Best Things to do in Grand Cayman | Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

girls swimming with stingrays at stingray city grand cayman

girl standing under bent palm tree on seven mile beach

We visited Grand Cayman for the first time this summer. Grand Cayman is one of the Cayman Islands located in the British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It’s only about a 4 hour flight from NYC, so it’s in a great location for either a quick weekend trip, or a longer stay. We spent a week in Grand Cayman and fell in love with the crystal clear, blue waters, delicious food, and amazing people.

A few things to keep in mind: The summer months are actually the low season for Grand Cayman. Flights and accommodations will be cheaper, which is one of the reasons why we visited then. But it was extremely hot and humid during that time. Make sure you stay hydrated! You can overheat very fast during the summer. Also because Grand Cayman is a British Territory, their currency exchange is is $1.25 USD to $1.00 KYD (Cayman Islands $). The USD is accepted on the islands, but it will be more expensive than the prices listed since most are in KYD. Also in general everything is more expensive on the islands such as groceries, dining, shopping, etc. than what you would normally pay in the USA.

We loved our trip to Grand Cayman and think it’s such a beautiful and underrated destination in the Caribbean! Keep on reading to see our favorite things to do on your trip:

Where to Stay in Grand Cayman

There are a few different areas that are popular to stay near in Grand Cayman. There’s Georgetown (the capital and the port), Seven Mile Beach, or Rum Point. We stayed at a vacation rental in between Georgetown and Seven Mile Beach and thought it was a perfect location! We had easy access to everything we wanted to do. If you want to splurge, we highly recommend staying at Palm Heights on Seven Mile Beach. We visited the hotel a few times for dinner and drinks and the property is absolutely stunning. But even if you don’t stay there, you can still visit the hotel for dinner or drinks like we did to experience the vibe!

Find more accommodations in Grand Cayman here on Expedia!

How to Get Around Grand Cayman

You can either get around Grand Cayman by renting a car or using a local taxi service. If you are going to rent a car, just be aware that they drive on the left side of the road there since it is a British Territory! We decided not to rent a car and we either walked or used one of the local taxi services to get around. We used Charlie’s Cabs and they were reliable every time! They have a US Toll Free # as well as local Cayman phone numbers. We just called them whenever we wanted a ride and they came to pick us up wherever we were at. The price ranged from $20-$50 depending on where we wanted to go on the island. There is no rideshare service on the island, and you will most likely need a car to explore so renting a car or using a taxi service is your best bet.

Rent a car for Grand Cayman here on Expedia!

Best Things to Do in Grand Cayman

stingray city tour grand cayman — *Stingray City*

Do a tour to Stingray City - Stingray City is one of the best things to do in Grand Cayman and one of the coolest and most unique experiences we’ve ever done while traveling! It’s a tour where you get the chance to swim with wild stingrays. We recommend doing a tour because the tour guides are very knowledgeable and give you all the information you need to keep you safe. Our tour also had a snorkeling spot which was epic! If you do one thing in Grand Cayman, let it be Stingray City.
Visit Starfish Point - Starfish Point is an area near Rum Point where you can see tons of Starfish (we actually learned on our tour that the proper name for them are Sea Stars)! We had never been this close to Sea Stars before so this was really cool. Sometimes Starfish Point is also a stop on a Stingray City tour so you might be able to do both at the same time!
Chill at Seven Mile Beach - Seven Mile Beach is exactly what it sounds like, a beach that is 7 miles long! Along the beach are lots of hotels & restaurants, and a mix of public & private/hotel beach access. Most of the beach is public and different beach inlets have different names. Our favorite part of the Seven Mile Beach was Cemetery Beach — they had the most epic snorkeling!
Do the Cayman Crystal Cave tour - here you can see caves on the island that are millions of years old. You will also learn the history of the caves and the area.
Explore Georgetown - Georgetown is the capital of Grand Cayman and it’s also one of the most popular areas to visit. Georgetown is also where the cruise ship port is located so there are lots of restaurants, shopping, and souvenirs.
Walk Around Camana Bay - a retail and entertainment district along the Camana Bay. This area was really close to our vacation rental so we visited here a lot. There was always something going on and had some great restaurants and bars.
Visit Hell, Grand Cayman - Hell is an area in Grand Cayman that got it’s name from these black limestone formations that are found nearby. It’s great site seeing for a pit stop or if you are doing something nearby, but you don’t necessarily need to go out of your way for this.