St. Lucia Travel Guide

Social Conventions

St Lucians are friendly and hospitable and encourage visitors to relax and enjoy their leisurely lifestyle. The traditional dress of the madras and foulards are not often seen in towns, but are sometimes worn at festivals such as the Feast of St Rose of Lima in August. Casual wear is acceptable, although some hotels and restaurants encourage guests to dress for dinner. Beachwear should not be worn in towns. It is an offense for anyone, including children, to dress in camouflage clothing. Certain homosexual acts are illegal.

International Travel

Getting There By Air

St Lucia is served by many airlines including LIAT (website: www.liatairline.com).

Departure Tax

EC$54. Transit (under 24 hours) passengers and children under 12 years of age are exempt.

Main Airports

George F L Charles (SLU) (services inter-island connections and small aircraft from Puerto Rico only) is 3km (2 miles) from Castries. To/from the airport: Taxis or buses are available into Castries. Facilities: Bar/restaurant, a shop and car hire.

Hewanorra (UVF) is 67km (42 miles) from Castries respectively. To/from the airport: Taxis or buses are available into Castries. Facilities: Bar/restaurant, left luggage and lockers, shops, tourist information, outgoing duty-free shop and car hire.

Getting There By Water

Main ports: Castries, Soufrière and Vieux Fort.

L’Express des Iles (website: www.express-des-iles.com), a high-speed catamaran service, operates between St Lucia and Dominica, calling at Martinique and Guadeloupe (journey times - St Lucia–Martinique – 1 hour 20 minutes; Martinique–Dominica – 1 hour 20 minutes).

St Lucia is also served by a number of cruise lines as well as local passenger/freight lines. The duty-free port at Pointe Seraphine offers two-berth cruise ship facilities, duty-free shopping, restaurants and bars; it may be visited by anyone, although a valid passport and an airline ticket are required to make duty-free purchases.

For information on airports and sea ports contact the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) (website: www.slaspa.com).

Duty Free

Overview

The following items may be imported into St Lucia without incurring customs duty:

• 200 cigarettes or 250g tobacco products.
• 50 cigars.
• 1L of alcoholic beverage.

Internal Travel

Getting Around By Air

Helicopter transfers operate between George F L Charles and Hewanorra airports.

Getting Around By Water

Boat charters are easily available at Castries, Marigot Bay and Rodney Bay.

Getting Around By Road

Traffic drives on the left. All major centers are served by a reasonably good road network. The main cross-island route runs from Vieux Fort in the south of the island to Castries in the north. Roads are narrow and mountainous roads are steep, often with hairpin bends which are not marked.

Bus: Minibus services connect rural areas with the capital. There is a good service from Castries to Gros Islet in the north of the island with buses departing every 30 minutes during the day. Many services also operate on weekends and holidays.

Taxi: Hiring a taxi is easy and cheap. Standard trips usually have fixed rates, however, these should always be agreed upon before you get in as tourists are vulnerable to being overcharged. When hiring a taxi at night always choose a reputable company. Tipping is unnecessary.

Car hire: Cars can be obtained either in Castries, Soufrière and Vieux Fort, or through hotels. Hotels and local tour operators run coach trips for groups.

Regulations: Seat belts must be worn at all times.

Documentation: On presentation of a national driving license or International Driving Permit, a local license will be issued by the police or car hire firm for a fee.