Planning a Trip

Visitor Information

In the United States, you can get information at the St. Vincent and Grenadines Tourist Office, 801 Second Ave., 21st Floor, New York, NY 10017 (tel. 800/729-1726 or 212/687-4981). The website for St. Vincent and the Grenadines is www.svgtourism.com.

On St. Vincent, the local Department of Tourism is on Upper Bay Street, Government Administrative Centre, Kingstown (tel. 784/457-1502). Hours are Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm.

Getting There

In the eastern Caribbean, St. Vincent -- the "gateway to the Grenadines" (the individual islands are discussed later in this chapter) -- lies about 160km (100 miles) west of Barbados. There are no direct flights. The best connections are through Barbados and Antigua. From Barbados you can take LIAT (tel. 784/458-4841), which connects the islands of Grenada and St. Lucia with St. Vincent, Bequia, and Union Island. From Antigua, Caribbean Star (tel. 866/864-6272 in the U.S. and Canada; www.flycaribbeanstar.com) flies twice daily to St. Vincent.

There are other links as well. American Eagle (tel. 800/433-7300 in the U.S. and Canada, or 784/456-5555; www.aa.com) flies nonstop from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Canouan, one of the most visited of the Grenadine islands.

Dependable Grenadine Airways (tel. 784/457-5124; www.grenadine-airways.com) makes daily shuttle runs from St. Vincent to the satellite islands of Mustique, Union, and Canouan, with per-person fares ranging from US$40-US$60 (£21-£31) one-way. With advance warning, Grenadine Airways will arrange reasonably priced special charters to and from many of the surrounding islands and inner islands (including Grenada, Aruba, St. Lucia, Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad, and any others in the southern Caribbean). The price of these chartered flights is less than you might expect and often matches the fares on conventional Caribbean airlines.

Getting Around St. Vincent

By Taxi -- Because of the bad roads, most visitors use taxis to get around. The government sets the rates, but taxis are unmetered, so be sure to agree on the fare before getting in. Figure on spending US$15-US$20 (£7.80-£10) or more to go from the airport to your hotel. You should tip about 12% of the fare.

You can also hire taxis to take you to the island's major attractions. Most drivers seem to be well-informed guides. (It won't take you long to learn everything you need to know about St. Vincent.) You'll spend from US$20 (£10) per hour for a car holding two to four passengers.

By Rental Car -- Driving on St. Vincent is a bit of an adventure because of the narrow, twisting roads (sound your horn as you make the sharp hairpin turns). Most importantly: Drive on the left. If you present your valid driver's license from home at the police department, on Bay Street in Kingstown, and pay an EC$76 (US$28/£15) fee, you'll get a temporary permit to drive.

Avis (tel. 800/331-1212 in the U.S. and Canada; www.avis.com) has a branch at the airport. One local rental firm is Star Garage, on Grenville Street in Kingstown (tel. 784/456-1743). Make sure your car has a spare tire because the roads are full of potholes.

By Bus -- Flamboyantly painted "alfresco" buses travel the principal roads of St. Vincent, linking the major towns and villages. The price is low, depending on where you're going, and the experience will connect you with the locals. The central departure point is the bus terminal at the New Kingstown Fish Market. Fares range from EC$.95-EC$6 (35¢-US$2.25/20p-£1.20).

Special Events

Late June brings St. Vincent's weeklong Carnival, one of the largest such celebrations in the eastern Caribbean. The festivities include steel-band and calypso competitions, parades, costumes, and the crowning of the king and queen of the carnival. The fun extends through the first 2 weeks in July, culminating in a huge street party.