Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is the sailing paradise of the Caribbean. It consists of thirty-two islands and reefs. In the turquoise lagoon of the Tobago Cays you swim with turtles, Bequia’s harbour is quiet, and Mustique has its hidden villas. On Saint Vincent itself stand an active volcano and a rainforest. For us it is visa-free for three months; the only difficulty is the journey, via London and long. But everyone who goes and comes back says it was worth it. In this article I have gathered Kingstown, the volcano, the Grenadine islands and the sailing route in one place. How to get there, what to eat, when to go and the budget are in it too.
Saint Vincent in brief
| Capital | Kingstown, on the island of Saint Vincent |
| Language | English; Creole in everyday life |
| Currency | East Caribbean dollar (XCD), 1 US dollar = 2.7 XCD; US dollars accepted everywhere |
| Visa | 3 months visa-free for citizens of Azerbaijan |
| Best time | December–May dry season; June–November hurricane season |
| Flight | To Argyle airport via London; connections through Barbados and Saint Lucia |
| Daily budget | 120–200 dollars at a mid-range level |
The island of Saint Vincent: Kingstown, La Soufrière, Wallilabou
Saint Vincent is the main island: green, mountainous and full of local life rather than tourists. Kingstown takes half a day with its stone-arched streets and its Saturday market. St Mary’s Cathedral is in the centre, and Fort Charlotte opens up the view over the harbour. The botanical garden, dating from 1765, is the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. The descendant of the breadfruit tree Captain Bligh brought is still there and the gardener points it out. The La Soufrière volcano is 1234 metres high and erupted in 2021. The four-hour hike to the crater is done with a guide. This is the island’s greatest adventure.
The black-sand Atlantic coast is in the north. On the Caribbean coast, Wallilabou Bay is the set of the Pirates of the Caribbean film and the remains still stand. The Dark View falls are nearby. The Vermont nature trail, meanwhile, is for seeing the Saint Vincent parrot in the rainforest. Two days on the island are enough, and then you move on to the Grenadines.
The Grenadines: Bequia, Mustique, the Tobago Cays, Union
Bequia is an hour by ferry from Kingstown and is the best loved of the Grenadines. Port Elizabeth harbour and Admiralty Bay are full of yachts. You walk the coastal path to Princess Margaret beach. The boatbuilding tradition and the whaling museum tell the island’s history. There are quiet cafés and guesthouses. It is worth staying three or four days; honestly, nobody wants to leave. Mustique is a private island with the world’s most famous villas, but Basil’s Bar is open to everyone and you can come by boat for the day.
The Tobago Cays marine park is five uninhabited islands and a horseshoe-shaped reef. There you swim with sea turtles, and the water is among the clearest in the world. You can only get there by boat or yacht. A day tour from Union and Mayreau costs 80–120 dollars. Union is the southern gateway of the Grenadines. Clifton harbour and the kitesurfing are here. Canouan is the golf and luxury resort island. Mayreau is a village of three hundred people and the famous Salt Whistle Bay is there too. The sailing route from Bequia to Union island takes five to seven days; a catamaran charter with a captain is 4000–8000 dollars a week, split between six or eight people, in the best sailing waters of the Caribbean.
How to reach Saint Vincent and get between the islands
Virgin Atlantic and British Airways fly direct from London to Argyle international airport, which opened in 2017, several times a week. From Baku the journey via London takes twenty hours, and a British transit visa may be required, so check in advance. The alternative is to fly to Barbados or Saint Lucia and cross in thirty minutes on a regional plane; to Union island a small plane goes from Barbados.
Between the islands the Bequia ferry runs from Kingstown several times a day, takes an hour and costs ten dollars. The ferry to the southern Grenadines goes several times a week via Canouan, Mayreau and Union in four hours.
SVG Air’s small planes take you to Bequia, Canouan and Union in 10–20 minutes, and a ticket costs 60–100 dollars.
On the island minibuses charge 1–2 dollars, while taxis are expensive. On Bequia you can rent a car or a scooter, a local driving permit costs twenty dollars, and traffic drives on the left.
The food: breadfruit, callaloo, roti
The national dish is jackfish served with fried breadfruit. Callaloo is a green leaf soup, and roti is a flatbread filled with curry, left over from the Indian heritage.
Conch is a sea snail, and lobster is in season from September to April. Goat curry and side dishes of plantain and yam are on the table as well. You drink coconut water straight from the tree.
Lunch costs 5–8 dollars at the Kingstown market and the street stalls, 15–25 dollars at the beach restaurants of Bequia and 40–60 dollars at the resort restaurants. Imported goods are expensive, while local fish and fruit are cheap. There is no halal restaurant; fish and vegetable options are found everywhere. Tap water is drunk on Saint Vincent, while on the small islands rainwater and bottled water are used.
Read next: Do you need a visa for Saint Vincent? 3 months visa-free in the Grenadines and the route via London
Season and weather
December to May is the dry season, the weather is 27–30 degrees and the trade wind blows. This is the sailing season, and the Bequia Easter Regatta is held in April. Christmas and February are the busiest and most expensive period. June to November is the rainy and hurricane season: short downpours, hotels 30–40 per cent cheaper, the Vincy Mas carnival filling Kingstown in early July, September and October the riskiest months — do not go without insurance. The water is 27 degrees all year round. The ferry timetable and island information are on the Discover SVG portal.
Budget and tickets
On Bequia a guesthouse costs 70–120 dollars and a boutique hotel 150–250. On Saint Vincent a hotel in Kingstown or on Villa beach is 80–150 dollars and on Union 60–100, while the Canouan and Mustique resorts start at 500 dollars.
The excursions are cheap. A guided hike up La Soufrière is 50–80 dollars, the botanical garden five dollars and the Bequia ferry ten. A day tour of the Tobago Cays costs 100 dollars, and you have to book the boat in advance, because there are only a few departures a day.
Leaving out the flight, a ten-day trip fits into 1800–2800 dollars a head, and the main expense is precisely the flight. From Baku every route has at least two connections, and a flight to the Caribbean islands is found by comparing the London and Barbados options. Grenadines sailing tour packages, which link Saint Vincent, Bequia and the Tobago Cays by yacht or ferry, settle the catamaran, the captain and the island crossings together, and with a group they work out much cheaper.
Frequently asked questions about Saint Vincent
How many days do you need for a Saint Vincent trip?
Two days for Saint Vincent, three or four for Bequia, two or three for the Tobago Cays and Union: eight to ten in all. With a sailing route, one week.
Saint Vincent, or Antigua and Barbados?
Antigua and Barbados are for the resorts, the direct flights and the comfort. Saint Vincent is for those looking for sailing, snorkelling and quiet; all three are visa-free for us and combine into one itinerary.
Can you charter a catamaran without sailing experience?
Yes, a crewed charter with a captain and a cook takes care of everything and you only choose the route. A bareboat charter is given only to holders of a sailing licence.
In closing
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a Caribbean country that is visa-free, far from mass tourism and blessed with the world’s best sailing waters; for anyone who accepts the long journey it is a trip of a lifetime. The entry rules are gathered on the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines page, and to build the flight and the sailing route together fill in the application form.
Note: the prices here are as of the publication date and can change with the season.
