Compare live car hire offers for Speightstown, the quiet fishing town at the top of the west coast - our comparison engine has covered this stretch of Barbados since 2000, with honest supplier ratings and free cancellation on most offers.
Speightstown, in the parish of St Peter, is the quiet north - a handful of pastel-fronted streets, a fish market, and a slower pace than the resort strip further south. It is the natural gateway to the Animal Flower Cave and the rugged east coast beyond Cherry Tree Hill, but it is not a hub with rows of rental counters. Most people searching for car rental in Speightstown, Barbados end up with a car delivered to their villa or guesthouse, or arrange a meet-and-collect a short drive south in car hire on the West Coast at Holetown, where suppliers keep more stock.
That is not a downside once you know it - it just means booking ahead through our comparison engine matters more here than in Bridgetown, so a supplier can plan the delivery run up Highway 1. Speightstown sits about 45-50 minutes from Grantley Adams Airport (BGI) in Christ Church, longer than the drive to Holetown or Bridgetown, so factor that into your first-day plans if you are landing late.
Once you have the keys, this is easy driving for a British visitor - left-side, same as home, and the coast road north from Holetown is a single, well-signed run. Nervous about the roundabouts on the way up? Our guide to driving in Barbados covers give-way rules and the odd ZR van that stops without warning.
Parking in the town itself is informal - a few marked bays near the waterfront and along Church Street, filling early on market mornings. From Speightstown, the classic run is north to the Animal Flower Cave and Cove Bay (20-25 minutes), or east across to Bathsheba on the wild Atlantic coast for the day. Petrol stations thin out this far north, so top up before you leave Holetown or Bridgetown.
Rarely. Most Bajan and international suppliers cover the town from a base further south around Holetown, delivering the car to your accommodation or arranging a short meet nearby.
Around 45-50 minutes via the ABC Highway and Highway 1, longer than most west or south coast pick-ups, so book ahead if landing in the evening.
Yes, the same as anywhere on the island - the supplier arranges it at pickup for a small fee, using your UK, US, or Canadian licence.
It suits travellers wanting a quieter, more local feel with easy access north to Animal Flower Cave and across to the wild east coast, rather than nightlife on the doorstep.
Stations are sparser than in the south or west; fill up in Holetown or Bridgetown before heading north or east for the day.