Castries
Travel Guide > Caribbean > Saint Lucia > Castries
In this Article
- Introduction
- Neighbourhoods
- Sights and Activities
- Events and Festivals
- Weather
- Getting There
- Getting Around
- Eat
- Drink
- Sleep
- Work
- Learn
- Keep Connected
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Introduction
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 cruiseships 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.
Neighbourhoods
Sights and Activities
- Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
- Government House
- Derek Walcott Square
- Fort Charlotte
Events and Festivals
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 to 30 degrees year round and night temperatures are just slightly lower with 24 to 26 degrees. 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 Train
By Car
By Bus
By Boat
Saint Lucia - Guadeloupe vv
Brudey Freres (french only) has 2 sailings a week between Guadeloupe Castries on Fridays and Sundays. Although most ferries stop on at Martinique 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. In the opposite direction, ferries leave 5 times a week. Both crossings take about 80 minutes.
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Budget
| Property | Address | Type | Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casa del Vega | Clarke Avenue Vigie | Guesthouse | 93 |
| Glencastle Resort | Glencastle Resort Po box143 | Hotel | - |
Mid-Range
Upscale
Work
Learn
This is version 6. Last edited at 10:10 on May 20, 09 by Utrecht (+242). 7 articles link to this page.
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