Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · St Vincent
Kingstown
A working Caribbean capital with an active volcano up the island and the Grenadines a ferry ride away.
Kingstown is the capital and ferry port of St Vincent, a steep, busy harbour town of stone arcades, two cathedrals and a crowded market, backed by green volcanic ridges. It runs for Vincentians rather than visitors, and it is where the Grenadines begin: the boats to Bequia leave from its jetty. On the edge of town the Botanic Gardens are among the oldest in the Americas, and to the north the island climbs through rainforest and waterfalls to La Soufriere, an active volcano.
Suggested stay
3–5 days
Language
English
Currency
XCD
Timezone
UTC-4
Why you'll love Kingstown
The gardens the Botanic Gardens date to 1765 and still grow breadfruit descended from Captain Bligh's famous cargo, beside an aviary for the rare St Vincent parrot
A working capital stone arcades, minibuses blasting soca, a market piled with breadfruit and fish, and ferries loading for the Grenadines at the jetty
The volcano island La Soufriere, rainforest trails where the national parrot lives, and black-sand bays with waterfalls are all within a day's drive
Under the water the leeward coast is a macro diver's reef, known for frogfish, seahorses and other small, strange life a short boat ride from the south-coast hotels
Best time to visit
all year
27-30° days
13.156° N, 61.228° W
UTC-4 · America/St Vincent
whenywhere contains ads and partner links that we think are helpful and that earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Weather & when to go to Kingstown
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best all year
Diving prime Dec-May
Activity seasons none fair good prime
Watch for Jun-Nov cyclones & hurricanes risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Kingstown
No bad season on the weather: it is warm in every month and the record rates all twelve well. The real quirk is hurricane season, June to November, when a passing storm can halt ferries and flights for days, so build slack into any Grenadines hop. Carnival in early summer books up the island's rooms.
Top things to do in Kingstown
-
St Vincent Botanic Gardens - Bligh's breadfruit and the parrot aviary
nature wildlife history ⭐ Highly recommendedFounded in 1765 on the northern edge of town, the gardens are among the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. Look for the breadfruit tree descended from the plants Captain Bligh landed here in 1793, and the aviary breeding the St Vincent parrot, the national bird.
-
Fort Charlotte - the view from Berkshire Hill
history scenic 👍 PopularThe British fort on the ridge west of town looks down on the harbour and, on a clear day, out along the Grenadines. Many of its cannon point inland, because the threat was expected over land, and paintings in the old barracks tell the story of the Garifuna.
-
St Mary's and St George's - the two cathedrals
culture arts historyThey stand a few minutes' walk apart in the centre. The Catholic St Mary's is a riot of Romanesque, Gothic and Moorish ideas layered on by a Belgian monk, while Anglican St George's is sober Georgian, with the red-robed angel window that, the story goes, Queen Victoria turned down.
-
Kingstown Market - produce, fish and Little Tokyo
food culture artsThe covered market and the stalls spilling round it are the town at full volume: ground provisions, spices and fruit from the valleys, and the fish market by the Little Tokyo bus terminal. Go early, while the boats are still unloading.
-
Roast breadfruit and fried jackfish - the national dish
foodBreadfruit roasted black over coals, split open and eaten with fried jackfish is the plate the island calls its own, sold from roadside grills as much as restaurants. Try callaloo soup, and a local rum if you have the head for it.
-
Leeward coast reefs - macro diving for frogfish and seahorses
diving nature wildlifeDark volcanic sand and sheltered walls along the leeward shore are prized by macro divers for frogfish, seahorses, octopus and other small life that busier reefs lack. Dive boats leave from the south coast near Villa and most sites are a short ride away.
-
Vincy Mas - Kingstown's summer carnival
nightlife music culture arts 👍 PopularThe island's carnival takes over the capital each summer: J'ouvert at dawn, mas bands in full costume, and calypso and soca competitions that bring the diaspora home. It is loud, packed and the island at its most exuberant.
-
Nine Mornings - pre-dawn streets before Christmas
culture arts nightlife musicFor the nine mornings running up to Christmas, Vincentians are out before sunrise for street parties, concerts, bicycle rides and early sea baths. It is a tradition unique to the island, and Kingstown is where it is biggest.
Best areas to stay in Kingstown
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Villa and Indian Bay
First-time visitors $$South-coast hotel strip facing Young Island
Explore hotels in Villa and Indian Bay →
Calliaqua and Blue Lagoon
Sailors and charterers $$Marina village where the yachts gather
Explore hotels in Calliaqua and Blue Lagoon →
Downtown Kingstown
Ferry and business stays $Busy stone-arcaded working capital
Explore hotels in Downtown Kingstown →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Kingstown
Getting to & around Kingstown
Getting there
Fly into Argyle International (SVD) on the east coast, around half an hour by road to Kingstown
Flight
Argyle International Airport (SVD)
Argyle sits on the windward coast east of town, and most visitors reach it by connecting through a larger Caribbean hub such as Barbados. Taxis meet flights for the run west to Kingstown or the Villa hotels in about half an hour.
Ferry
Kingstown ferry jetty
Ferries from Bequia and the southern Grenadines, including Canouan, Mayreau and Union Island, dock in the centre of town
Cruise
Kingstown cruise terminal
Cruise ships berth beside downtown, a short walk from the market and the cathedrals
Getting around
Minibus
Privately run vans with names and loud music leave from the Little Tokyo terminal; flag one anywhere along the road and pay the conductor in cash
TBC
Taxi
Unmetered, so agree the fare before you get in; the easy option for the airport and for evenings when the vans thin out
TBC
Hire car
You need a temporary local driving permit, which rental firms can usually arrange; roads are steep, narrow and drive on the left
TBC
Walking
Downtown is compact and walkable, though the Botanic Gardens and Fort Charlotte sit uphill on the edges of town
Free
Day trips from Kingstown
Bequia
Full dayGrenadines island
The nearest of the Grenadines and the easiest taste of them: yachts in Admiralty Bay, a waterfront walk from Port Elizabeth to the beaches, and a boatbuilding and whaling heritage. It rewards an overnight as much as a day.
Getting there
ferry
About an hour by ferry from the Kingstown jetty
La Soufriere
Full dayVolcano summit hike
The island's active volcano, which last erupted in 2021, climbed through rainforest and bare ash slopes to the crater rim. Eruptions have closed the trails before, so check access and go with a guide.
Getting there
car | tour
Around an hour and a half by car or tour to the windward trailhead, then a steady climb of a couple of hours or more to the rim
Wallilabou Bay and Dark View Falls
Full dayLeeward coast drive
The leeward road runs past black-sand fishing bays to Wallilabou, where the first Pirates of the Caribbean film was shot, then on to Dark View Falls, two cascades reached over a bamboo bridge with pools to swim in.
Getting there
car | bus | tour
Around an hour to an hour and a half up the leeward highway by car, minibus or tour
Vermont Nature Trail
Half dayRainforest parrot trail
A loop through rainforest in the hills behind the leeward coast, with a lookout that gives the best chance of seeing the St Vincent parrot in the wild. Go early morning or late afternoon, when the birds are moving.
Getting there
car | tour
About 30-40 min by car or tour into the Buccament Valley
Falls of Baleine
Full dayBoat trip to waterfall
A tall waterfall into a swimming pool at the island's northern tip, reachable only from the sea. The trip up the coast usually adds snorkelling stops, and dolphins are often seen on the way.
Getting there
tour
A long boat ride up the leeward coast on an organised tour from the south coast
A little history of Kingstown
Before Europeans, St Vincent was Hairouna, home to the Kalinago, and its mountains let them hold out against colonisation longer than almost any people in the Caribbean. Africans who reached the island, by tradition survivors of a 1675 shipwreck off Bequia, mixed with them to form the Garifuna. Britain took the island in 1763 and Kingstown grew as its capital around the harbour, gaining the Botanic Gardens and, on the ridge above, Fort Charlotte.
The Garifuna fought the British in the Carib Wars until their paramount chief, Joseph Chatoyer, was killed in 1795; two years later thousands were deported, by way of Balliceaux, to Roatan off Honduras. Sugar and then arrowroot carried the colony, La Soufriere erupted with deadly force in 1902, and independence came in 1979. Chatoyer is now the national hero, and Kingstown is still the harbour where the Grenadines' boats come in.
By tradition, a slave ship wrecks off Bequia and its survivors join the Kalinago, the beginning of the Garifuna people
The Treaty of Paris hands St Vincent to Britain
The Botanic Gardens are founded on the edge of Kingstown
Captain Bligh lands breadfruit from Tahiti at the gardens aboard HMS Providence
Garifuna paramount chief Joseph Chatoyer is killed at Dorsetshire Hill in the Second Carib War
The British deport thousands of Garifuna, via Balliceaux, to Roatan
La Soufriere erupts, devastating the north of the island
La Soufriere erupts again, and St Vincent and the Grenadines becomes independent from Britain
An explosive eruption of La Soufriere forces the evacuation of the north and coats Kingstown in ash
Know before you go
Payment
Cash preferred
English
Everywhere
Wifi
Workable
Power
Type A / B / G
230/110 V, 50/60 Hz
Dialing
+1-784
Cyclones & hurricanes risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
FAQs about Kingstown
▸ When is the best time to visit Kingstown?
The weather works in every month: it is warm year round and the record rates all twelve well. January to April is the drier stretch. June to November is hurricane season, when a storm can cancel ferries and flights, so leave slack in island-hopping plans. Carnival in early summer and the Nine Mornings before Christmas are when the town is liveliest.
▸ Is Kingstown worth a stay, or should I head straight to the Grenadines?
Most visitors pass straight through to the islands, which is a shame. Two or three nights on St Vincent buys the Botanic Gardens and Fort Charlotte, a volcano hike, waterfalls on the leeward coast and some of the most unusual diving in the region, and the Grenadines are still an hour away by ferry afterwards.
▸ How do I get from Kingstown to Bequia?
Ferries leave from the jetty in the centre of town several times a day and the crossing takes about an hour, with views back to the volcano and ahead to Admiralty Bay. Most people simply turn up and buy a ticket at the dock or on board; the sea can be lively in the channel.
▸ Can you climb La Soufriere?
Yes, as a full day with a guide. The usual route climbs from the windward side through rainforest and then open ash slopes to the crater rim, and a longer, harder trail comes up from the leeward coast. The volcano erupted in 2021 and trails have closed after eruptions before, so check the current status first.
▸ Is Kingstown expensive?
It is cheaper than the Grenadines, where the private islands and yacht crowd set the tone, but it is still the Caribbean. Local food from the market and roadside grills and the minibuses are good value; imported goods and hotel rooms on the south coast are where the costs sit.