The Grenadines

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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an English-speaking country in the Lesser Antilles. It brings together the volcanic island of Saint Vincent, home to the capital Kingstown, and a chain of islands to the south: Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Union Island and the Tobago Cays. The archipelago is mostly visited by yachtsmen for its sheltered anchorages, reefs and white-sand beaches, while Saint Vincent offers black-sand beaches, waterfalls and the La Soufrière volcano. Stays are largely built around small hotels, villas and boats.

An island nation in the south of the Lesser Antilles

The country covers about 389 km², nearly 90% of it Saint Vincent (344 km², 29 km long). The Northern Grenadines stretch away to the south: Bequia is the country’s second-largest island (about 18 km²), followed by Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau and Union Island, which lies roughly 68 km from Argyle airport. Further south, the Grenadines belong to Grenada. The country has around 109,000 inhabitants (2023 census); English is the official language and Vincentian Creole is heard everywhere.

The Southern Grenadines were hit hard by Hurricane Beryl on 1 July 2024: more than 90% of buildings on Union Island, Mayreau and Canouan were left uninhabitable. In early 2026 the British trade press described Bequia as back at full capacity, while reconstruction continued on Union Island and Mayreau. Check the state of accommodation and services before booking on these islands.

Kalinago, Garifuna, planters and seafarers

The Kalinago called Bequia ‘Becouya’, the ‘island of clouds’. The French settled on Saint Vincent in 1719; the island passed to the British in 1763 (Treaty of Paris), was briefly retaken by France in 1779, then returned for good to the British Crown in 1783. The Garifuna, or Black Caribs, resisted in the Carib Wars of 1772–73 and 1795–97; after the death of their chief Joseph Chatoyer, around 5,000 of them were deported. Slavery was abolished in 1834 and independence was declared on 27 October 1979.

After the decline of sugar, the people of Bequia turned to the sea: fishing, boatbuilding and seafaring, using local cedar and a deep, sheltered harbour. Scottish settlers introduced whaling there in the mid-19th century; it survives today in a traditional form overseen by the International Whaling Commission. This maritime culture lives on in the Bequia Easter Regatta, while Vincy Mas (the summer carnival), Nine Mornings (December) and the Mustique Blues Festival punctuate the year.

Saint Vincent, Bequia, Mustique and the southern islands

Saint Vincent has most of the cultural sights. In Kingstown, founded by the French shortly after 1722 and the country’s main port, Fort Charlotte (1763–1806) overlooks the town from a ridge about 180 m high, and the botanic gardens, created in 1765, lie about 1.6 km from the centre. On the leeward coast, Wallilabou park and its bay, a Pirates of the Caribbean film location, sit alongside the Dark View Falls in the north-west; further south, the Vermont trails on the Grand Bonhomme offer a chance to spot the Saint Vincent parrot.

Bequia is centred on Port Elizabeth, on Admiralty Bay, a large sheltered natural anchorage; you will also find Princess Margaret Beach, Lower Bay, Friendship Bay and the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary at Park Bay. Mustique, a private island run by the Mustique Company, has about 500 permanent residents and neither buses nor car hire. Canouan is dominated in the north by a large private estate and the Mandarin Oriental; Mayreau (about 300 inhabitants, no airport) is home to Saltwhistle Bay.

Union Island is entered through Clifton, with its harbour, its airport and the bar built on the artificial islet of ‘Happy Island’; Chatham Bay lies on the west coast. East of Mayreau, the Tobago Cays form a marine park of five uninhabited cays sheltered by Horseshoe Reef. Petit St Vincent, a private island of 115 acres, has a resort that has been closed since Beryl according to its own website, with no reopening date announced.

Black sand, reefs, turtles and a volcano

More than 95% of Saint Vincent’s beaches have black, volcanic sand, whereas the Grenadines are best known for their white beaches: Lower Bay and Friendship Bay on Bequia, Saltwhistle Bay on Mayreau, Macaroni Bay on Mustique or Glossy Bay on Canouan. The Tobago Cays are a marine park where fishing is prohibited, diving must be done with a registered local operator and speed is limited to 5 knots; green turtles come here to feed and a marked viewing area lies off Baradal.

La Soufrière (1,234 m), the country’s highest point, is an active volcano. A lava dome formed there in late 2020, followed by explosions from 9 to 22 April 2021, and around 16,000 people were evacuated. The Windward trail, closed since the eruption, reopened on 16 December 2024; allow a full day, starting early. Check the volcano’s activity with the NEMO agency and the authorities before any climb, and obey any evacuation order.

Getting there, ferries and getting around

There is no direct flight from France to Argyle (SVD), an airport opened in 2017 about 8 km from Kingstown. Direct flights to the airport mainly serve Miami, New York, Toronto, London Heathrow (Virgin Atlantic) and Barbados. One practical option is to fly to Fort-de-France with Air France, then take Air Adelphi to Saint Vincent or Mustique; you can also connect via Barbados or Saint Lucia. Mustique Airways and SVG Air then link Bequia, Canouan and Union Island.

By sea, Bequia Express links Kingstown with Bequia several times a day, and the official timetable page also lists the boats serving the Southern Grenadines (Gem Star II, Jaden Sun), some of whose sailings run only on certain days. Driving is on the left; the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that roads on Saint Vincent are narrow and poorly lit at night, and that a temporary local driving licence is compulsory. On Mustique you get around on foot, by taxi or by ‘mule’; Mayreau has no airport.

Season, events and budget

The best time to go is from December to May, with the driest months from February to April; the rains, in short but heavy showers, and the hurricane season run from June to November. For kitesurfing on Union Island, one school gives a season from mid-November to July, with December to June the most reliable. As for events: Mustique Blues Festival (late January to early February), Bequia Easter Regatta (March or April), Vincy Mas (late June to early July) and Nine Mornings (the nine mornings before Christmas).

Costs vary greatly from island to island: Mustique and Canouan remain upmarket destinations, while Saint Vincent and Bequia offer mid-range hotels, villas and guesthouses. The stable official fees are modest: US$5 for non-residents at the botanic gardens and at Wallilabou. A stay extension costs EC$75 per person per month. Yacht and catamaran charters leave from Blue Lagoon on Saint Vincent, among other places.

Essentials

Your questions answered

Nearby islands: Saint Lucia and Martinique.

Photo: Stefan Schäfer, Lich, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons