11 of the Best Things to do in Grand Cayman

Are you looking for all the best things to do in Grand Cayman? This list will help you plan a great trip to the Cayman Islands!

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Have you been looking for things to do in Grand Cayman?

The Cayman Islands are one of the most beautiful places I’ve traveled to. If you’re looking for a place with some of the clearest blue water, this should be at the top of your list!

My boyfriend (he’s a drummer) had a gig come up in Grand Cayman and since we both had never been there we decided to stay a couple extra days and make a whole trip out of it.

There are so many great attractions that allow you to take full advantage of the wonderfully preserved ocean waters and sea life.

When I went to Grand Cayman we rented a car – which I highly recommend. We stayed in an Airbnb along the 7-mile beach, but most of the attractions we went to were in various places across the island. If this is the case for you, it’s going to be way cheaper to rent a car than to try to take a taxi. They don’t have Uber or Lyft so a taxi is really the only other way to get around the island.

This post is all about the best things to do in Grand Cayman!

Best things to do in Grand Cayman!

1.) “Nautilus”: The Undersea Tours (Semi-submarine tour)

Let’s kick it off strong with one of my absolute favorite things we did while we were in Grand Cayman! One of my favorite things about The Cayman Islands is how clear the water is and how much amazing sea life you are able to see. There are so many incredible things to do in the water.

My boyfriend Daniel and I found this tour online and knew we wanted to sign up for it! It ended up being even better than we imagined. I would definitely put this at the top of your list if you are traveling the Grand Cayman.

We opted to do our trip first thing in the morning – I believe we had to meet for our tour around 9 or 9:30 AM. They request that you arrive early so our actual tour time was probably around 10.

Since we were there early, we sat at the bar seats outside of Rackam’s Waterfront Bar & Grill (which is right where the submarine picks you up). They weren’t open yet but the bartender was so nice and still brought us drinks while we waited. He was so nice we ended up coming back to have lunch with him once our tour was over!

The restaurant has beautiful views and we were able to do a ton of fish watching! The bartender (I wish I could remember his name!!) saw we had some food left over and he gave us the green light to feed the fish (he also told us what is okay to feed them and what you shouldn’t throw in for them). They swarmed the moment they saw food!

So if you do the tour, definitely think about trying to take some time to stop by Rackam’s either before or after your tour! The food was also great!

So, the Nautilus is a “semi-submarine.” This means half of the boat is above water (that’s where the captain is), and then the bottom half of the boat (where you sit for your tour) is completely below water. The bottom half has windows all the way around it so you can see in every single direction. When we got to board our ride, we found out we were literally the only ones on our tour! So we got pretty lucky with that because it allowed us to freely walk around and see whatever view we wanted. The way the seats are I think even if you were with several people you would have a great view!

Our ride was an hour long, but I believe they offer some that allow you to get out and snorkel so I’m sure those are longer! The guy who narrated our ride was very funny and made it so much fun! We saw tons of fish and even a couple of shipwrecks along the way.

2.) Stingray city

There is an area off the coast of Grand Cayman that is referred to as Stingray City. You can take a boat tour out to a sandbar, and you will see TONS of stingrays that congregate in that area. Your guide will help you hold them and pet them.

They have several options – from private tours to group tours!

3.) Visit “Hell”

Yes, I know – you’re probably like what in the world haha. I did not visit Hell when I was in Grand Cayman mostly because we didn’t have a ton of time and it was gonna be a little bit of a drive for a place where there really isn’t much to do – but if you do have time I’m sure it’s really cool to see!

There are tons of interesting-looking black rocks created by salt and lime deposits. You can go for free at any time of day, but if you’d like to check out the gift shops, they are open from 8 am to 5 pm!

4.) Ride horses in the Caribbean

Another amazing thing to do in Grand Cayman is to take a horse ride through the Caribbean Sea. They have several different options – you can take a horse ride along the beach, you can choose the option where you end by actually riding the horse into the water, and then there is also a nighttime ride. It’s such a unique experience!

5.) Night Kayaking in the Bioluminescent Bay

There of course are a ton of different kayaking options in The Cayman Islands – but the one we did, and the one I feel like is the most unique – is the Bioluminescent night kayaking experience.

You’ll meet at Rum Point (more on Rum Point in just a minute!) and then board your kayak and go on a group tour. There are so many things to love about this tour..the only thing I hate is that my photos don’t do it justice since it all takes place after the sun goes down.

A couple of the highlights of the kayaking trip: When you get far enough out into the ocean away from the city lights your tour guide points out several constellations to you, you also stop on a shore so that you can view a jellyfish up close and even touch it if you’d like, and then of course the water lights up as you press your paddle into it! It’s one of the most incredible things you’ll see!

Make sure you look in advance to see if you’ll be able to book this tour because they base open tour dates around the moon cycles!

6.) Rum Point

As I mentioned earlier, Rum Point is where you will meet up for your kayaking tour if you choose to book it. Since we were pretty early, I did grab a drink from Rum Point – but we didn’t end up eating there. I’ve heard it’s good though so if you have extra time on your hands you could definitely show up early enough for dinner. It definitely had a great vibe. Even if you don’t eat though it’s obviously right on the water and has a beautiful pier we explored and were able to see a lot of fish!

7.) Visit the Seven Mile Beach

The Seven Mile Beach is considered to be one of the best beaches in the whole world. It is absolutely stunning. Our hotel happened to be right along the beach, but whether you stay near it or not there is plenty to do! You can just take a walk along the beach, eat at one of the several restaurants with an ocean view, snorkel, rent jet skis, and so much more.

One restaurant I highly recommend on The Seven Mile Beach is Tillie’s! We love oysters – so that was a big reason we chose to try it out! They had amazing views and the staff was absolutely incredible. Definitely eat there if you get the chance!

8.) Visit Camana Bay

Camana Bay is an are on Grand Cayman they has tons of shopping and dining. If you’re looking to kill some time it’s the perfect place to walk around and just see what you find. Keep your eyes on their website too because they have a lot of events going on you may want to check out!

9.) Cayman Crystal Caves

In Grand Cayman, there are some amazing crystal caves that you can take a guided tour of! The caves are in the middle of a tropical forest and are located in Northside!

The group tours are an hour and a half. There are three separate crystal-filled caves that you will do a 45-minute walkthrough of, a 30-minute nature walk of the surrounding area, and then a little bit of free time at the viewing deck near the end.

10.) Snorkel

There are so many great places to snorkel in Grand Cayman! Our Airbnb had snorkeling gear we could use so since we were right by the beach we mostly did our snorkeling at the in the area right outside our room. If you do Stingray City you’ll definitely be able to get some snorkeling in and if you plan to take the semi-submarine tour they have options for snorkeling as well. There are plenty of places to rent snorkeling gear near good snorkeling zones so make sure you find a place to see some of the stunning fish and coral reefs around the island!

11.) Eat!!

I’ve already named several places where you can grab great food! Grand Cayman is filled with amazing places to grab some good local food. There was nothing we had that we didn’t love.

One I wanted to add that I haven’t mentioned yet is a restaurant called Luca! It’s definitely on the pricier side, but if you want to treat yourself some night while you are in Grand Cayman I highly recommend it. It’s located in a hotel and they have outdoor seating with a beautiful view of the water and the hotel pool. I highly recommend going when the sun is setting and sitting outside if it’s a nice day!

There are so many great options – a lot with relaxing ocean views so make sure you take full advantage of the wonderful restaurants Grand Cayman has to offer!