The Best Things to Do on Grand Cayman Island

The Cayman Islands are a trio of islands in the Caribbean known for their beautiful beaches and turquoise water. Grand Cayman is the largest of the three and a popular destination for vacationers and cruisers. Whether you’re stopping over for a few days or staying a week, there are a number of things to do on Grand Cayman. The island has beautiful beach spots, world-class diving and unique wildlife encounters.

About Grand Cayman

The Cayman Islands are a British Territory made up of three islands: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. Grand Cayman is the island most people visit as it’s about 75 mi², while the other two are only about 14 and 10 mi². While it’s known for its beauty, it’s also known for being very expensive.

Since we live in South Florida, we usually plan a Caribbean getaway based on which island has the cheapest flight at the time. And I had never seen the Cayman Islands on the affordable side, so when they popped up, I booked it immediately.

The Cayman Islands are just south of Cuba and nearly directly south of Miami. It’s a quick flight for us South Floridians (under an hour and a half). The main island of Grand Cayman is fairly large and takes about 2 hours to drive from one end to the other.

Seven Mile Beach is a main draw for people visiting which is located along the west coast of the island. Because of its popularity, you’ll find a lot of the resorts and restaurants in that area as well. But it’s also where the airport is located and the capital, George Town.

How to Get There

The best way to get to Grand Cayman is by flying into Owen Roberts International Airport, which is the main airport on the island. It’s right outside of George Town and extremely convenient if you’re staying on Seven Mile Beach.

Getting Around

There are no ride sharing services on the island, but there are taxis available. Taxis are on the more expensive side but they are there if you don’t plan on renting a car. If you want to get out and explore the island thoroughly, you should look at renting a car. Most of the car rental places are a quick walk right across the street from the airport.

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Things to Do on Grand Cayman

Lots of people come to Grand Cayman to relax on the beach, but there are quite a few things to check out around the island and even more to explore underwater. Here are some of the top things to do on Grand Cayman:

Relax at Seven Mile Beach

Seven Mile Beach is the main beach on Grand Cayman and where most people end up staying. It’s a long stretch of sand that covers much of the west coast of the island and has beautiful turquoise water. Seven Mile Beach is one of the longest beaches in the Caribbean, though despite the name, it’s actually closer to 6 miles long.

It’s also often referred to as one of the more beautiful beaches in the Caribbean. There are several resorts along the beach and several sections within Seven Mile Beach that go by their own name:

• Governor’s Beach – This beach is right next to the Governor’s house, which is separated by a walls and a white fence. It’s another nice section with plenty of room to spread out.
• Cemetery Beach – As the name suggests, this beach is right in front of a cemetery. The path runs right alongside it and the beach right in front of it. But it’s a nice, peaceful section of the beach with shaded areas.

Tour the National Museum

The National Museum can be found in the Old Courts Building in George Town. It’s a smaller building and you can take a quick stop in to learn about the history and ecology of the island. There are several exhibits to walk through and a video to watch.

See the Fort George Ruins

Just off the main road in George Town is where you’ll find the ruins of Fort George. The fortification dates back to the 1700s and was used as a defense lookout. You can find an old lookout post, some cannons and part of the old fort walls. It’s a quick walk through and something easy to see while exploring the town.

Shop at Camana Bay

If you’re looking to do some shopping while visiting Grand Cayman, head to Camana Bay–an outdoor area with shopping and restaurants. There’s also an observation tower you can climb with mosaic tile walls along the way and a view from the top.

Go to Stingray City

One of the top things to do on Grand Cayman is take a tour to Stingray City. Stingray City is a shallow sandbar out in the ocean that attracts a lot of stingrays. The area is only a few feet deep so you can stand in the water as stingrays swim all around you.

Your guide will also help you hold one and let you feed them while giving you different facts and information. The stingrays are used to people being in the area and it’s a pretty incredible tour to go on. Not only because you can swim with stingrays but the area has some of the prettiest water around.

Watch the Sunset at Rum Point

Rum Point is a popular spot on the north side of the island for boaters and beach goers. There’s a restaurant and bar right on the sand where you can order food and drinks and just hang out for the afternoon. There’s a long dock in the water and it’s a great spot to catch the sunset.

Take a Bioluminescent Tour

Grand Cayman actually has a bioluminescent bay on the north side of the island. Most people will need to take a night tour if you want to see the bioluminescence. We happened to be staying in an AirBNB right on the bay that included a kayak, so we took it out several nights to see the bioluminescence.

You can definitely see it by kayaking through it but it’s actually better seen while snorkeling. Underwater, the bioluminescence looks like thousands of white specks created by your body disturbing the water. If you’ve never done one of these tours before, they can be pretty cool, but the brightness does differ by the night.

Go to Starfish Point

Another one of the more popular things to do on Grand Cayman is head to Starfish Point. It’s a shallow section of water that’s a popular spot to find starfish. Just make sure you aren’t disturbing them! (Touching them can cause stress and harm from oils on your skin and they should never be taken out of the water! Water is their oxygen.)

If you plan on exploring the north side of the island, you can drive here easily to explore at your leisure. But since it’s a little further from the busyness of the west side, it’s often included as a stop on tours to Stingray City.

Walk Along Lover’s Wall

Lover’s Wall is a stone wall that runs along the sea on the south side of the island on the East End. It has hearts marking the ends of the wall and has a mediocre view of the sea, but that’s about it. It’s on the main tourist map as an attraction and was even recommended to us by a local. Other than glance out, I’m not sure what else there is to do besides continue on down the road.

See the Blow Holes

The Blow Holes are just a short distance down the road from Lover’s Wall. This area is a rocky shoreline where holes in the rocks force the water coming in to shoot up into the air.

At high tide, the water can shoot up pretty high. We visited when (I assume) it was low tide and didn’t get the full effect of what they can do, so if you want a water spectacle, make sure to check the tides!

Visit the Pedro St. James Castle

The Pedro St. James Castle is a National Historic Site on the island. It’s a restored 18th century home that was once owned by a wealthy businessman. It’s had many uses over the years including being the meeting place for the ‘birthplace of democracy’ for the Cayman Islands.

Hit the Beach

Seven Mile Beach is of course the main beach area that people go to since it covers a large section of the west coast and is a beautiful beach to go to. But you can find beaches in Grand Cayman all over. Just by driving along the coast, you’ll see ‘beach access’ signs everywhere, so it’s easy to find a more secluded spot.

There are some great coves to relax at or places to go for snorkeling. Some of the other beaches on the west side worth checking out:

• Smith Barcadere – A rocky cove with sand beaches in between the rocks. It’s a smaller area but very scenic and a popular spot for snorkelers.
• Spotts Beach – A cute beach that looks ‘spotted’ due to the seagrass along the shore. It has a small dock and is a great spot to snorkel also.

Explore the Crystal Caves

Another fun tour to do is through the Crystal Caves. You’ll find the caves tucked away in a tropical forest on the north side of the island. The tour takes you through three different sized caves with pathways through stalactites and stalagmites. The largest cave also has a lake that you’ll get to see. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for bats flying around your head!

Visit Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park

In the middle of the island is the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park which sits on 65-acres of land. You can stroll along the trails, boardwalks and gardens to see native plants. You can also find the Blue Iguana Conservation Facility here which is a breeding site for the endangered species.

Walk the Mastic Reserve Trail

While there’s not much hiking to do on Grand Cayman, there is one main trail in the middle of the island. The Mastic Reserve Trail is 2.3 miles one way and takes you through old-growth forests. You can also book a guide from the National Trust if you want to learn more about the area while you hike.

Go Scuba Diving

There are 365 dive sites in the Cayman Islands with 240 located around Grand Cayman. This is a great place to explore the underwater world for certified divers. (Or get certified if you aren’t!) We did two dives while we were here and saw lots of marine life! Some of the popular dive sites are:

• Kittiwake Wreck – Just off the coast of Seven Mile Beach near Cemetery Beach is where you can find the sunken USS Kittiwake. The 251ft boat has 5 decks and was sunk intentionally to become an artificial reef.
• The Walls – There are several wall diving sites off Grand Cayman to explore. In fact, you can do a wall dive off of every side of the island. The drops start at different levels so all types of divers can experience them.
• Devil’s Grotto + Eden Rock – These two dive sites can be done as shore dives and take divers through large caverns and tunnels created by the reefs. The light shines through the top of the reef creating light beams while swimming through.

See the Wreck of the Ten Sails

The Wreck of the Ten Sails is the most famous shipwreck in Cayman Island’s history where ten ships wrecked on the reef off of the shore in 1794. Today, there’s a monument overlooking the sea and some paths to take along the water. It’s a quick stop and a pretty coastal walk.

Go to Hell

Interestingly, there’s a place called Hell in Grand Cayman. There are some pretty gnarly rocks throughout the island and Hell is where you can see a larger section of them. It’s a free attraction with simple overlooks but the rock formations are very unique and interesting to see.

They’ve also capitalized on the name to make it more of an attraction–you can find all sorts of souvenirs with Hell catch phrases and photo ops. You can even send a postcard from Hell to your most ornery friend!

Visit the Turtle Centre

The Cayman Turtle Centre is a conservation facility where you can have turtle encounters and learn about the rehabilitation of sea turtles. There are quite a few things you can do here including feed and swim with turtles, visit the croc cove (to see an 11ft Cayman crocodile), watch sharks through a viewing panel and learn about the conservation programs.

Explore Barkers National Park

Barkers National Park is located on the top west side of Grand Cayman along a long dirt road. It seems like it may not actually be a national park, through that’s what was intended. Head here for a more secluded beach, mangroves or kite surfing.

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Best Time to Visit

Where to Stay

We actually ended up staying on the central north coast right next to Rum Point. Our AirBNB was on the bioluminescent bay and we were able to take a kayak out at night and explore the bay. It’s a quieter section of the island and a nice area to be, HOWEVER, we drove. A LOT.

Because most things are located along the west coast, we were driving that way quite a bit. If we were to go back, we would 100% stay somewhere on the west side or southwest side.

And I’d say, most people probably stay along Seven Mile Beach or right nearby. Places will be more expensive but worth it to be centrally located:

• Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa $$$$
• Beach Living at Discovery Point Club $$$
• The Ritz Carlton $$$$
• Seven Mile Beach Resort $$
• The Locale Hotel Grand Cayman $$
• The Westin Resort & Spa $$$$

Things to Know

• Grand Cayman is a very expensive island. Accommodations and gas have pretty steep prices, but the real kicker is food and drink prices. Be prepared to spend some cash at most restaurants. Or check out these tips for how to do Grand Cayman on a budget!
• At most bars and restaurants, gratuity is automatically added on to your bill.
• The dollar $ is widely used, though you might get Cayman Island Dollars back for change.
• Lots of shops are closed on Sunday.
• If you’re not visiting on a cruise (and want to avoid cruise crowds), you can check the schedule here.
• Tours can change if there aren’t enough people. We purposely scheduled tours for non-cruise days because we wanted less boats and people, but our early morning tour was cancelled because not enough people had booked! They ended up putting us on a later tour that day that had more people.

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