St Lucia has had a reputation as a luxury destination for years and years. This beautiful tropical island is filled with five star resorts set in photogenic mountain-backdropped scenes, framed with palm trees, white sand, and pops of hibiscus flowers. (But you might not know it when you step off a cruise ship in St Lucia cruise port.) Castries is a gritty city, which is busy and run down in places, and it can be a bit of a shock when you first step off a ship, particularly for those passengers who dock at Le Place Carenage Cruise Port- the older of Castries’ two cruise ship piers. But if you know where to look and what to do, St Lucia cruise port can be a real gem. In fact, St Lucia is up there with Dominica and Grenada as one of my favourite islands in the Caribbean.
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Where do cruise ships dock in St Lucia?
St Lucia cruise port actually comprises of two separate piers which are on opposite sides of a small bay, in the capital city of Castries. Le Place Carenage is the less glossy of the two, although it’s right in the centre of Castries. You’ll find a small terminal building here filled with the normal gift shops and jewellery stores and some not-very-reliable Wifi, plus a gaggle of taxi drivers right outside the building ready to whisk you away from the city and off to a beach.
Pointe Seraphine is the St Lucia cruise port on the opposite side of the little bay, and from here it’ll take you about 20 minutes on foot to reach the centre of Castries. This terminal is bigger than Le Place Carenage, and is made of a mixture of indoor and outdoor spaces. There are more shops here, and several bars and restaurants, as well as a more organised taxi rank outside. From Pointe Seraphine it’s also easier to reach the closest walkable beach.
What is there to see in Castries?
I’m not going to beat around the bush here, pals: Castries isn’t to everybody’s taste. It’s a lived-in city which isn’t particularly set up for welcoming tourists, and it’s definitely a little shabby around the edges. And to be clear, I don’t mean that the people aren’t friendly or welcoming- they are super friendly! But the city isn’t filled with monuments and museums and photo opportunities. Castries is- quite rightly- geared towards the people who live there. In fact, it’s home to almost a third of the population of St Lucia.
But if you’re the type of person who prefers to explore a living breathing city rather than (or at least just as much as), a tourist trap, then you might find Castries worthy of a wander. You’ll only need an hour if you’re exploring on your own.
Derek Walcott Square is a very pretty green space, just a short walk from Le Place Carenage. It’s dedicated to St Lucia’s Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott (clue’s in the name), who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992. The square is surrounded by colourful buildings and is a great place to grab some shade whilst people-watching like a pro.
The Immaculate Conception Church is located on Derek Walcott Square, and although it doesn’t look particularly special from the outside, the inside is a different story. The interior is clearly Caribbean, with brightly coloured walls and stunning stained glass windows. If you do visit, make sure your shoulders are covered.
And down the road is the lovely Castries Central Market, which is in an entirely covered building to protect the stalls from the inevitable Caribbean rainstorms. (Yes pals, it does in fact rain a lot in the Caribbean.) Half the market is produce and spices, and the other half sells clothing and gifts and souvenirs. Be prepared to haggle.
The closest beach to St Lucia cruise port
The closest beach to St Lucia cruise port is Vigie Beach, which is about a 20-30 minute walk from Pointe Seraphine cruise terminal. (Or you can jump in a taxi, but as crew we’re generally more about keeping the costs down.)
To get there, head away from Castries and towards St Lucia Airport. The runway runs parallel with the beach, although thrill seekers and plane spotters tend to head to the famous Maho Beach in St Maarten for the experience of airplanes coming into land directly above you. This airport is quite small and sees nowhere near as much air traffic as St Lucia’s bigger international airport.
Vigie Beach is beautiful, and well worth a visit if you’re looking for a beach close to the cruise port, but it’s definitely worth noting that there’s another unique factor about this destination. At one end of the beach is a cemetery. A cemetery-by-the-sea, which is actually a rather lovely final resting place, if not a bit of a strange atmosphere for beach-goers.
At the entrance to the beach is the beautiful Stolen Time, an adults only, all-inclusive wellness resort. While you can’t just wander in off the street and order a drink from the bar, it is possible to buy a day pass to the hotel, which is pricey but includes all food, drink and facilities on site.
The best excursions from St Lucia cruise port
Further away…
Hiking Gros Piton
The iconic image which St Lucia is famous for, is of the Pitons: two volcanic mountains known as Gros Piton and Petit Piton. Surprisingly, given the name, Gros Piton is actually the easier one to climb, as it doesn’t require any mountaineering experience and is possible to hike to the top and back in a few hours. (In fact, Petit Piton is basically off-limits as it’s considered a super-dangerous climb.) To reach Gros Piton Nature Trail from St Lucia cruise port, you have two main options: either get a taxi from the port, which will take around an hour and a half, then pay the $50 per person entrance fee to the national park, which includes a guide to accompany you through the rainforest and up the mountain. (Yep, the price is hefty, and there’s no way around it.)
The other option to reach the Gros Piton Nature Trail is to book a tour in advance. This is one of the best-rated, and although it doesn’t include the entrance fee to the park, you’ll be in safe hands with this highly-rated guide.
Gardens, waterfalls and hot springs on the west coast
And if you don’t fancy a sweaty hike up a mountain, you still might want to visit it just to marvel at its beauty, let’s face it. And there are plenty of other things to do in the area. This tour is a brilliant option to experience a lot of the west coast of St Lucia in one day, including extra optional visits to Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens and Sulphur Springs.
Wondering what Sulphur Springs is? That would be the world’s only drive-in volcano- La Soufriere- which contains a whole load of sulphuric geothermal springs and mud-baths. I still haven’t managed to visit, but from my experiences in Dominica and Iceland, I’d already advise bringing dark swimwear to avoid any stains! Entry to the site is $11 for adults and $5 for children.
…and closer to Castries
The only downside to those destinations around Soufrière is that you’ll need ideally the whole day to properly enjoy yourself and get there and back to St Lucia cruise port in plenty of time. (For passengers it’s likely you’ll be fine, but for the majority of crew members it’ll be near enough impossible). But there are things to do closer to the port as well, and these excursions in the north of St Lucia are all brilliant.
Beach day at Rodney Bay
A taxi to Rodney Bay will take around 20 minutes and should cost $20-25USD. This is one of the most well-known tourist beaches on the island, although you’ll find plenty of locals here as well. The beach is busy, with tonnes of facilities, restaurants and shops; and I’m told the nightlife is on point too. To get from Castries to Rodney Bay by public bus, you can take the 1A from the side of the Central Market, towards Gros Islet.
Hiking on Pigeon Island
Further up the coast is Pigeon Island, which isn’t exactly an island now that it’s connected to the mainland with a man-made road, but is a lovely place nevertheless! Either hop into a taxi to get here, or take the 1A bus as far as Gros Islet and then walk along the beach to the park’s entrance.
Read my story on Pigeon Island.
This island was once used as a base by the original peg-legged pirate, François Le Clerc, and later became the site of a fort built by the British naval officer Admiral George Rodney. Having already taken control of St Lucia and Grenada, the British fancied a bit of Martinique as well, and the top of Signal Peak (the highest point of Pigeon Island) is a perfect vantage point from spying on Martinique across the sea.
There is a small entrance fee to Pigeon Island- $10USD per adult, payable in cash only. The hike to the top of Signal Peak doesn’t take long, but it’s quite steep with fairly crumbly ground in places, so I’d advise against trying it in sandals. (Though I did spot a few people giving it a good go.) There’s also a small beach on the island which is a great place for snorkelling.
Outside the entrance to Pigeon Island is Causeway Beach, a small beach with stunning clear water and beautiful views of the old fort and across the bay. It can get crowded and is also super popular with the locals.
Zipline through the rainforest
Lastly, also in the north east of the island, is Rain Forest Adventures, where you can go zip lining through the stunning tropical rainforest. This tour includes your pick up from the port as well as a hike with a guide and a ride on an aerial tram if the adrenaline gets too much.
And finally an excursion to beat all others…
As a full disclaimer, I haven’t personally been on this trip, but it looks so incredible and comes so highly rated that I couldn’t not include it on this list.
The St Lucia Food and Rum Tour takes you on a culinary magical mystery tour to sample some of the island’s most delectable treats in some of its most beautiful spots. I’m a firm believer that if you’re going to visit anywhere in the world, you should always try as much of the local food as possible, and this looks like a great way to taste what St Lucia has to offer, whilst learning about the island’s history and culture.
For me the best thing about docking at St Lucia cruise port is that this island truly has so much to offer, whatever kind of travel you’re into. Whether you want to just relax on a beach, experience five star luxury, feel an adrenaline buzz or get your sweat on hiking up an actual volcano. In all honesty, having only a day docked in port each time we visited was never enough! I’d love to go back and explore the island properly.