjoy complimentary rum tasting during their tour.
Guided tours are scheduled on the hour from 10.30 a.m. - 3.30 p.m.; or you are welcome to join a tour already in progress. Visitors are however, given a detailed tour brochure if they prefer to explore on their own. (one per couple or single visitor).
*Entrance fees are subject to change without notice.
GROUP TICKETS
Groups of 10 or more persons are recommended to book their visit to St. Nicholas Abbey in advance. Please contact our reception staff to plan your group visit.
See you soon
Simon
Written 6 August 2018
Is two hours enough time to see the house and grounds ? Thanks,Chris
Written 28 July 2018
The place is relatively small. I got the feeling people came and left in an hour. We took a much more relaxed approach; we were lucky to jump straight into a tour, then wandered into the taste session then onto the veranda for lunch. We had a lazy lunch. But if you avoided that or ate quickly you could whizz around the garden at a glance and be done easily within two hours. The place is small for an attraction - but so lovely and pleasant you may wish to soak it up. Your choice.
Written 7 August 2018
We are looking at booking the moonlight dinner on the 28th April for our 40th wedding aniversary,does any one know what drinks are available?
Written 15 December 2017
Simonjacksonwarren
Speightstown, Barbados
Good morning
White and red wine, vodka, gin, Rum, soft drinks etc. Everything except champagne (which is available for sale also)
Did you have a special request?
Written 29 December 2017
Hello - How far in advance of our trip should we book this tour if we are interested? Can we book same day or does the tour normally sell out fast?
Written 19 July 2017
Simonjacksonwarren
Speightstown, Barbados
Good evening
The tour is roughly every hour from 10-3:30 Sunday - Friday.
See you soon
Written 19 July 2017
Is Wednesday or Thursday when sugar cane is ground in-house? Thanks!
Written 15 June 2017
Would two hours be long enough to see everything on the plantation? Thanks, Chris
Written 24 May 2017
Simonjacksonwarren
Speightstown, Barbados
Good morning Chris
2 hours will be sufficient time to see the plantation.
Look forward to seeing you soon
Simon
Written 2 June 2017
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