Castries

Introduction

Saint Lucia - Castries - helicopter 6sm

© AC Frieden

Castries is the capital and largest city in Saint Lucia with a population of about 75,000. It is located in the northwest of the country facing the Caribbean Sea and as such it functions as a major port in the region. Cargo and passenger services as well as big cruise ships can all enter the port and as a consequence Castries has all the amenities that tourists want, including good hotels, restaurants, shops. The town is well served by buses to and from other places on the island. Apart from being important regarding the economics of the island, the government has its residence here as well. The town is not without its attractions, like the nearby beaches. It doesn't have a much in the way of historically and culturally significant buildings, but the fort above Castries is nice.

Sights and Activities

• Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
• Government House
• Derek Walcott Square
• Fort Charlotte

Events and Festivals

• St. Lucia Carnival - in July. Street parade starts in Choc and ends in the Capital Castries. Titles such as Carnival Queen, Calypso Monarch, Panorama Champions (steel pan), Party Monarch are titles givens foir the best performers. Revellers take to the streets in a bouillion of colour and music as each band strives to capture the coveted title of "Band of the Year".
• Independence Day - St Lucia celebrates its status as a new sovereign nation, becoming independent from Great Britain in 1979. St Lucians are very proud of their relatively new 33-year old country, and this is demonstrated in this public holiday. It is celebrated February 22 annually.

Weather

Castries has a pleasant tropical climate with hot and humid weather but a nice sea breeze to cool things off a bit. Daytime temperatures average around 28 °C to 30 °C year round and night temperatures are just slightly lower with 24 °C to 26 °C. Although rain is possible anytime, the wettest period is from June to December, with peaks in August and November with almost 400 mm of rain.

Getting There

By Plane

George F. L. Charles Airport (formerly Vigie Airport) (IATA: SLU, ICAO: TLPC) near Castries mainly caters regional flights from neighbouring islands. LIAT and Air Caraibes have connections to Dominica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Barbados and Saint Vincent.

By Bus

These buses provide a cheap and fun way of getting elsewhere:

• 1a - to Gros Islet
• 3f - to Soufriere.

By Boat

Saint Lucia - Guadeloupe vv
Express-des-Iles has several weekly sailings a week between Guadeloupe and Saint Lucia. Although most ferries stop on at Martinique and Dominica along the way, there are direct services in high season.

Saint Lucia - Martinique vv
Wednesdays and Fridays at 1.30pm and Sundays at 3.30pm, L'Express des Iles travels from Fort-de-France to Castries on Saint Lucia. In the opposite direction, ferries leave 5 times a week. Both crossings take about 80 minutes.

Saint Lucia - Dominica vv
L'Express des Iles has 3 to 5 weekly sailings between the capitals of Dominica and Saint Lucia, Roseau and Castries respectively. All of them stop on their route in Fort-de-France, Martinique (see above). Most boats leave around 10am and take about 4,5 hours to complete the total journey.

Eat

There are cheap local eatries in a small alley that runs alongside the market and down to Jeremie Street.

A friendly and cheap cafe selling local food is on the first floor of a building on Derek Walcott square.

Sleep

• Rendezvous Couples Resort, Malabar Beach PO Box 190 Castries, St.Lucia, ☏ +1 758 457-7900. An all inclusive couples resort in St. Lucia, specializing in personalizing romantic vacations.
• The BodyHoliday Resort, Cap Estate Post office box 437, Castries, Saint Lucia, ☏ +1 758 457-7800. A luxury all inclusive St. Lucia resort. Featuring an award winning spa and an array of fitness activities.

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

External Links