St. Vincent & the Grenadines hotels and tours

St. Vincent & the Grenadines Destination Guide

Kingstown is the capital of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and is also its largest city. Located in the southwest of the island of St. Vincent, it is positioned around Kingstown Bay and encircled by green hills. Eight main islands constitute the Grenadines, each varying in size, development and distance from St. Vincent.

Kingstown is small, charming and colourful, making it a great city for wandering through!

This St. Vincent & the Grenadines Destination Guide gives some detail on Kingstown, as well as a bit of general information about the eight main islands that make up the Grenadines. More useful information about the islands can be found by checking out our St. Vincent & the Grenadines Country Guide. Tours and activities available for your time there are presented on our St. Vincent & the Grenadines Tours page.

St. Vincent City Guide

Kingstown Market


Kingstown is the capital of St. Vincent, and the Kingstown Market is a great place to get a feel for the local life of the island. It is a good place to go food shopping, offering a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as meat and seafood. Fridays and Saturdays are probably the best days to visit, as the market tends to be well stocked on these days.

The courtyard often features some interesting local arts and crafts, which you may consider purchasing as well. Be sure to bargain fairly if you are buying something in the market.

Sailing


St. Vincent & the Grenadines is famous throughout the world for its excellent sailing, and it's not hard to see why. It has received numerous acolades as the best sailing island in the world, and there are a whole host of options available for those keen to sail, from complete amateurs up to expert sailors.

Kingstown


Kingstown, known as the "City of Arches", is a charming old town, boasting cobblestone sidewalks running alongside old brick buildings, and the same colourful, bustling marketplace as is common in many other Caribbean capitals. Located on the corner of Bedford and Bay streets, it is a highlight of the city and should definitely be visited.

The city itself is small and navigable, with only twelve small blocks offering a range of interesting stores and shops. It is a great city to just wander around, browsing through all the various local handicrafts, cotton, batik and jewellery on offer.

In respect of local customs, swimwear should be confined to beaches and resorts, with casual wear expected in town

The Grenadines


The Grenadines are a chain of islands that extend about 70 kilometres to the southwest of St. Vincent. In total, they are comprised of 32 separate islands and Tobago Cays.


Bequia


This is the largest of the Grenadines, and also the closest to St. Vincent, located just an hour away. Bequia means "Island of the Clouds" in Carib, and the island has a number of attractions, specifically its beaches, reefs and lagoons. And, although it does have some entertainment options occurring once or twice a week, generally it is a small, quiet and friendly place.


Mustique


About 1 1/2 hours from St. Vincent by boat, Mustique is about 11 square kilometres in size. It has a large, open plain in the north, although the rest of the island is quite hilly. White sand beaches ring the seven valleys of the island.


Canouan


Shaped like a crescent, Canouan is approximately 13 square kilometres in size, and is roughly 3 hours away from St. Vincent. The island is surrounded by wide, shallow reefs and abundant coral. Canouan is being rapidly developed with resorts and hotels, but the majority of its residents are still, for the moment, fishermen and farmers.


Mayreau


Located about 55 kilometres from St. Vincent, this island is privately owned, and the journey takes about four hours by boat. It has a population of around 250 people, which are mainly farmers and fisherman. Mayreau is about 4 square kilometres in size, and the white sand beaches are excellent for snorkelling and sailing around.


Union Island


Union Island is 65 kilometres from St. Vincent, and takes about four and a half hours to get there. It contains a number of peaks and ridges, including Mount Paranuss, which rises to about 300 metres above sea level.


Palm Island


Only a couple hundred metres from Union Island, Palm Island is surrounded by coral reefs. It also features four white sandy beaches.


Petit St.Vincent


Located about 7.5 kilometres from Union Island, Petit St. Vincent is a privately owned island, ringed with white sandy beaches.


Young Island


Although it is only a few hundred metres from St. Vincent, this island is a completely privately owned resort.


Cathedrals/Churches


St George's Anglican Cathedral was built in the earl 1800s, and its main feature is the impressive stained-glass windows. Originally commissioned by Queen Victoria to be installed in St. Paul's Cathedral in London, they ended up in Kingstown as a present to the bishop.

Built in 1823, St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral is a mixture of architectural styles, including Romanesque, Georgian and Moorish. All the bricks were created out of the local dark volcanic-sand. The Kingstown Methodist Church is also worth visiting, with gorgeous stained-glass windows and a huge, exquisitely detailed pipe organ.

Forts


To the west of Kingstown, on Berkshire hill, is Fort Charlotte, located about 200 metres above the bay. Constructed in 1806, the fort was named after King George III's wife, and contained 600 troops and 34 cannons at its peak.

There is a museum housed in some of the old barracks. For Duvernette, located near Young Island, was built in 1800 and is situated 60 metres above the sea. A ferry carries visitors from the dock on Villa Beach to the fort.

La Soufrière Volcano


La Soufrière Volcano is located on the eastern side of the island. Walking to its rim is a highly recommended activity to undertake while on St. Vincent. A reasonable level of fitness is required, as the hike can be quite demanding, and the rim is situated at roughly 1,234 metres above sea level.

Waterfalls


The Trinity Falls are a 12-metre waterfall that falls in three separate cascades into a circular pool, then plummets another 3 metres into a secondary pool of water, which is ideal for taking a swim in. The Falls of Baleine, meanwhile, can only be accessed by boat.

Taking a boat day trip from either Villa Beach or Kingstown will usually include a stopover for lunch, swimming and snorkelling, as well as a visit to the falls themselves, located about 12 kilometres north of Richmond beach.

Owia Salt Pond


Encircled by lava peaks and ridges, this pond is essentially an enormous pool. The furious waves of the Atlantic are broken by the barrier of peaks, which allow the water to softly cascade into the pool. With the pounding surf and impressive mountains in the background, this makes a scenic place to enjoy swimming, snorkelling and perhaps even a picnic lunch.

The Doctor Cecil Cyrus Museum


This museum contains the body of work of Dr. Cyrus, a native of St. Vincent. Included are details and photographs of over 40 years of medical exhibits, including over 800 photographs and 700 medical specimens. The smaller section of the museum houses non-medical items related to the doctor.

Botanical Gardens


The Botanical Gardens are a popular attratcion for locals and visitors alike. A number of exotic and rare plants, flowers and trees are located here. Founded in 1762 as a commercial breeding ground for plants, the Botanical Gardens are the oldest in the Western Hemisphere.

Also in the Gardens is an aviary, which allows a great opportunity to see the St. Vincent parrot, the brilliantly coloured national bird of the island. There are guides available for half-hour tours of the Gardens for US$2 per person, or slightly more for longer tours.





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Hello! Welcome to St. Vincent & the Grenadines!

St. Vincent & the Grenadines hotels team

Meet Jo Elliot and the team at Caribbean Island Hotels, your local connection in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. We've spent time living overseas, but were drawn back by the passion for life exhibited by Vincentians, as well as wanting to get back to our roots. Tourism is playing an ever-increasing role in the Caribbean economies, and we view it as a great chance to showcase the unique culture of St. Vincent & the Grenadines to the world, as well as bringing benefits to the local community.

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