Saint Lucia Transportation

KIA Picanto - small but efficient

by rwjstoehr

Previous Next

KIA Picanto - small but efficient
by rwjstoehr
Transportation
by cjg1
Transportation
by cjg1
Transportation
by cjg1
Transportation
by cjg1

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Castries (Vigie) airport saves time and money

by mikef99

St. Lucia has two airports. Vigie in the north (in Castries) is much smaller and can't handle large planes, but is much closer to most of the hotels, restaurants, etc. We flew into Vigie (had to change planes in Puerto Rico), and it was a short $15 US taxi ride to our hotel in Rodney Bay. Our flight home however left from Hewanorra in the south (in Vieux Fort), which was a 90 minute taxi ride (with no traffic at all) costing $70 US.The only problem with Vigie is that since it can't take large planes (like the 757 we took from Hewanorra) you'll be stuck with smaller planes.

Local buses save $$

by mikef99

If you're going to be staying in the north-west part of St. Lucia, it's definitely worth it to learn how the buses work. A taxi from Castries (airport) to Rodney Bay (hotel) was $40EC ($15 US), but later we took a bus for $2EC ($0.75 US) between the two cities. The buses run continuously - we never had to wait more than 30 seconds (REALLY!) for a bus to come along. You can stand anywhere along the road and just flag them down. However, you have to know where to get off, and yell "stop here" to the driver when you get to your destination, otherwise he'll keep on driving past, as there aren't really any designated "bus stops". Our hotel front desk was helpful, telling us which bus # to take (usually "1A").In Castries there is an area which is kind of a "grand central" for all the bus routes, where you can change buses in order to continue on to other areas. Unfortunately, I haven't been...

how to get around on the cheap

by geofgiles

Arriving from the US usually means coming to Hewanorra UVF on the south end of the island. You can get a cab ride with a tour guide to boot for US$50 to Rodney Bay, which is probably where you are headed. Once there take Jitney Bus for EC$1, best deal around and you get to meet the locals. Make all deals with cabbies in advance, where to, how long etc. US$100 will get you a car and driver all day. Dont even think about renting a car yourself, you will be killed. Cricks Funeral Home is just outside of Castries on the Gros Islet road. Do the jump up there on Friday nights, if you can make it. You can't walk onto a Sandals property, but if you are a good swimmer, then go that way. Once you are there the drinks and food are free, pretend you own the place, then take a cab home. You can have a blast for a whole lot less than you might expect.

Find Something to Hold onto Tightly!!

by KnMYoung

We had a shuttle take us to our resort from the airport. First of all, there are no lines painted on the roads in St. Lucia. So it is hard to tell where you are suppose to drive. They also wind along the island with LOTS of 180 degree turns so you can't see if someone is coming around the corner. But the shuttle drivers are use to the roads, so they drive at top speeds and come within inches of other cars when they pass one another. It can be quite scary and one of the girls in our car got sick because of it. I personally got a kick out of it, but it can be a little nerve racking. What is great is that there is no such thing as road rage there. They all just smile, honk, and wave at each other like they are all best friends. It's a very laid back culture.

Maxi Taxis -the locals taxi

by saltwaterandsails

Travelling by Maxi Taxis (mini van's) like the local's is a good way for getting a feel for the people and the culture. These Maxi Taxis often play Calypso music, and bump along to the many pot holes that charaterises the poorly maintained roads of St Lucia.There are two airports that lie in St Lucia - one near the capital Castries, and one in the South next to View Fort. A ring road connects the Capital and the Southern airport, thus there are two routes from the South.Anyone travelling to the Capital from the South of the Island using Public transport should AVOID taking the Road via Soufriere (Western Road) late in the afternoon. The taxis do not run the whole way to the capital and terminate at different locations on the way. So you will need to change to connecting taxis in the towns.Also there is a section of road between Soufriere and Anse De La Raye were NO taxis run in the...

Local Bus

by amandahep

Most tour companies will try to charge $25-$45 to take you into Castries town. If you go to a local bus stop it will cost you $1 and they stop where you want/ pick up where they find you. This service is friendly and safe. You even get to chat to the local people. Very nice.

International Airport

by realde14

Bear in mind that the international airport is located all the way in the South at Vieux Fort, so if you are staying in the North at the Gros Islet area, where most of the resorts like Sandals are, it will take you 90 minutes to get there!For a 100 bucks you can take a helicopter, which will take 15 minutes at the most!

Taxi drivers double as tour guides

by jessicadf

Many taxi drivers will ask you if you're interested in taking a tour. If you say yes, bargain with them on the price for the journey. I'd read a tip here for it costing $80 for a tour to the Pitons and back from Castries. That sounded like a good idea. However, when the opportunity arose for us, the driver was firm at $100 for that tour. I suppose we could have haggled more, but it didn't seem like it would be productive.The tour was worth it though, so it was okay.

Aircraft -- that's the way

by jessicadf

Generally, if your destination is St. Lucia, you're going to hop on a few planes. From the U.S. West Coast, we had two choices:US Airways:Day 1: Fly to Toronto and spend the nightDay 2: Fly to PhiladelphiaDay 2: Fly to San Juan, Puerto RicoDay 2: Fly to Vieux Fort, Saint LuciaThe return flight would have us spend the night in Philadelphia.American Airlines:Day 1: Fly overnight to Miami or Dallas/Fort WorthDay 2: Fly to San Juan, Puerto RicoDay 3: Fly to Castries, Saint LuciaUltimately, we went with the airline that had the best price. But you know what? American Airlines SUCKED! They also lost my bag for 24 hours when we got there (so I had to buy a swimsuit from the resort gift shop in order to go swimming on the 2nd day).TIP: If you're staying in or around Castries, then you want to fly in to Vigie Airport (it's in Castries). Airport code: SLU. If you fly in to the airport at Vieux...

Airport To Hotel

by gcmm

When you arrive at the airport you'll of course go through customs.. Once through you will have ot find your transportation to your hotel...If you have booked a tour you will most likely have a ride..the big problem in saint lucia is that most of the hotels are in the North end of the island and the airport is in the south...It is a long ride 2-3 hours, over mountains and not so great roads to get there...This can be a trip in it self, you can get some great pictures of saint lucia and it's people..You will most likely see some vehicles off the road over the sides of steep banks etc...LIke a lot of places locals drive crazy...Just expect a long trip to your hotel