caribbean islands to visit in july

Plan Your July Getaway

• Best Caribbean Islands to Visit in July

While the summer heat is on, the Caribbean breeze and inviting waters make it a perfect escape from the daily grind. Whether you're looking for adventure, relaxation or a bit of both, here’s where to find the best Caribbean islands to visit in July.

1. The Bahamas: A Festival of Colors & Culture

The Bahamas is certainly one of the best Caribbean islands to visit in July, offering crystal-clear waters and white sandy beaches that are perfect for summer activities. July is also a special time here because of the Independence Day celebrations on July 10, which include parades, music and spectacular fireworks. The warm weather and festive atmosphere make it a top choice for a July vacation.

2. Barbados: Crop Over Celebrations

Barbados shines bright in July with its Crop Over Festival, an extravaganza that traces its origins back to the 1780s. One of the best Caribbean islands to visit in July, Barbados invites travelers to Grand Kadooment, a significant cultural event featuring music, dance and a grand carnival parade. This festival is a colorful and joyous celebration of Barbadian culture and history.

3. Aruba: Sun, Sea & Sand

Known for its dry, sunny weather and stunning landscapes, Aruba is a haven for beach lovers and water sports enthusiasts. July in Aruba is particularly appealing, with perfect conditions for snorkeling, windsurfing and diving. The island’s vibrant nightlife and friendly locals ensure that every visitor has a memorable stay, securing its place as one of the best Caribbean islands to visit in July.

4. St. Lucia: Exotic Beauty & Thrilling Adventures

St. Lucia offers more than picturesque views. It's a haven for eco-adventurers and beachgoers alike. July is a great time to explore the lush rainforests, climb the majestic Pitons or unwind on the volcanic beaches. The island’s cultural festivities, coupled with its natural beauty, make it an ideal destination among the best Caribbean islands to visit in July.

5. Jamaica: Reggae Sumfest & Natural Wonders

For music lovers, Jamaica is the place to be in July. Home to the famous Reggae Sumfest, Jamaica offers an experience like no other with live performances from top reggae artists. Beyond the music, the island’s stunning waterfalls, lush mountains and sandy beaches offer endless opportunities for adventure and relaxation, making it one of the best Caribbean islands to visit in July.

6. Antigua: Carnival & Coastlines

Antigua is renowned not only for its 365 beautiful beaches, but also for its vibrant Carnival that takes place at the end of July into August. This festival fills the streets with music, dance and colorful costumes, celebrating freedom and culture. Antigua’s warm July weather and festive spirit make it a standout destination among the best Caribbean islands to visit in July.

7. Cayman Islands: Diving Into Paradise

If diving is your passion, the Cayman Islands in July are perfect. The clear, calm waters create ideal conditions for exploring the underwater world, including the famous Stingray City. The islands host various summer events that provide a glimpse into the local culture and community, enhancing its reputation as one of the best Caribbean islands to visit in July.

Why Visit the Caribbean in July?

Visiting the Caribbean in July allows you to dive deep into the region's vibrant culture and stunning natural landscapes while enjoying the festive summer atmosphere. Each island offers a unique blend of activities, events and relaxation, perfect for any summer traveler. Whether you’re dancing to calypso music in Barbados or soaking up the sun in Aruba, the best Caribbean islands to visit in July promise an unforgettable vacation filled with adventure, culture and relaxation.

Experience Best Caribbean Islands to Visit in July with these sailings

Complete your adventure with these shore excursions

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Destinations
• The Caribbean

18 of the Most Beautiful Caribbean Islands

White-sand beaches, crystalline waters, and lush rain forests are calling.

Wildroze/Getty Images

The islands of the Caribbean region are known for their stunning beaches, brilliantly blue waters, and near-perfect weather. While there are many similarities between them, each has its own topography, history, and culture. The most beautiful Caribbean islands have distinctive natural features, like St. Lucia’s haunting coastal twin peaks, Dominica’s untouched rain forest, and the pink sands of the Bahamas. On some islands, well-preserved historical architecture enhances the idyllic setting.

There are direct flights to many popular Caribbean destinations, but more remote islands, such as Canouan, require an inter-island flight or ferry — or even a private charter. We think you’ll find the secluded beaches and pristine landscapes worth the extra effort. Here are 18 of the most beautiful Caribbean islands to inspire your travels.

• Best tourist destination: St. Barts
• Underrated hidden gem: Canouan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Best for families: U.S. Virgin Islands
• Best for couples: St. Lucia
• Best for solo travelers: Puerto Rico

Keep reading to discover the rest of our picks.

Taylor McIntyre/Travel + Leisure

Known for upscale resorts , villas, boutiques, and visiting yachts, St. Barts is a little over nine square miles with white-sand beaches, lagoons, and inlets. An undersea nature reserve protects the shallow coral reefs surrounding the island, providing excellent snorkeling opportunities. Divers can explore several sunken vessels as well as colorful marine life. The capital, Gustavia, is a picturesque harbor town with promenades, historic buildings, and restaurants.

Canouan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Alisha Prakash/Travel + Leisure

Canouan has the hallmarks of many Caribbean islands: luminous turquoise waters offset by white-sand beaches and verdant hills. But the natural landscapes of the tiny “island of turtles” are hardly touched by tourism, partly thanks to its remote location. Getting there involves chartering a plane or catching a flight or ferry from another island. Climb Canouan’s tallest peak, Mount Royal, for spectacular views of the surrounding islands — including the even more exclusive celebrity playground Mustique .

U.S. Virgin Islands

John Duarte/Getty Images

About 45 miles from Puerto Rico, this archipelago consists of three main islands: St. Thomas , St. John , and St. Croix , the largest. Known for duty-free shopping, the U.S. Virgin Islands offer much more than bargains, although it’s fun to come home with a special purchase. Visitors can snorkel among coral reefs, mangroves, and colorful marine life. On St. John, the Virgin Islands National Park is home to immaculate beaches, hiking trails, and historic ruins.

Paul Baggaley/Getty Images

This volcanic island is known for the hauntingly beautiful Piton mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can climb the iconic twin peaks for spectacular views, though the challenging hike is best undertaken with a guide. The lush rain forest of the island's interior is home to native wildlife such as the St. Lucia Parrot. Mineral-rich mud pools, thermal baths, and sulfur springs are reminders of the island’s volcanic origins. The beauty continues under the sea, where divers and snorkelers can see coral, colorful tropical fish, and sea turtles.

Puerto Rico

From beaches to mountains to rain forests, Puerto Rico offers a diverse environment. Trails in El Yunque National Forest lead through lush greenery to natural pools and waterfalls. Spread across roughly 270 miles of coastline, Puerto Rico’s beaches range from secluded coves to lively white-sand stretches with swimming, diving, and water sports. Among the must-visit places in Puerto Rico are its rare bioluminescent bays, where the water appears to glow at night thanks to microscopic organisms that are stimulated by movement.

Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

M Swiet Productions/Getty Images

The third largest of the British Virgin Islands, Virgin Gorda is known for its pristine beaches, history, nature sanctuaries, and the Baths — pools and seawater grottos formed by huge granite boulders. White-sand shores include nearby Spring Bay, with clear water for snorkeling, an expansive lawn, picnic tables, barbecue grills, and a natural swimming pool created by a circle of boulders.

NAPA74/Getty Images

This beautiful island is nicknamed the "Spice Isle" for its production of spices, including nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, and vanilla. White-sand beaches on its 75 miles of coastline, rain forests, and waterfalls are part of the appeal, as is its vibrant culture, rum distilleries, and historical architecture. Divers can enjoy its coral reefs, shipwrecks, and underwater sculpture park .

Derek Galon/Getty Images

Not to be confused with the Dominican Republic, Dominica offers untouched natural beauty with rain forests, mountains, and waterfalls. A unique feature on the island is Boiling Lake, a flooded volcanic fumarole that bubbles from the molten magma below. The main town on the island’s north coast is Calibishie, an ancient fishing village about a mile from the rain forest.

Located about 600 miles from Miami, Jamaica lures visitors with gorgeous beaches . In addition to its palm-fringed sandy shores, the island has rivers flowing from its mountains into the Caribbean. On the northern coast, Dunn’s River Falls attracts hikers and beachgoers who swim in the shallow waters at the base of the waterfall or relax on the stretch of white sand. The Blue Lagoon, with its translucent, cerulean water, is another stunning spot to the east.

Turks and Caicos

marchello74/Getty Images

While technically in the Atlantic Ocean, Turks and Caicos is included in the Caribbean region. The British Overseas Territory consists of two island groups totaling more than 40 islands, but only eight are inhabited. The island of Providenciales is home to the majority of hotels and resorts and one of the most beautiful beaches in the world . Grace Bay Beach offers soft white sand, calm waters, and an extensive barrier reef. Take in the island's stunning scenery — above and below the water — while sailing, snorkeling, or paddleboarding.

Located in the eastern Caribbean, Anguilla combines modern, luxurious resorts with well-preserved reminders of the island’s colonial past like the 1785 Wallblake House. Soft, white sand and clear, warm waters attract visitors to resorts along Shoal Bay Beach on the island's eastern side and the West End’s Meads Bay, Rendezvous Bay, and other beautiful areas.

Necker Island and Moskito Island

cdwheatley/Getty Images

Sir Richard Branson’s private islands are a few of the Caribbean’s loveliest. Necker Island , a mile north of Virgin Gorda, features plush villas, lush landscaping, and a variety of wildlife, cared for by a team of conservationists. Moskito Island , just across from Necker Island, also offers natural beauty surrounded by clear, blue waters, with estates available for guest buyouts.

Grand Cayman

Marc Guitard/Getty Images

The largest of the Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman combines coral sand and lively restaurants and bars on its famed Seven Mile Beach — one of the Caribbean's best beaches . After you've soaked up the idyllic coastal scenery, browse luxe jewelry and perfume in the duty-free stores in the capital, George Town. To immerse yourself in natural beauty, head to the eastern section of the island, where the tropical gardens and two-acre lake at Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park provide a haven for native wildlife like endangered blue iguanas.

Cozumel, Mexico

Brent Durand/Getty Images

Located off the eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, Cozumel is on the Mesoamerican Reef, the second-largest barrier reef in the world. Snorkeling and diving in the clear waters around the reef or relaxing on the sandy beaches are just a few ways to enjoy the island. At Punta Sur , an ecological park with white-sand beaches and croc-inhabited lagoons, you can rent kayaks or snorkeling gear. Climb to the top of the lighthouse for breathtaking coastal views.

Tuul & Bruno Morandi/Getty Images

Lush greenery and hummingbird-attracting tropical blooms are on full display in Martinique's Jardin de Balata, one of the most beautiful places in the Caribbean . Mont Pelée, an active volcano, is another natural wonder of this island north of St. Lucia. Gorgeous beaches, rain forests, and mountains provide visitors with adventures like hiking, kayaking, and exploring the island’s protected parkland. Historic shipwrecks and the island’s abundant marine life make diving a popular activity, too, along with sampling Martinique’s famed rum and cuisine.

Anton Petrus/Getty Images

The easternmost Caribbean island, Barbados boasts more than 80 white-sand beaches (plus the exquisite pink-sand Crane Beach), snorkeling and diving among marine life and shipwrecks, and some of the Caribbean’s best rum. But the dramatic rock formations of the mountainous Scotland District may make you feel you've been transported to the Scottish Highlands. The island’s breezes are perfect for kitesurfing, and water sports like kayaking, paddleboarding, and surfing are popular as well.

Westend61/Getty Images

One of the so-called ABC Islands, along with Aruba and Bonaire, Curaçao is located in the southern Caribbean, just off the coast of Venezuela. The largest of the three islands, Curaçao offers Caribbean culture with a bit of Dutch flavor, reflecting its colonial heritage. The picturesque historical buildings and location outside of the hurricane belt are part of the allure. Natural landscapes range from powdery white-sand beaches to the striking coral rock formations of Shete Boka and verdant Christoffel National Park with its namesake mountain, wild orchids, and native deer.

There are around 700 islands of the Bahamas , which is part of the Caribbean Community despite its location in the Atlantic Ocean. All of them are beautiful and some are quite unique. Paradise Island features modern resorts, nightlife, and casinos; Eleuthera is more secluded, with pink-sand beaches and historic architecture; and the Exumas are home to swimming pigs and a marine reserve that protects the beautiful undersea life. The Abaco islands, meanwhile, are known for fishing, sailing, boating, and charming colonial towns.

Related Articles