Easiest Caribbean cruise ports to explore on your own

Ranked: easiest first

1. San Juan Puerto Rico, USA Easy
   From the Old San Juan piers you're at the edge of the historic district; El Morro is about 1.1 miles away (20–30 minutes, uphill).
2. Aruba Aruba Easy
   Downtown Oranjestad is right at the terminal.
3. Antigua (St. John's) Antigua & Barbuda Easy
   The piers are in downtown St. John's.
4. Bonaire (Kralendijk) Bonaire (Caribbean Netherlands) Easy
   Both piers are in town.
5. St. Kitts (Basseterre) St. Kitts & Nevis Easy
   Port Zante opens straight onto downtown Basseterre.
6. St. Maarten Sint Maarten (Dutch side) Easy
   Philipsburg's Front Street and Great Bay Beach are about a 15–25 minute flat walk along the waterfront, or a 5–10 minute water taxi ride to Captain Hodge Wharf.
7. Barbados (Bridgetown) Barbados Easy
   Downtown Bridgetown is about 1 mile away.
8. St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands Easy
   Charlotte Amalie downtown is about 1.5–2 miles from either dock, roughly 8–12 minutes by open-air shared "safari" taxi.
9. Curaçao (Willemstad) Curaçao Easy
   Walk along the waterfront past Rif Fort into Otrobanda, then cross the Queen Emma pontoon bridge to Punda.
10. Grand Turk Turks & Caicos Easy
    The cruise center has a beach, pool and shops at the pier.
11. Grenada (St. George's) Grenada Easy
    The terminal opens through the Esplanade Mall into downtown St. George's.
12. Martinique (Fort-de-France) Martinique (France) Easy
    From Pointe Simon you can walk into town: La Savane park is about 2 minutes away and the market about 10–15 minutes.
13. St. Croix (Frederiksted) U.S. Virgin Islands Easy
    Frederiksted's shops, restaurants and beaches are walkable from the pier.
14. Tortola (Road Town) British Virgin Islands Easy
    The pier is in Road Town.
15. St. Vincent (Kingstown) St. Vincent & the Grenadines Moderate
    Bay Street is about 400 m, a 5-minute walk.
16. Guadeloupe (Pointe-à-Pitre) Guadeloupe (France) Moderate
    The waterfront, market and central square (Place de la Victoire) are about a 10–15 minute flat walk.
17. Ocho Rios Jamaica Moderate
    Reynolds Pier is about 15 minutes' walk.
18. Samaná Dominican Republic Moderate
    The town center is about a 5–15 minute walk along a flat, paved promenade. · Tender
19. St. Lucia (Castries) Saint Lucia Moderate
    Pointe Seraphine is across the harbor, about a 15–20 minute walk to the center. · Dock or tender
20. Cartagena (Colombia) Colombia Moderate
    The terminal is about 3 km from the walled city, so not a practical walk.
21. Grand Cayman Cayman Islands Moderate
    Seven Mile Beach starts about 2–3 miles north, roughly 10–15 minutes by taxi. · Tender
22. La Romana Dominican Republic Moderate
    Casa de Campo and Altos de Chavón are about 6 km away (10–15 minutes) by cruise shuttle or taxi.
23. Puerto Plata (Amber Cove) Dominican Republic Moderate
    Puerto Plata city is about 7.5 miles (12 km) away, roughly 15–20 minutes by car, so it is not walkable.
24. Montego Bay Jamaica Moderate
    The port is a few miles from the Hip Strip and downtown, not a pleasant walk.
25. Dominica (Roseau) Dominica Book a tour
    The Roseau berth is right on the Bayfront: the Old Market and downtown are a few minutes' walk.
26. Falmouth (Jamaica) Jamaica Book a tour
    Falmouth's historic Georgian town is about a 5-minute walk from the terminal.
27. Labadee Haiti Book a tour
    When it operates, Labadee is a gated resort peninsula.

How we rank

Ports are grouped by our rating (Easy, then Moderate, then Book a tour). Within each group, the shortest walk to town or the main sights that our guide states comes first, then the shortest stated distance. The quote under each port comes from its guide; check your pier, because some ports have more than one. How we rate ports.