St. Nicholas Abbey Heritage Great House and Rum Distillery Tour

Badge of Excellence

Barbados

Great choice

10+ bookings last month.

45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Walking Tour of The Historic Garrison and its Museum - A Military Story

Barbados, Caribbean

4.9

(26)

Walking Tour of The Historic Garrison and its Museum - A Military Story

from $30

Barbados, Caribbean

5.0

(195)

The Real Barbados 6 hour Island Tour

from $150

Barbados, Caribbean

In The Mixx Tour

from $70

Price varies by group size

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

See what Barbados was like back in the 17th century as you explore St. Nicholas Abbey on a self-guided tour. Make your own way to the abbey and walk through the Great House to see several artifacts from the Amerindian settlement through colonial times. Then, visit the artisan distillery where you can see how rum is made from can to bottle.

Set your own pace to explore St. Nicholas Abbey
Enjoy a rum tasting and complimentary drink
Watch a movie about life on the plantation
Reflect on the history in the gardens or quiet spaces

What's Included

All Fees and Taxes

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Saint Nicholas Abbey
St Nicholas Abbey, Saint Peter Barbados
Travel North along Main Highway until you see road signs directing you to St. Nicholas Abbey

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

St. Nicholas Abbey

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
Wheelchairs have partial access to the attraction and there is no charge for wheelchair users
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.5

based on 275 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

An error in time created a great experience

Ronald_B, Mar 2026

Beautiful facility rich in history. Workers and family take pride in the facilities, their history and their products. Our scheduled time for a tour was miscommunicated to us. However, we ended up getting a private tour from Michelle. Her private tour was outstanding. Her knowledge and enthusiasm was on display during our time with her. If you have an opportunity for a tour with Michelle, you will truly enjoy every minute.

Spirited Simon

Guy_P, Mar 2026

It was a great experience. Staff were all very welcoming, helpful and knowledgeable. The building and properties were perfectly restored and displayed. Incredible attention to detail. Grounds were immaculate. Simone was a wonderful spirits ambassador; souch so that we purchased an engraved cask strength rum from him.

Great tour and good value for money

Jane_H, Mar 2025

If travelling by taxi, ensure you ask the taxi driver to pick you up allowing enough time if you wish to do the distillery tour and the train ride. The guided tour was most interesting around the house and where the sugar cane is crushed. The film show was also very good.

St Nicholas Abbey unmissable

John_M, Oct 2024

Beautiful house with a vintage steam railway, stunning views the rum tasting and an old family video from 1937 was unforgettable then we had a lovely lunch on the patio.

Delightfully unboring

Aaron_R, Mar 2024

There were 6 of us in the tour, so it was very small and private. The tour guide was very professional and extremely knowledgeable, the party asked very detailed questions and she knew all the answers right off the bat, she is clearly very interested in what she is talking about, and makes it feel like you’ve got a truly knowledgeable guide.

Poor vfm

Christina_G, Jan 2023

It was interesting, but certainally not worth the 40$ each price tag! The rum tasting was tiny and we tried to order at the cafe but waited 20 minutes before abandoning!

Lovely experience!

Rowan_W, Nov 2022

Really enjoyed learning about the history of the plantation and the great house! Tasted some lovely rum. Beautiful scenery and setting, didn't go on the train but enjoyed seeing it.

Excellent

Karen_T, May 2022

Really interesting tour definately worth a visit if your on the island. Simon was really good fun telling us about the aged rum and tasting session

Great place to visit

Juliet_C, Mar 2022

The video was really good - and this was my third visit. The china is worth a view and we enjoyed coffee on the terrace. The tour guide was very informative.

A very special day.

Anne_J, Feb 2022

Enjoyed seeing the operation of the sugarcane getting processed. The property is outstanding. The train trip is an added bonus. Had lunch at the cafe. Great food and yummy rum punch. And meeting Simon Warren, a family member of the owners, made it more special. Loved his warm personality and humour as he hosted the rum tastings.

History, Culture and Rum!

SheTravelscom, Sep 2019

This tour was truly inspirational and educational. The drive and the entrance to St. Nicholas Abbey was worth it. The beauty and historical significance to the island of Barbados is an unforgettable one. If you're inspired by knowledge and history, this is a tour for you. It is a good tour for families, and every age range. Kids will love the birds on at the Great House as well as enjoy the train ride to Cherry Hill where you can enjoy impressive views of the island. The rum tasting for the rum connoisseurs will change your life. The rum is smooth. Definitely a must while you're on the island of Barbados.

Lovely historic house

Julie_C, Jun 2019

Lovely visit to St Nicholas Abbey today. We had a tour around the house and gardens and a little rum tasting at the end. We thought it was good value for money. Our tour guide (Meghan) was very informative and gave us a good idea and how they lived in the old days. The house itself was beautiful . We were allowed to take as many photos as we wanted. The rum tasting at the end was hosted by Simon (the owner) who was very interesting and funny. A lovely 2-3 hours.

Response from Host, Jun 2019

Thanks for visiting us here at the Abbey, and happy you enjoyed the experience. At Nicholas Abbey is an on-going restoration project of the family, so we would like to say thank you for supporting our efforts.