Kingstown St Vincent Cruise Port is mostly visited by European (or Europe-based) cruise lines, such as P&O, MSC, Marella, AIDA and Mein Schiff, during the winter months when they need to deploy their ships elsewhere. And I suspect this is because it’s a relatively sedate port, without much to do nearby and with little of the excitement that we’ve come to associate with Caribbean cruise ports!
If you have Kingstown St Vincent and the Grenadines (its formal name) scheduled on your cruise itinerary, don’t despair! I’ll share a few things that you can do yourself. For the rest, you’ll need to rent a car or join a tour! But the attractions further afield range from where the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were shot, to Deep View Waterfall. And if nothing catches your eye, at least you know you can just enjoy a drink by the pool and save your excursion for another port!
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Kingstown St Vincent Cruise Port: Is a DIY Excursion Easy? 😎😎 It’s Tricky!
Kingstown St Vincent Cruise Port is quite a tricky port to do a DIY excursion and here’s why:
- Limited Attractions Near Port: Kingston is not that exciting! The Botanical Gardens are lovely but that’s about it. Now that Fort Charlotte is temporarily closed, walking around Kingston won’t occupy most cruisers for more than an hour or so.
- Where’s the Beach? There’s certainly nice beaches on St Vincent, just not that easy to get to. Seems a shame to need to take a taxi or a tour to visit a nice beach!
- Limited Transport Options: No shortage of taxis but there’s not much else. So DIY cruisers, I’ve had to write about available tours, so you can make your own decisions!
Kingstown St Vincent Cruise Port Essentials: All You Need to Know
- Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (EC$), fixed at US$1 = EC$2.7 since 1976
- EC$ is official currency to six other countries besides St Vincent and the Grenadines: Saint Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla and Montserrat.
- Use of USD$: Most establishments frequented by tourists will also accept USD$ cash. However, if you want change back, you may be given East Caribbean Dollars back. So check before hand!
- Language: Official language is English
- Official Website: Discover SVG is the official tourism website
- Mini Vans & Taxis on St Vincent Island:
- Taxis: Tourism board approved taxi drivers tend to be individuals on the island, not a company. There’s no meters and negotiate with drivers first, or check the official “rate-card” before hand (scroll to the last few pages for rates from Kingstown Cruise Port.)
- Buses (Mini Vans): Buses are mini-vans and don’t run to a schedule. Each mini-van tend to be driven by the owner operator, rather than working for the local transit authority. (There are set routes, like in Hong Kong. But I think it’s only known for locals! 🤣 So best to catch a taxi if you’re heading to the beach!
- eSim for roaming in St Vincent: For a great data connection without the huge roaming fees, use an eSim data pack from Airalo. I always recommend having a smartphone with a valid plan when you’re at port touring independently. Get US$3 off your first eSIM data pack from Airalo when you use ROXANN1666 when you sign up or apply it at checkout – if you’re on a Caribbean cruise, then buy the Island Hopper, valid in 27 Caribbean Islands!
Kingstown St Vincent Cruise Port Map
- On Desktop | Laptop? Use buttons on bottom left to zoom in/out. Click on the upper right hand corner to see a bigger version.
- On Tablet | Mobile? Pinch your screen to zoom in/out and use two fingers to move map around. If you have Google Maps installed on your tablet/mobile, my map will open in your Google Maps app if you click on the upper right hand corner.
- If map is not loading correctly, click here to see it directly on Google Maps
Kingstown St Vincent Beaches
1. Villa Beach
Villa Beach is the easiest beach to access from Kingstown St Vincent Cruise Port. The beach is rather small and not what one would imagine the wide sandy beaches in the Caribbean to me. So manage your expectations if you decide to head there. However, the sand is soft and the water crystal clear. One-way taxi fares to the Villa Beach area is around US$30.
2. Buccament Bay Beach
The Buccament Bay Beach, about 30 minutes drive from Kingstown is usually where the tours stop. Buccament Bay was a naturally occurring black sand beach, typically of many beaches in St. Vincent due to the island’s volcanic origins. But when the Buccament Bay Resort was developed, white sand was brought in, so it’s now a mixed black and white sand beach! This is a well maintained beach, probably because the Sandals Resort is there!
Kingstown St Vincent Cruise Port: Top Things to Do
1. Visit the Botanical Gardens
The St. Vincent Botanical Gardens is the oldest in the Western Hemisphere, pre-dating many famous botanical gardens around the world! The gardens were originally created to cultivate medicinal plants and introduce new species to the island.
There’s very diverse plant life spread across 20 acres in the Botanical Gardens. The collection is mostly tropical plants, flowers and trees, from towering palms to vibrant orchids and exotic fruit trees. The gardens are a haven for birdlife, including the endemic Saint Vincent Amazon parrot. These are large parrots up to 40cm (~16 inches), with a striking combination of colours! They are unique to St Vincent! Don’t miss the hibiscus walk and the aviary complex.
- How to Get There: It’s about a 15-minute walk from Kingstown St Vincent Cruise Port
- Opening Hours: Daily 7am to 6pm
- Tickets: $5 EC adults, $2.5 EC for kids under 12.
2. Climb Fort Charlotte
Note: Fort Charlotte is currently closed, as of October 2024 when I’m writing this! (You can still walk to the Arched Bridge.)
Completed in 1806, Fort Charlotte was named after the wife of King George III, Queen Charlotte. (For Bridgeton fans, it’s the same Queen Charlotte in the series!) Fort Charlotte is about 600 feet above sea level, so there’s wonderful views of Kingstown, the harbour and the Grenadines.
You can still get some of the views from the Arched Bridge on the road before you get to Fort Charlotte – see this marked on my Kingstown St Vincent Cruise Port Map above. But I would only recommend the Arched Bridge for keen walkers, now that Fort Charlotte is closed. (When the Fort used to be open, one could easily take a taxi there but I’m not sure that the views from the bridge alone justifies the taxi trip!)
Further Afield in St Vincent: What Else to See
1. Join a Pirates of the Caribbean Tour
Wallilabou Bay, on the west side of the island, was the primary filming location for Port Royal in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie (“The Curse of the Black Pearl”). The original movie set is still there! So you can touch the set pieces and props and of course, there’s a pirate-themed bar and restaurant.
Join a half-day tour from outside the cruise port (enter pickup point as “SVG Cruise Ship Terminal”) is the easiest way to get there. Most tours will stop by Buccament Bay for swimming and snorkelling, since it’s on the way back to the cruise port.
2. Dark View Waterfall
Dark View Falls consist of two magnificent waterfalls cascading down a lush cliff face. The upper falls plunge into a pool below, which then overflows to create the lower falls. The natural pools at the base of the falls are popular swimming spots – you’ll need to walk down a well-maintained trail for about 10 minutes to get to the lower falls. Tours leave from outside the cruise terminal.
3. Hike to La Soufrière Volcano
For those seeking a more active adventure, La Soufrière is an active stratovolcano, known for its explosive eruptions. It has erupted several times throughout recorded history, most notably in 1812, 1902, 1979, and most recently in 2020-2021. During periods of inactivity, a crater lake forms within the volcano’s summit. You’ll need a reasonably good level of fitness for this hike though! It’s a 7km or ~4.3 miles (there and back) trail, with around 600m in elevation.
Featured Image by Richard Todd from Pixabay
