St Lucia is the second largest of the Windward Islands, located around 39km (24mi) south of Martinique and 40km (24.8mi) north of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The most convenient route to St Lucia is by air to Hewanorra International Airport (UVF), located 5km (3mi) from Vieux Fort on the southern tip of the island, and around 53km (33mi) from the capital, Castries.
Hewanorra is the larger of the island's two airports and receives daily direct flights from New York, Atlanta and Miami, as well as from London and several Caribbean islands.
The country's smaller airport, George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU), formerly known as Vigie, is located 2km (1.2mi) north of Castries, and mainly services inter-Caribbean flights.
It affords a shorter and more convenient trip to the capital and northern resorts. However, for those hotels around Soufrière, this trip is longer, around 1.5 hours by road.
The following are the most convenient and quickest routes to Hewanorra International Airport (UVF), St Lucia.
From United States: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Jet Blue offer the most convenient scheduled flights to St Lucia.
Atlanta to St Lucia is 4 hrs 23 min, direct flight
Boston to St Lucia is 4 hrs 49 min, direct flight
Charlotte to St Lucia is 4 hrs 35 min, direct flight
Miami to St Lucia is 3 hrs 34 min, direct flight
New York to St Lucia is 4 hrs 39 min, direct flight
Chicago to St Lucia is 7 hrs 19 min, connecting flightˆ
Dallas-Fort Worth to St Lucia is 7 hrs 19 min, connecting flightˆ
Houston to St Lucia is 7 hrs 24 min, connecting flightˆ
Los Angeles to St Lucia is 10 hrs 8 min, connecting flightˆ
San Francisco to St Lucia is 10 hrs 33 min, connecting flightˆ
Seattle to St Lucia is 10 hrs 35 min, connecting flightˆ
From Canada: Air Canada, American Airlines, West Jet and Delta Air Lines offer the most convenient scheduled flights to St Lucia.
Toronto to St Lucia is 7 hrs 40 min, connecting flightˆ
Montreal to St Lucia is 7 hrs 35 min, connecting flightˆ
Vancouver to St Lucia is 11 hrs 8 mins, connecting flightˆ
From United Kingdom: British Airways and Virgin Atlantic offer the most convenient flights to St Lucia.
London to St Lucia is 8 hrs 45 min, direct flight
Manchester to St Lucia is 9 hrs 10 min, direct flight
From Ireland: Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways offer the most convenient scheduled flights to St Lucia.
Dublin to St Lucia is 11 hrs 10 min, connecting flightˆ
From France: Corsair Fly and Air Antilles offer the most convenient scheduled flights to St Lucia.
Paris to St Lucia is 10 hrs 25 min, connecting flightˆ
From Germany: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Congor Flugdienst, Lufthansa and easyJet offer the most convenient flights to St Lucia.
Berlin to St Lucia is 13 hrs 45 min, connecting flightˆ
Dusseldorf to St Lucia is 11 hrs 15 min, connecting flightˆ
Frankfurt to St Lucia is 13 hrs, connecting flightˆ
Hamburg to St Lucia is 11 hrs 50 min, connecting flightˆ
Munich to St Lucia is 12 hrs 20 min, connecting flightˆ
From Australia: Qantas, American Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines offer the most convenient scheduled flights.
Adelaide to St Lucia is 32 hrs 58 min, connecting flightˆ
Brisbane to St Lucia is 28 hrs 15 min, connecting flightˆ
Sydney to St Lucia is 29 hrs 50 min, connecting flightˆ
Melbourne to St Lucia is 28 hrs 50 min, connecting flightˆ
Perth to St Lucia is 32 hrs 35 min, connecting flightˆ
From New Zealand: Air New Zealand and United Airlines offer the most convenient scheduled flights to St Lucia.
Auckland to St Lucia is 29 hrs 35 min, connecting flightˆ
From Singapore: Singapore Airlines and United Airlines offer the most convenient scheduled flights to St Lucia.
Singapore to St Lucia is 25 hrs 55 min, connecting flightˆ
(ˆincludes transfer time.)
Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) is located at the southern tip of the island, around 65km (40mi) south of the main resort area, and 53km (33mi) from Castries.
Taxi: Taxis are available outside the terminal building. Journey time to Castries is around one hour, and the fare is approximately EC$200.
Shuttle: Islander (tel: +1 758 486 1561; www.islelander.com) operates private shuttle services to resorts and destinations all over St Lucia.
Bus: Hewanorra International Airport's proximity to the East Coast Road affords good access to public transport. Public buses stop on the main road just outside the airport complex. Journey time to Vieux Fort is 10 minutes, and the fare is less than EC$2.
Air: Helicopter services are available from St Lucia Helicopters (tel: +1 758 453 6950; www.stluciahelicopters.com), which has a desk in the terminal. Fare is US$165 – four person minimum.
Car hire operators at Hewanorra International Airport include Alto, Avis, Budget and St Lucia Car Rental.
Money: There is a bank (open 1200 to 1630), with bureau de change facilities and an ATM in the terminal building.
Food: There are several cafés, bars and restaurants, and a snack bar in the departures lounge.
Shopping: There are only a few shops in the terminal building. Duty-free is available in the departures lounge.
Wi-Fi: Public telephones are located at within the terminal building.
Other: A pharmacy, first aid facilities and medical services are available on site.
Wheelchairs, lifts, personal assistance and accessible toilets are provided for disabled passengers. Passengers requiring special assistance should inform their airline prior to travel.
Visitors must have a passport valid for at least six months after entry. All visitors must hold return/onward tickets and proof of sufficient funds. No visa is required for a stay of up to six weeks.
Hiring a car offers the best way of exploring St Lucia. Taxis are also available and can be hired for the day, while helicopters offer the island's most dramatic sightseeing trips.
St Lucia has a reasonably good road network. However, many roads are narrow, and mountainous roads are steep, often with hairpin bends which are not marked. In rural areas you need to watch out for livestock crossing the road.
The main cross-island road runs between Vieux Fort in the south of the island to Castries in the north.
Water taxis are an easy way to access private beaches or go island hopping. Boat charters are easily available at Castries, Marigot Bay and Rodney Bay.
Latest update: How to get to St Lucia: 8 May, 2022
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