Things to Do in Saint Lucia

Start with the landmarks

The Pitons and the Sulphur Springs are the sights most visitors plan around. Both are in the southwest, close to Soufrière. In the north, Pigeon Island National Landmark offers history, trails and views.

Then choose your pace

Active travellers can head for the reefs, described in our diving guide, or the trails in our hiking guide. Gentler days might include the waterfalls and gardens, a visit to a cocoa estate, or a cruise as set out in our sailing guide.

For the right season, read the best time to visit guide.

Sample itineraries

For a first visit of a week, many travellers spend three nights in the southwest and four in the north. The southwest days cover the Pitons, the Sulphur Springs, the waterfalls and a dive or snorkel. The northern days cover a boat trip, Pigeon Island, the beach and an evening out in Rodney Bay.

For a shorter trip, choose one coast and do it well. A long weekend in the southwest is enough to see the main sights, and a long weekend in the north suits a beach break with a day or two of exploring.

Travelling with different interests

Active visitors will want the hikes and the dives. Couples might favour sunset cruises, spa time and a long lunch at an estate. Families often enjoy the waterfalls, the beaches and the sheltered water at Marigot Bay. Food lovers can follow the trail laid out in our food and rum guide.

Whatever your interests, allow time to do very little. The pace of the island invites it, and some of the best moments are unplanned. Use our trip planning page to ask the guide about options that fit your dates.

How should I plan a holiday in Saint Lucia by area?

For holidays in Saint Lucia, plan around three zones: the north around Rodney Bay and Gros Islet for beaches and evenings, the central west coast around Castries and Marigot Bay, and the southwest around Soufrière for the Pitons, springs and gardens. Saint Lucia is small on the map but it behaves like a larger island, because the roads climb, twist and double back, and a distance that looks trivial can swallow a good part of the morning. Here is how the zones differ. The north, around Rodney Bay and Gros Islet, is home to the marina, the long beach strip and most of the evening life. The middle of the west coast, around Castries and Marigot Bay, holds the capital, the market and a sheltered harbour. The southwest, centred on Soufrière, is where the Pitons, the springs, the gardens and the old estates cluster together. Choosing which zone you will spend most time in is the most useful planning decision you can make, and our pages on hotels in Saint Lucia show how each resort sits within it.

The Atlantic side is a different world altogether. The sea is wilder, the cliffs are rougher and the villages are far quieter than the resort areas, which makes it a rewarding place for a guided day out if you want to see a working, unpolished part of the island. Our guide to the east coast describes what that looks like. In the far south, Vieux Fort has the main international airport, a windswept beach loved by kitesurfers and a history that begins with a wartime base. Few people stay there, but many pass through it, and a short stop on the way to or from the airport can show you a side of the island that the brochures rarely mention.

Moving between zones takes planning. Road journeys are slow, the bends are tight and the scenery tempts you to stop, so a day that crosses the whole island is better treated as an outing in its own right than as a way of fitting in extra sights. If time is short or the budget allows, a short flight can replace a long drive, and our guide to helicopter tours explains how transfers and scenic flights work. Whichever way you travel, build in slack. The best days on Saint Lucia are rarely the ones that were packed to the minute, and a long lunch with a view of the sea often turns out to be the part you remember.

What is the best way to structure a day in Saint Lucia?

The best day in Saint Lucia puts effort in the morning, water and shade at midday and sunset on the west coast in the evening, which beats the heat and keeps travel time sensible. Mornings are for effort. The air is coolest soon after dawn, the light is clear, and the places that take work to reach, such as the forest trails, the gardens and the springs near Soufrière, are quieter before the day trips arrive. The island's tourism authority suggests visiting the gardens and the springs in the morning or late afternoon, and anyone who has stood in the sun on an exposed ridge at noon will see why. A guided hike or a garden walk finished by late morning leaves the rest of the day free, and it means you meet the heat already showered and fed rather than halfway up a hill.

Midday belongs to water and shade. This is the time for a swim, a long lunch under an awning, a browse through a market stall or a slow drift on a boat with a breeze across the deck. Many visitors find that the best use of the hottest hours is a catamaran trip or a stop at a beach bar, and our guide to where to eat explains how to find lunch that is worth the wait. Museums, cocoa estates and tasting rooms also work well in the middle of the day because they offer shade, a seat and something to learn while the sun is at its fiercest.

Evenings are for the west coast sunsets and for the island's social life. Boats time their cruises for the last light, and the beaches and bars along the coast fill with people watching the sun drop into the sea. On Fridays the street parties come alive, with a seafood street fry in the village of Anse La Raye, where Front Street is closed to traffic, and a lively jump up in Gros Islet, with barbecue stands, speakers and dancing late into the night. If you prefer a quieter end to the day, the restaurants around Rodney Bay and the terraces of the southern resorts offer calmer tables with views.

What should I make time for beyond the main sights in Saint Lucia?

Make time for the Saint Lucia parrot, whale and dolphin trips, village cricket and local festivals, because these quieter experiences are what many visitors remember longest from holidays in Saint Lucia. Some of the best experiences on the island do not feature on the usual checklist. The Saint Lucia parrot, a bird of green plumage with a blue forehead and a scarlet breast, lives only here and was declared the national bird in 1979 after a campaign to save it from extinction. You are most likely to hear it before you see it, high in the forest canopy, and a patient morning with a guide is worth more than any amount of rushing. Our birdwatching guide explains where to go and how to behave in the forest so that the birds stay undisturbed.

The sea gives its own surprises. Deep water lies close to the coast, which is why dolphins and pilot whales can be seen on short morning trips, and why humpbacks pass through in the early months of the year. Sightings are never guaranteed, and that is part of the charm, but a calm morning on the water is rarely wasted. Our guide to whale and dolphin watching sets out what to expect, and it pairs naturally with a lazy afternoon on the sand.

Culture runs through everything, from the cricket matches in village grounds to the bush teas in market stalls and the music that spills out of bars on a Friday. A festival can transform a quiet week into an unforgettable one, so check the calendar in our guide to festivals and events before you fix your dates, and read about the best time to visit if you want drier trails and calmer seas. Leave one day entirely unplanned. On an island this size, a wrong turn is usually the beginning of something good.

Activities with a story behind them

Almost every activity on this page connects to something larger. The geology and volcanoes guide explains the mountains and springs, rainforest and plant life covers the forest, and marine life and coral reefs the sea.

For culture and sport, read about culture and traditions and sport in Saint Lucia. The About Saint Lucia hub gathers every background guide in one place.

Where to stay and how to plan

Most visitors fit this into St Lucia holidays, so choose your base first. Compare hotels in St Lucia by area and style, and read our guides to luxury hotels in St Lucia and all inclusive resorts in St Lucia if you are choosing between a boutique stay and an all in package.

Then set your dates with the best time to visit St Lucia, book flights to St Lucia and pick days out from our St Lucia itineraries. Couples can also read about a honeymoon in St Lucia or weddings in St Lucia.

Questions travellers ask