Getting Around Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Reaching the smaller islands: confirm first.

Start here, because it is the part of a Grenadines itinerary most likely to change. Damage from Hurricane Beryl in July 2024 has affected hotel availability and other facilities, including services at the airport, and smaller islands including Palm Island and Petit St Vincent in the Tobago Cays are still affected. If your plans include Mayreau, Union or the smaller islands, the instruction is to confirm arrangements before you travel.

That means confirming with the operator, the airline or the accommodation directly, and doing it before you leave home rather than on the morning you hope to sail.

Driving: the license comes first.

You must get a local temporary driving license. Car hire companies will usually help with this process, and you must show a valid driving license from home to obtain it. This guide's register publishes no fee and no issuing office, so it states none.

What the roads are actually like.

The advice is unusually concrete, and every item is worth taking at face value. Drivers should:

• watch out for potholes and speed bumps;
• take care on minor roads where there can be very steep drops with no safety barriers;
• watch out for blind corners.

Steep drops with no barrier is the phrase to weigh if you were planning to drive the leeward coast for the views. The interior of Saint Vincent is mountainous and the roads follow the terrain rather than cutting through it.

Taxis and taxi vans.

Taxis are not metered. There are set fares for most destinations, and you should agree the fare in local currency with the driver before you set off; you can then often pay in US dollars. The advice also asks visitors to use only licensed taxis.

On shared transport, one sentence is worth knowing before your first journey: taxi vans make random stops. If you are following a schedule, that is a reason to allow more time rather than a reason to avoid them.

On the water.

Much of this country is reached by boat, and the safety advice extends to it: if you are staying on a yacht, make sure your accommodation is secure. Sailing south toward Grenada, monitor the alert level of the underwater volcano Kick 'em Jenny, which lies 5 miles off the coast of nearby Grenada, and keep out of maritime exclusion zones.

If you want an itinerary that accounts for which islands are currently served, tell us where you hope to go and we will confirm it before you book.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines travel advice, safety and security: that there have been incidents of crime including murder, armed robbery and assault, and an increase in gang-related murders involving guns; that visitors should keep valuables secure and out of sight, secure their accommodation including if staying on a yacht, take care walking alone off main roads and when taking money from ATMs, use only licensed taxis, and not carry large amounts of cash or jewelry; that the Vincy Mas carnival takes place in early July and that theft and opportunistic crime may increase during carnival; that there are severe penalties for all drug offenses; that it is illegal for anyone, including children, to dress in camouflage clothing; that attitudes towards the LGBT+ community are mostly conservative throughout the Caribbean and that some same-sex sexual activity is illegal; that some beaches may have strong undercurrents known as riptides and that not all beaches have lifeguards or flag warning systems; that a local temporary driving license must be obtained, that car hire companies will usually help with the process and that a valid home driving license must be shown to get it; that drivers should watch out for potholes and speed bumps, take care on minor roads where there can be very steep drops with no safety barriers, watch out for blind corners, and that taxi vans make random stops; that taxis are not metered, that there are set fares for most destinations, that the fare should be agreed in local currency with the driver before setting off and that payment can often be made in US dollars instead of East Caribbean dollars; that there was a lot of damage to tourist infrastructure on Mayreau and Union caused by Hurricane Beryl which struck the islands in July 2024, that smaller islands including the atolls of Palm Island and Petit St Vincent in Tobago Cays are also still affected, that this has affected hotel availability and other facilities including services at the airport, and that a traveler planning to visit Mayreau, Union or the smaller islands should confirm arrangements before traveling; that the last explosive eruption of La Soufriere volcano on St Vincent was in 2021; and that a traveler should monitor the alert level of the underwater volcano Kick em Jenny, located 5 miles off the coast of nearby Grenada, and keep out of maritime exclusion zones. Accessed 21 September 2026.