Backpacking In Dominica: Top 10 Sights In Roseau, The Capital City

“Take me away, cos I just don’t wanna stay” – Noel Gallagher.

When COVID hit the world in 2020, it was for sure a dent in my travel globe, a halt in proceedings. Life changed dramatically for me after that. I was locked down in Warszawa in Poland having just come back from Africa in February 2020. When Malina and I flew from Cape Town to Windhoek to Luanda to Amsterdam to Warszawa, we had no idea neither of us would leave Poland for a further 19 months, nor leave Europe again for a further 22 months. Incidentally, my next jaunt was to Lithuania in September 2021. We were all mask loyal.

Of course, the advantages of lockdown meant that I was stuck at home instead of backpacking. That was easy. I don’t get bored, I just missed travel. Instead, I resorted to working exclusively online from my bedroom. In March 2020, I tried to teach English Online for the first time in my life, it was worth a chance to earn some money while stuck at home. I was still travel blogging of course, I even wrote a top backpacking sights article on my own flat!

I gave up alcohol for the first 3 months of COVID. I released the first volume of Backpacking Centurion in June 2020 and there is no doubt that lockdown accelerated the speed of my book launches. I also moved flats twice during COVID – once in 2020 and again in 2021. I moved from Bielany to Powisle (near Warsaw city centre, and the Wisla River) and then I moved east to Grochow.

Finally in October, November and December 2021 I started to go backpacking again. In that 3 month time period, surprisingly, I visited Albania, Russia, The Seychelles, Qatar, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, England, The Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Austria, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia!! 15 Countries!! The 16th would fall on Dominica, where I got a visa eventually (it was tricky at the time due to multiple COVID tests and rejected online applications). And here I was, I landed on a flight from Barbados and checked into the marvellous Roseau Valley Lodge. Here, finally in 2025 are my top sights from backpacking Dominica’s capital city during COVID.

1.Dominica Botanic Gardens

Established in 1891, these gardens showcase a diverse collection of indigenous and exotic plants. It’s an ideal spot for a leisurely stroll amidst colorful flora and to observe local wildlife.

2.Windsor Park!! (The National Football Stadium!!)

You might wonder why all the exclamation marks, but come on. Northern Ireland’s national football stadium is called Windsor Park and it was once my regular haunt. I only missed 3 home matches from 1990 to 2009, and for 2 of those I wasn’t in the country! SO to find out that wee Dominica’s national football team ALSO play at Windsor Park and ALSO play in green was nuts!!

To throw an even more nuts spanner in the works, visiting Windsor Park in Dominica was not just on my list of sights already, but it was MANDATORY for me to go here – because this was the only place in the capital city that did COVID PCR Tests. On that trip to the Caribbean alone, 2021 to 2022, I had to get 17 PCR Tests in order to backpack 15 countries! So I was off to Windsor Park to do a COVID test. As well as being their national football stadium, it is also their national cricket stadium…

3.Dominica’s Parliament Building

Roseau is a small city and you can backpack the sights on foot fairly quickly. I backpacked past the Dominica parliament – it was all shut up of course, and we were all mask loyal.

4.Neg Mawon Emancipation Monument

The Neg Mawon Emancipation Monument, unveiled on August 1, 2013, in Roseau, Dominica, commemorates the 175th anniversary of the island’s emancipation from slavery. Created by local craftsman Franklyn Zamore, the seven-foot bronze statue depicts a muscular, shirtless Maroon figure blowing a conch shell—a traditional means of communication among escaped slaves.

The figure’s broken shackles and chains symbolize liberation and resilience. Situated at the hat-trickal intersection of Turkey Lane, Victoria Street, and Castle Street, near the historic Roseau Old Market where many enslaved Africans were sold and executed, the monument honours the Maroons who risked their lives fighting for freedom and pays homage to those who suffered during Dominica’s history of slavery.

5.Yolene’s Shop

For souvenirs, I headed to Yolene’s Shop. It’s probably not on most people’s top sights list, but it certainly made mine, for buying souvenirs during COVID.

6.Roseau Market

I was told that Roseau Market is usually a bustling hub where locals sell fresh produce, spices, and crafts. However, during COVID it was almost shut to a halt. I went to the bar on the corner for a beer and a bite and I was the only customer. Ruins Rock Bar.

7.Sunset At Roseau Harbour

In terms of sunsets, Roseau certainly serves them up. Relax by the harbour or beach. I watched the richboy cruise ships to come in, realising now I was no longer the only tourist backpacking Roseau, for about 2 hours. They and their boat had left for sunset, to leave me admiring it all alone from Hi Rise Beach Bar.

8.Fort Young

Originally a military fortification, Fort Young now serves as a hotel and museum. Visitors can explore its historical architecture and learn about its role in Dominica’s past. For a change, I didn’t bother going into the hotel or museum and decided not to include it in my Thirsty Thursdays top bars in Dominica.

9.St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral

This architectural gem features intricate stained glass windows and a blend of Gothic and Romanesque styles. It’s a peaceful retreat and a testament to the island’s religious heritage, it was closed and calm but I dandered through the courtyard.

10.Peebles Park

Adjacent to already mentioned landmarks such as Fort Young, the Roseau Cruise Ship Berth, The Dominica Museum, and the Neg Mawon Emancipation Monument, Peebles Park serves as a green oasis in the city, offering residents and visitors a place to relax and enjoy the outdoors.

Peebles Park is a historic public space named after Major W.H. Peebles, who served as the island’s Chief of Police and occasionally Acting Administrator during the 1920s. Major Peebles was instrumental in transforming the area from an abandoned pasture—once used for tethering market vendors’ donkeys and historically significant as the 1791 execution site of revolutionary leader Jean Louis Polinaire—into a landscaped park adorned with ornamental bushes and flowering trees.

A Sight I didn’t backpack – Dominica Museum (closed during COVID)

Situated in a colonial-era building, the museum offers insights into Dominica’s rich history, from indigenous cultures to colonial times. It’s an educational stop to understand the island’s heritage, but I skippacked it as it was closed.

While backpacking in Roseau, here are a few other photos I took in the city centre.

Here are some videos from my days backpacking in Dominica: