Things to do in St Lucia
There is so much to like about St. Lucia. It's a lush green island with some great beaches offering a wealth of water sports from snorkelling to deep-sea fishing. Rent a car and tour the island to see local life in full swing. Join the party on a Friday at Gros Islet where fun and food are the focus.
Best things to do and see
SHOPPING AND DINING
Established in 1891, Castries Central Market is St. Lucia’s largest open air market. Here vendors sell everything from local coffee and cocoa sticks to straw bags and calabash bowls. Arrive early to skip the heat and the crowds. After shopping, hike up the Morne Fortune for a glorious ridge-top view of the capital below.
St. Lucia is a chocolate lover’s dream destination. You can take a ‘Tree to Bar experience’ at Boucan’s by Hotel Chocolat to truly understand the process and history of St. Lucia’s home-grown delicacy. It includes a tour the hotel’s cocoa estate and you get to create your very own chocolate bar.
The Naked Fisherman Beach Bar and Grill, is tucked away in a natural cove just south of Cap Maison. It’s laid-back, welcoming style makes it popular with the locals and visitors alike. Renowned for their locally caught fish, steaks and burgers, as well as cocktails and excellent wines.
The national dish of St. Lucia is green figs (green bananas) with salt fish, a simple but fortifying dish well worth a try.
CULTURE AND HISTORY
Saint Lucia is a melting pot of various cultures. The Carib culture still has a strong influence, although it is interwoven with African, English, French, and Dutch elements which make the island quite unique.
The best place to start exploring St. Lucia’s history is in the Castries, the island’s capital where you will find a quaint mix of colonial and Caribbean architecture. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (built in 1897) is well worth a visit as is leafy Derek Walcott square.
WATER AND SPORTS
You can trek up the Gros Piton Trail south of Soufriere in a 4 hour return trip however it is quite demanding and you’ll need to be in shape to tackle it.
Surrounded by deep blue waters and gentle trade winds St. Lucia is ideal for sailing. Experienced sailors can sail ‘Atlantic side’ where conditions are more challenging, while those less experienced should get started in the more predictable waters of the Caribbean sea in Marigot Bay.
NATURE AND WILDLIFE
The Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens, located near Soufriere, is one of the oldest and best-preserved estates on St. Lucia. It has been transformed from a working plantation into a major heritage site with a natural water fall, botanical gardens, a nature trail and mineral baths.
You can watch the green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles come to lay their eggs at Grande Anse and Anse Louvet on the east coast beaches between March and July.
For a small island, St. Lucia has a large variety of birds making it an ideal place for birdwatchers. For a chance to see rare birds visit bird-watching venues such as the Millet Bird Sanctuary, the Des Cartier Rainforest Trail, Vieux Fort Wetlands, or Rainforest Sky Rides Park.
Take an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) tour of Fond Estate on the east coast of the Island. This 1000 acre plantation overlooking the Atlantic Ocean is owned by a local family that cultivates tropical fruits for local, regional and international markets. The tour explores the forests, farm, sugar mill ruins and Fond River as well as the flora and fauna of this vast working plantation – a wonderful experience.
INSIDER TIPS
Fond Latisab Creole Park
The park hosts a number of tours that provide an insight into the island’s creole Heritage with an authentic recreation of St. Lucia’s creole past.
Visitors bear witness to the preparation of the bread of kassav on the leaves macambou, fishing with crayfish on the river, how flavours of local honey are drawn from the hives, and the traditional carvery of local wood or the music of the chak-chak.
Events and holidays
1 & 2 January – New Year holiday
22 February – Independence Day
Easter – Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday.
1 May – Labour Day
First Monday in May – Whit Monday, Corpus Christi Carnival
May – Annual St Lucia Jazz Festival, open air concerts
29 June – St Peter’s Day with decorated fishing boats
July – Carnival with music, dancing and Calypso finals
1 August – Emancipation Day
30 August – Feast of the Rose of Lima – singing and dance in costume
First Monday in October – Thanksgiving Day
17 October – La Marguerite festival with parades, music, food and drink
November – Food and Rum Festival at Rodney Bay, cooking shows and tastings.
December – Kalalu World Music Festival, at the beginning of the month with African and Caribbean musicians and concerts in Samaans Park.
13 December – St Lucy the patron saint of light is honoured with a procession of lanterns.
25-26 Dec – Christmas Holidays
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