Travel Information Santa Lucia

European Union citizens do not need a visa to enter and stay up to 90 days in St. Lucia; passport valid for at least another six months is required. Children’s passports are accepted. Travelers should have an onward or return ticket.
When leaving the country, an airport tax of currently 26 USD is due. We urgently advise to check in at the airport approx. two hours prior to your flight’s departure in order to avoid being canceled due to possible overbooking.

Banking
At most banks, cash amounts can be withdrawn from ATMs with credit or bank cards.

Money exchange: Best exchange rates are granted when using U.S. Dollars.

Banking hours: Usually Mon - Thu 08:00 a.m. – 03:00 p.m. and Fri 08:00 a.m. – 05:00 p.m. Some banks are open also on Saturday mornings from 08:00 a.m. - 12.00 p.m.

Climate
Hot tropical climate, moderated by trade winds. The dry season with its cooler temperatures lasts from December through May. In summer and until the end of year, precipitations may occur more frequently. The island’s annual mean is approx. 30° Celsius.

Communications
Mail: Airmail to Europe and North America takes up to 4 weeks. Poste restante mailings are handed out only upon presenting passport. Mail stamps are available in shops selling postcards. Hotel receptions mail letters and cards for a tip of approx. 1 US$.
Telephone: Direct Distant Dialing. Card and pay phones are to be found everywhere on the island. Telephone cards are available at Cable & Wireless, the St. Lucia Tourist Board Information Centers and many other businesses, e. g. at airports, the yacht harbor of Rodney Bay, etc.
Mobile phones: GSM 900/1800/850, operated by Cable & Wireless, Digicel (St. Lucia) Ltd., Digicel (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) Ltd. and Wireless Ventures (St. Lucia) Ltd. Mobile phones may be rented at the branch offices of Cable & Wireless Caribbean Cellular in the Gablewoods Mall, in Rodney Bay, and the Castries harbor area.
Fax: Available in most hotels and the office of Cable & Wireless.
Internet: Public internet access is possible at the internet kiosk in Pointe Seraphine, in most shopping malls or the three Cable & Wireless internet cafés.

Currency
1 East Caribbean Dollar = 100 cents. Bank notes circulate in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 EC$, coins in denominations of 1 EC$ as well as 25, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cent. U.S. Dollars are accepted almost everywhere. The East Caribbean Dollar is linked to the U.S. Dollar.
Credit cards: American Express, Eurocard, MasterCard, Diners Club and Visa are accepted by all major shopping malls, restaurants, hotels etc.

Traveler checks: Traveler checks in U.S. Dollars are advised.

Customs
The following articles may be brought into St. Lucia free of duty: 200 cigarettes or 250 g of tobacco; 1.14l of alcoholic beverages. The import of weapons (including blank guns, diving and signal guns) is allowed only with special import permits.

Electric power
220 V, 50 Hz AC. (Some hotels have 110 V, 60 Hz). Most wall outlets require British three pole plugs, some also two-pole round plugs and American flat plugs. Hotels usually provide the corresponding adapters.

Geography
St. Lucia is an independent island state within the Commonwealth of Nations. It is located north of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and south of Martinique. With a total surface of 616.3 km2, St. Lucia is the second largest of the Windward Islands and has one of the most attractive mountainous landscapes of the West Indies.
The 43 km long and 23 km wide island offers a rich tropical flora and fauna. Its capital is the 12,900-inhabitant town of Castries. Its highest elevation is Mount Gimmie with an altitude of 960 m a. s. l.; the western coast is towered by the volcanic cones of Mt. Gros Piton and Mt. Petit Piton. There one also finds the Sulphur Springs, volcanic vents expulsing sulfuric and other gases. The mountains are crossed by rivers that in some regions have produced fertile valleys. The island’s excellent beaches are bathed by the warm and clear water of the Caribbean Sea. The sun shines the entire year round.

Government
Parliamentarian Monarchy (Commonwealth of Nations) since 1979. Political Constitution from 1979. Bi-chamber parliament. The island has been independent since 1979 (former British colony).

Holidays

01./ 02. 01. New Years Eve
22.02. Independence Day
Easter: Good Friday, Easter Sunday & Easter Monday
01.05. Labor Day
Whit Monday
07.06. Corpus Christi
05.08. Liberation Day
07.10. Harvest Festival
13.12. National Day
25./ 26.12. Christmas

Language

English is the island’s official language. Patois (Creole French) is the vernacular language.

Photographing and Filming
Before taking photos of local people or their houses, ask for their permission. Although the inhabitants of most islands generally do not react as aggressively as e. g. Jamaicans, it is a matter of courtesy not to photograph or film unknown people unasked.

Population
St. Lucia has a population of 167,640 inhabitants, mainly descendants of African slaves, who total 90.5% of the population. Another 5.5% are mestizos, 3.2% descendants from India and 0.8% Europeans.

Shopping
Nice souvenirs are the unique batiks, sports shirts, table mats, cocktail napkins and shopping bags manufactured in a workshop between Castries and La Toc, dishes, straw hats, glass pearls, jute shirts, sisal carpets, bags, sandals and wood carvings. The freeport of Pointe Seraphine hosts numerous duty free shops, bars and restaurants along a piazza. Upon presenting their passports and return tickets, visitors are entitled to purchases free of duty there.

Time Zones
There is no daylight saving time in Trinidad & Tobago. Time difference with GMT is -4 hours.

Tips
10-15% tips are expected in restaurants and bars. Also taxi drivers expect tips.

Vaccination Requirements & Medical Care
Vaccines are not bindingly required to enter St. Lucia, save when coming from areas endemically affected by yellow fever, in which cases yellow fever vaccination must be evidenced.
For short trips to St. Lucia, we recommend prophylactic vaccination against Hepatitis A, Tetanus and Diphtheria. For longer stays we also recommend vaccination against Hepatitis B and Typhoid.
Malaria does not occur on St. Lucia; the mosquito-borne infection of dengue fever, however, does. We recommend corresponding protection against mosquito bites, e. g. by means of mosquito nets or anti-mosquito sprays or liquids.
Travelers should be aware of hygiene measures when consuming fruits, vegetables and meat, as well as fish and sea food. The private Tapion hospital in the capital city of Castries includes an emergency station and can organize a rescue flight to Martinique if necessary (flight time 10 minutes).