Holidays to Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia travel guide

• When is the best time to visit Saint Lucia?

  The best time to visit Saint Lucia is during the dry season, from December to April, when temperatures range from 24°C to 30°C (75°F to 86°F). This period offers warm, pleasant weather with lower humidity and little rainfall, making it ideal for beach activities, sightseeing, and outdoor adventures. The peak tourist season is from December to February, so expect higher prices and more crowds. If you prefer a quieter experience and better deals, visiting in May or November, with temperatures still between 24°C and 30°C (75°F to 86°F), can be a great option. Avoid the hurricane season from June to November, when temperatures can be similar, but the island experiences higher rainfall and potential storms.

• Top 5 things to do in Saint Lucia

  Reduit Beach

  Magnificent Reduit Beach, with its golden sand and view across to Pigeon Island, and snorkeling from pretty Anse Cochon beach with its backdrop of lush jungle.

  Leatherback turtles

  Watching leatherback turtles at Anse Beach.

  Jump Up Party

  The Friday night “Jump Up” party on Gros Islet, where you eat, drink and dance in the street until sunrise, and the weekly local fish fry in Anse la Raye.

  Botanical Garden

  Diamond Falls Botanical Garden, which includes lush tropical vegetation, a nature trail, hot springs and the beautiful Diamond waterfall.

  Sulphur Springs Park

  The world’s only “drive-in volcano” at Sulphur Springs Park near the town of Soufrière.

• Saint Lucia sightseeing

  The Pitons

  The Pitons are two volcanic mountains in the southwest of Saint Lucia, not far from the towns of Soufrière and Choiseul. Linked by the Piton Mitan ridge, the Gros Piton reaches 771 metres and the Petit Piton reaches 743 metres. Covered by dense green foliage and with the deep blue waters of Jalousie Bay in the foreground, they’re really quite spectacular. They’re the most photographed landmark on the island and are part of a World Heritage Site. As well as enjoying the dramatic landscape from ground level, you can choose to climb either of the Pitons.

  Marigot Bay

  With forested hills on three of its sides and calm, clear waters, the picturesque and highly sheltered Marigot Bay has been serving as a haven (and hiding place) for ships for hundreds of years. Today it’s popular with yachts and, thanks to its natural beauty, visitors to the island. Famous author James A. Michener described Marigot Bay as “the most beautiful bay in the Caribbean”.

  Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens & Mineral Baths

  Located in Soufrière, the Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens span six acres of lush, tropical growth, with an amazing variety of plants and flowers. The Gardens include Diamond Falls – a beautiful 17-metre waterfall that’s surrounded by greenery and known for its colourful mineral-laced waters, as well as a nature trail and baths filled by hot mineral springs. The first baths in the area were built in 1784 to allow the troops of King Louis XVI of France to "take the waters". The Gardens also include the Old Mill Restaurant, housed in a historic mill.

  Sulphur Springs Park

  Advertised as the world’s only “drive-in volcano”, Sulphur Springs Park near Soufrière features bubbling hot springs, mud pools and steam vents, with water that in some spots is well over a temperature of 100° Celsius. You can walk through the volcanic crater and, not far from the hotter parts of the springs, bathe in sulphuric mud pools, which are reputed to have therapeutic effects.

  Rodney Bay

  On Saint Lucia’s northwestern coast, Rodney Bay includes one of the island’s most picturesque beaches, with white sand, palm trees and aquamarine waters. It also includes the yacht-filled Rodney Bay Marina, which is well worth a visit and includes a number of good restaurants and bars.

  Castries Cathedral

  In Castries, the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the largest church in the Caribbean, and still very much in use by worshippers. Its interior features bold colours that are uniquely Caribbean, as well as interesting icons of black saints, stained glass and a decorated wooden ceiling.

  Pigeon Island

  Once a true island, Pigeon Island was joined to the western coast of Saint Lucia via a man-made causeway in 1972. The island, which consists of two main peaks, is a national park and includes attractive beaches with good snorkelling. The island is also dotted with the remains of forts and barracks. It has a fascinating history, from the wooden-legged pirate who settled on the island in the 1500s up to its fortification by the British in the 18th Century. Outstanding views are to be had from Fort Rodney Hill, where there’s still a fortress, and from the adjacent, slightly higher peak.

  Anse Chastanet

  Surrounded by emerald hills, Anse Chastanet is a gorgeous beach to the north of Soufrière. It’s sheltered on one side by the Pitons and is known as an excellent spot for scuba diving and snorkelling. A dive centre is located nearby.

• Saint Lucia lifestyle and culture

  Saint Lucia’s history is one of piracy and intrigue, along with frequent switches from French to English control that have earned it the nickname “Helen of the West Indies”. Today you can still see the remains of 18th Century British forts. You can also visit the largest Catholic church in the Caribbean – the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, built in 1897.

  A blending of colonial European influences with traditions brought over by west African slaves and the laid-back island lifestyle of the Caribbean have produced a unique culture, evident in the island’s music, cuisine and local Creole language (which differs from the Creole spoken elsewhere).

  Coconuts, mangoes, bananas, papayas, pineapples and other exotic fruits grow bountifully on Saint Lucia. The island's fresh produce is combined with pork, chicken or fresh seafood – especially tuna, mahi-mahi and snapper – and spices to create a range of tantalising Creole dishes.
  
  Saint Lucia’s people hold a number of colourful festivals each year. These include Creole Day (Jounen Kweyol), with plenty of singing, dancing and eating, and the island’s very own Carnival, with fabulous costumes, competing bands and an all-night party. The world-famous international St Lucia Jazz Festival, which also features the region’s traditional Calypso music, takes place in May.
  
  Saint Lucia is a friendly, laid-back Caribbean island with a polyglot culture that blends the traditions of the aboriginal Arawak and Carib inhabitants, European colonists, West African slaves and East Indians. The island is part of the Commonwealth and English is its first language. However, French influences are clear in the island’s widely spoken Creole language – known as Saint Lucian Creole French – and in its Creole cuisine and music styles.

  About 70% of Saint Lucia’s people are Catholic, although other Christian denominations are also represented. About 2% of the island’s population practises Rastafarianism.

• Saint Lucia food and drink

  In the popular tourist zones – largely in and around the capital, Castries, as well as in Rodney Bay, Soufrière and Gros Islet – beautifully presented gastronomic delights can be enjoyed at various excellent restaurants. However, the many unpretentious beach bars and street vendors that dot the island offer equally delicious island fare.

  For both foodies and party animals, highlights of a visit to Saint Lucia include its legendary weekend "Jump Ups" and fish fries.

  Every Friday night for 20 years, Gros Islet has held a hugely popular street party, where you can feast on chicken and fish barbecues, drink locally brewed Piton beer or island-distilled rum, and dance until sunrise to music from massive speakers.

  More restrained Friday Fish Fries, with fish and shellfish prepared in the traditional way, are held in Anse la Raye. Various other seaside villages, such as Dennery, hold their own versions on Saturday nights, providing an inexpensive way for visitors to enjoy delectable seafood dishes and great entertainment, while hanging out with the locals.

• Saint Lucia nightlife

  Rodney Bay boasts the largest concentration of restaurants, nightclubs and bars, with sunset coastal booze-cruises being a firm favourite. You can also try your luck at the island’s Treasure Bay Casino, which you’ll find upstairs in the new Baywalk Mall.

  For elegant surroundings and the best cocktails in town, try Delirius, a horseshoe-shaped cocktail bar in the Rodney Bay Village resort. Alternatively, another excellent choice for cocktails and watching the sun go down is Spinnakers Beach Bar & Grill, right on Reduit Beach at the St. Lucia Yacht Club.

  For a mellow setting with beautiful views, it’s hard to beat JD's Mangrove. This restaurant/bar is on a wooden deck, overlooking Marigot Bay. To get there, you can take a ferry from opposite the Capella Marigot Bay Hotel. Alternatively, drive to JJ's Paradise Resort and follow a boardwalk through the mangroves to the restaurant.

  Several restaurants and bars offer live entertainment on weekends, and the popular Lime restaurant in Rodney Bay features live music and dancing every Wednesday until late. Other popular nightclubs include Indies and The Late Lime.

• Saint Lucia events - what's on when?

  January - New Year celebrations

  What better place to see in the New Year than balmy, beautiful Saint Lucia? Across the island, several villages hold night-long “J’ouvert” parties, with dancing and celebrations that continue until daybreak. A number of resorts and restaurants also offer special New Year’s Eve banquets with live bands. After dinner, you can head out to join street parties and watch the fireworks.

  February - Independence Day

  St Lucia achieved independence from Great Britain on 22 February, 1979. Each year on this day, the island’s people celebrate their nation, with official parades, competitions, parties and community fetes held across the island.

  April/May - Holy Week and Easter

  The people of Saint Lucia are predominantly Catholic, and Easter is the most important religious holiday of the year. Holy Week (the week preceding Easter) is a solemn time on the island, as is Good Friday, when people attend mass and avoid eating meat. Easter marks the end of the period of mourning and abstinence, with celebrating and feasting across the island.

  June - St Lucia Carnival

  For a true, Caribbean-style party, don’t miss Saint Lucia’s Carnival, held every year in Castries in June. The Carnival features masquerade (Mas) bands, calypso and soca singers, steel drum bands and beauty competitions, along with over-the-top glamorous costumes, parades and dancing in the streets. On Saturday evening, costumed Calypso bands compete fiercely for top honours in the Calypso Monarch competition. This is followed by the King and Queen of the Mas bands competition, and the OECS (Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States) Soca Monarch competition on Sunday. Starting on Monday and lasting right into Tuesday, Castries is taken over by bands and costumed revellers, for the biggest street party of the year.

  June - Dennery Fish Festival

  On the last Sunday in June, the village of Dennery on Saint Lucia’s east coast holds its annual Dennery Fish Festival. Head here for a selection of freshly prepared fish dishes, as well as sailing, swimming, rowing and other sporting events.

  August - Rose Festival ("Fet La Woz")

  Held every August 30th, the Rose Festival is one of Saint Lucia’s two main, traditional festivals – the other being the Marguerite (“La Magwit”) in October. The two festivals are organised by rival singing societies, themselves named La Woz and La Magwit respectively. Leading up to the Rose Festival, there are nightly singing practices called séances, with singing to music played on traditional instruments, as well as banjos and violins. The day of the festival itself is marked by a colourful, musical parade and fete, presided over by a selected king and queen, along with a costumed entourage.

  October - La Marguerite Festival

  Held on 17 October, St. Lucia’s annual La Marguerite Festival follows the same structure as the Rose Festival, with a costumed parade and singing. This is the answer of the followers of the La Marguerite society to the earlier festival by La Woz.

  October – Creole Day (Jounen Kweyol)

  On the Sunday closest to International Creole Day in late October or early November, Saint Lucia holds its own Creole Day ("Jounen Kweyol"), celebrating the people’s mother tongue, national dress and culture, along with its ethos of "chanté, dansé, manjé" (singing, dancing and eating). A range of traditional, Creole-style foods are prepared, among them fish cakes, green fig and saltfish and roasted breadfruit, and exhibitions and musical performances are held across the island. On the day, many women wear traditional dress, consisting of a colourful madras skirt with a lace blouse and a matching headpiece.

  November - Atlantic Rally for Cruisers

  The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers is the world’s longest trans-Atlantic regatta, starting in November at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and, after traversing Europe and the Mediterranean, ending at Saint Lucia. The arrival of the competing yachts in Rodney’s Bay is marked by massive celebrations.

  December - Heineken Kalalu World Music Festival

  Since 2005, the Heineken Kalalu World Music Festival has been held on Saint Lucia on the first weekend in December. It features world-class performances of African, Latin and Caribbean music, attracting music lovers from around the globe.