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Grenada, the spice island and the Grenadines behind it

Grenada is a working island that happens to be beautiful, and the nutmeg on its flag is the clue. The south is where the beaches and the hotels are, the west coast and the interior are where the estates, the falls and the crater lake are, and two small islands to the north are a separate trip again.

117K

People

Region

Best months

Jan–May

Ideal length

7–10 days

Budget / day

$120–290

Language

English

Getting around

Hire car (drive on the left

When to visit Grenada

A dry half the winter prices are built on, and a wet half that holds Spicemas, the regatta and the lowest rates of the year.

Full month guide →

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Best: February to April, driest and clearest, and the months the trails work Peak: December and January for the winter season, August for Spicemas and the regatta Good: May, June and November, warm with the rain still manageable Quietest: July to October, wettest months and the height of the storm season

Quick answer · south end, west coast or Carriacou

Pick the end of the island before the hotel. The south is where almost everyone sleeps: Grand Anse for the beach, Saint George's twenty minutes north. The west coast is the day out: the Molinere sculptures, the falls, Gouyave's nutmeg station and Friday fish fry. The interior is Grand Etang, the crater lake and the trails. The east around Grenville has estates, not beaches. Carriacou and Petite Martinique are a second trip by ferry or short flight, still rebuilding after Hurricane Beryl.

Jump toMap Fun fact Stereotypes Famous faces Food FAQ

1 Grenada city guide

The country layer comes first here. City guides follow it.

St. George's

North America · 10 picks

Fun fact

One number worth knowing

Hurricane Ivan crossed Grenada on 7 September 2004, damaged about 90 per cent of its buildings and took out an estimated 80 per cent of the nutmeg trees. Production fell from more than 4,870 tonnes in 2003 to about 440 by 2006. Only Indonesia produces more nutmeg today.

Stereotypes, sorted out

What the brochure flattens, what the island is actually like, and how to behave once you land.

"Grenada is a beach holiday with a spice theme."

The realityThe spice is the economy, not the theme. Nutmeg and mace are the signature agricultural exports, the processing station at Gouyave is a working plant that takes visitors, and the cocoa behind Grenville becomes bars on the island. The beach is real and so is the farm.

"It is below the hurricane belt, so it is safe."

The realityIt sits near the southern edge of the belt, where the odds are lower but not zero. Ivan crossed in 2004 and damaged about 90 per cent of buildings. Beryl hit Carriacou and Petite Martinique as a Category 4 storm in July 2024 and destroyed most of the housing. Insure, and book September flexibly.

"Grenada and the Grenadines are one thing."

The realityThe chain is split between two countries. Carriacou and Petite Martinique, the Southern Grenadines, belong to Grenada. Bequia, Mustique, Union Island and the rest belong to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The boundary matters for ferries, flights and immigration.

"The island is small, so a day is enough."

The realityIt is small and slow. The middle is mountain, the roads follow the coast or the valleys, and a loop on the map is often an out-and-back. Plan in half-days: the west coast and the falls are one, Grand Etang and the east another. Carriacou is a separate trip with a boat in it.

"The 1983 events are ancient history nobody discusses."

The realityThey are within living memory and openly discussed. Maurice Bishop led the 1979 revolution that removed Eric Gairy and was killed by factions of his own party in October 1983, days before the United States invaded. The international airport carries his name. Listen first, and keep your verdict.

The Spice IslandThe Carenage at duskGrand Anse from the headlandStatues on the seabedOil down on a SundayJab Jab at four in the morningGouyave's Friday fish fry

How to behave

Greet before you ask. Good morning or good afternoon comes first in a shop, a bus or at a stall, and skipping it reads as rude.
Cover up off the beach. Swimwear in a shop, a bank or a restaurant is taken as bad manners, and a shirt and shoes are the minimum in town.
Ask before photographing people, especially at the market and on the fishing beaches. A camera pointed at someone working is not a neutral act.
Sunday is church and family. Plan a slow morning, a beach or a long lunch.
Agree the price before the service, whether that is a taxi, a boat, a guide or a beach chair. It is normal practice and gives no offence.
The revolution and 1983 come up in conversation, and Grenadians hold a range of views on them. Ask, listen, and leave your verdict at home.
On Carriacou, Beryl is recent. Residents will talk about the storm and the rebuild openly, and treating the damage as a photo opportunity lands badly.

Famous Grenadian faces

An Olympic champion, a double world champion, a revolution and the Calypso King of the World. Pick a field.

Anderson Peters

Javelin thrower, world champion in 2019 and 2022, Olympic bronze at Paris in 2024.

Mighty Sparrow

Calypso King of the World, born in Grand Roy in 1935 and made famous in Trinidad.

Kirani James

Sprinter from Gouyave, 400 metres gold at London in 2012, Grenada's only Olympic champion.

Lindon Victor

Decathlete, Commonwealth champion and Olympic bronze medallist at Paris in 2024.

Junior Murray

Wicketkeeper, and the first Grenadian to play Test cricket for the West Indies.

Maurice Bishop

Led the 1979 revolution and was prime minister until he was killed in October 1983.

Sir Eric Gairy

First prime minister of independent Grenada, from 1974 until the 1979 coup.

T. A. Marryshow

Journalist and politician, remembered as the father of the West Indies Federation.

Dame Cécile La Grenade

Governor-General since 2013, the first woman in the office, and a food scientist.

Dickon Mitchell

Lawyer, prime minister since June 2022, the youngest to hold the office.

Mr. Killa

Soca artist from Gouyave, the first non-Trinidadian to win Power Soca Monarch, in 2019.

Merle Collins

Poet and novelist, the closest thing the revolution has to a literary record.

Must-try Grenadian food

A national dish cooked down in coconut milk, a spice cupboard that is also the economy, and rum made by a water wheel. Pick a category.

Oil down

The national dish: breadfruit, salt meat, dumplings and callaloo stewed in coconut milk.

Callaloo soup

Dasheen leaves, coconut milk, okra and salt meat or crab, cooked to a thick green soup.

Lambi

Conch, slow-stewed in creole seasoning or curried. Tough if hurried, excellent if not.

Crab back

Land crab picked, seasoned and baked back in its own shell. Fiddly and rich.

Saltfish and bake

Fried dough split and filled with seasoned salt cod. Breakfast on the way to work.

Roti

Curried chicken, goat or vegetables in a soft flatbread. An Indo-Caribbean counter lunch.

Breadfruit

Roasted over coals or boiled beside the fish. A staple, and the backbone of oil down.

Pepper sauce

Scotch bonnet, mustard and vinegar on every table. Start with less than you think.

Nutmeg ice cream

Fresh-grated nutmeg in ice cream, the obvious use of the national crop and still the best.

Nutmeg syrup and jam

The fleshy pericarp around the nut, boiled into syrup, jam or a candied sweet.

Tree-to-bar chocolate

Cocoa grown, fermented and made into bars on the island. The souvenir worth the luggage.

Cocoa tea

Local cocoa grated from a stick, boiled with spice and milk. A thick, sweet breakfast.

Rivers rum

Overproof rum from River Antoine, founded in 1785 and still driven by a water wheel.

Clarke's Court and Westerhall

The two larger distilleries behind most of the island's punch. Both take visitors.

Know before you go

The essentials for planning a Grenada trip: entry, money, the roads and the weather.

Currency

East Caribbean dollar (XCD), pegged to the US dollar

Pegged at EC$2.70 to US$1 and shared with seven other territories. US dollars are widely accepted but change comes back in EC, so confirm which currency a price is in.

Language

English is official; Grenadian Creole English is the everyday speech

French rule left its mark on the map: Sauteurs, Gouyave, Grand Etang and Molinere are French names. A French-lexicon patois survives among older speakers in the north and on Carriacou.

Power

230 V, 50 Hz, type G sockets

British three-pin plugs on British voltage. North American appliances need an adapter and, unless dual voltage, a converter. Some hotels fit US-style sockets as well.

Visa

Visa-free for most Western passports, up to 90 days

UK, US, Canadian, EU and most Commonwealth citizens need no tourist visa. Immigration wants a passport, an onward ticket and an address, and may ask for funds. Check validity rules first.

Getting around

Drive on the left; route minibuses and unmetered taxis

Numbered minibuses run from Saint George's to Grand Anse, Grenville, Gouyave and Sauteurs. They leave when full and stop early in the evening. Taxis are unmetered, so agree the fare first.

Driving permit

A temporary Grenadian permit is required

A foreign licence alone is not enough. Hire companies and the police issue a local permit on sight of your national licence. Budget the fee and the paperwork into day one.

Tipping

Check the bill first

Many restaurants add a service charge, and then nothing more is expected. Where none is added, round up or leave a modest percentage. Small notes suit guides, drivers and boatmen.

Airports

Maurice Bishop International (GND) at Point Salines; Lauriston (CRU) on Carriacou

Flights land at Point Salines, about twenty minutes from the Grand Anse hotels. Carriacou is reached by ferry from Saint George's or by a short flight into Lauriston, beside Hillsborough.

Seasons

Dry January to May, wet June to November

February to April is the driest and clearest stretch. Hurricane season runs June to November, riskiest from August to October, which is also the wettest and cheapest time.

Terrain

Mountainous, rising to Mount Saint Catherine at 840 m

The interior is forest reserve and ridge, and the roads follow the coast or the valleys because there is rarely anywhere else to put them. Journey times run well ahead of the distances on the map.

Government

Independent since 7 February 1974

A parliamentary democracy and Commonwealth realm, with a governor-general for the monarch. Independence Day on 7 February is the national holiday. Grenada is a member of CARICOM.

After Hurricane Beryl

Carriacou and Petite Martinique are rebuilding

Beryl hit both islands as a Category 4 storm on 1 July 2024 and destroyed most homes. Roofs, services and businesses came back through 2025. Expect building work and confirm your room directly.

Spice

Nutmeg, mace, cocoa, cinnamon and cloves

A working agricultural economy. The Gouyave nutmeg station takes visitors, the cocoa estates behind Grenville and Sauteurs run tours, and Saint George's market is where locals buy spice.

Grenada travel FAQ

Where should I base myself in Grenada?+

The south, for almost every first trip. Grand Anse and the bays around it hold most of the hotels, the beach, the restaurants and the dive operators, with the airport twenty minutes one way and Saint George's twenty minutes the other. The west coast and the interior are day trips from there, each under an hour's drive. The east coast around Grenville is where the island works and has little visitor accommodation. Carriacou is the exception: a second base that needs a ferry or a flight and at least two nights.

When is the best time to visit Grenada?+

January to May is the dry season, and February to April is the clearest part of it. December and January are the busiest and priciest. The wet season and the hurricane season both run June to November, heaviest from August into October, when the island is quietest and cheapest. Spicemas moves demand on its own: its road days fall on the second Monday and Tuesday of August, with the Carriacou Regatta at the start of the same month. The crowd is local, and room prices follow it.

Do I need a car in Grenada?+

Not for a beach week in the south. Minibuses run the main corridors cheaply, taxis cover the rest, and dive shops and tour operators collect from the hotels. A car buys the interior, the north and a waterfall before the tour buses. Traffic keeps left, the roads are narrow, steep and unlit after dark, and visitors need a temporary Grenadian driving permit on top of their home licence. A hired driver for one full day covers the west coast, Grand Etang and a cocoa estate in a single loop.

Can I visit Carriacou after Hurricane Beryl?+

Yes, and the visit helps. Beryl crossed Carriacou and Petite Martinique as a Category 4 storm on 1 July 2024 and destroyed the great majority of the housing. Through 2025 the roofs went back on, power, water and telecommunications returned, businesses reopened and the islands turned green again. The ferry and the flights to Lauriston are running. The accommodation stock is smaller and the rebuild still shows, so book ahead and confirm with your guesthouse directly.

What is the diving like, and is the underwater sculpture park worth it?+

Yes. Grenada is one of the better dive destinations in the Eastern Caribbean, with two sites nowhere else has. The Bianca C, a 180-metre Italian liner that caught fire and sank off the south coast in 1961, is the largest wreck dive in the Caribbean and a deep one for experienced divers. The Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park opened in 2006 as the world's first, sunk in shallow water on a damaged reef so the sculptures would seed new coral. It works for snorkellers as well as divers, and a boat from the Carenage or Grand Anse reaches it in minutes.

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