One of my dreams since being a kid has been to go island hopping around the Caribbean so when I booked my first trip to St Lucia, I knew that I just had to visit a nearby island!
I ended up spending hours researching every island that you can visit on a day trip from St Lucia before finally settling on Martinique.
If you’re considering island hopping from St Lucia then this post is for you as I’ve included all of my research on which islands you can visit from St Lucia and how to get to each one.
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Day Trips From St Lucia To Other Islands
St Lucia is located close to several other incredible islands however it’s not possible to visit all of them on a day trip due to transport issues.
Day trips from St Lucia are possible to Martinique, Barbados and Dominica.
You can also do an overnight trip to Grenada or Guadeloupe.
Check out the map below to see their locations in relation to St Lucia:
Day trips to other islands can be a little bit difficult to plan as there are very few tours available so most of the time you’ll have to plan it yourself.
Flights between the islands are infrequent and expensive making day trips difficult.
There are some ferry options but the ferry only runs to certain islands in the area.
In a hurry? Here’s a quick overview of the options:
- Martinique – Best option for a day trip. Both flight and ferry options available.
- St Vincent & the Grenadines – Not possible to visit St Vincent or the Grenadines on a day trip as there is no ferry and very few flights.
- Barbados – You can do a day trip. There is no ferry but you can take a flight.
- Grenada – Not possible to do a day trip. You can fly and stay overnight.
- Dominica – A day trip is possible but involves 8 hours of travel by ferry. An overnight stay would be better. Both ferry and flight options available.
- Guadeloupe – Not possible to do a day trip. You can fly or take the ferry and stay overnight.
I personally ended up going for Martinique as I really wanted to do a day trip rather than an overnight stay and I wanted to avoid having to take a flight.
As the ferry to Martinique only takes 1.5 hours each way, I got to spend most of my day exploring the island and still had time to get back to St Lucia before nighttime.
Below I will go into a ton of detail on each of these islands and explain exactly how you can visit them on a day trip (or an overnight stay for certain islands).
Day Trip From St Lucia to Martinique
Martinique features an interesting blend of French and Creole culture which is what initially drew me to the island.
It’s a great island to visit if you love natural beauty as you can visit impressive viewpoints which look out onto the ocean and you can explore the lively capital city of Fort-de-France.
One of my highlights from my day trip was seeing Jardin de Balata which is a botanical paradise filled with lush tropical gardens, vibrant flowers and towering palm trees.
Also Martinique’s beaches look like they should be on the front of a postcard so be sure to make a stop at one of them if you choose to visit. I personally adored Plage De Madiana.
How To Get From St Lucia To Martinique
Getting from St Lucia to Martinique is actually pretty easy and you have several options including plane or ferry.
The flight takes just 25 minutes and costs approximately $150 each way.
Flights depart most days each week making a day trip possible. Currently ​the only airline that operates direct flights from St Lucia to Martinique is Air Antilles.
Alternatively, the L’Express des îles ferry takes 1 hour and 30 minutes and costs approximately $50 each way.
To save money, I ended up taking the ferry and I’m so glad I did as it was super scenic and comfortable.
I heard from one of the attendants on the ferry that you can often spot dolphins (and sometimes whales) in the ocean as you make the crossing.
I thought I’d spotted a dolphin during the crossing so I shouted out in glee causing everyone around me to look too. It turned out to be rogue buoy so make sure you look carefully!
The daily departure times for the ferry vary so some days it may not be possible to do a day trip. You will need to be flexible with dates to make it happen.
You can check on the ferry website for the current schedule.
Tour From St Lucia To Martinique
If you’d prefer to book onto a tour that arranges the whole thing for you then you’ll be pleased to know that you have several options.
I spent some time researching various different Martinique day tour packages and the best one I could find was the Martinique Splendor’s all-inclusive tour.
Unfortunately at the moment they only offer this tour on Thursdays so there isn’t much choice for departure dates.
The cost is currently set at $325 for an adult and $270 for a child.
The tour departs from Rodney Bay Marina in St Lucia at 8:30AM and returns to the same place at 5:30PM so you get plenty of time to enjoy Martinique either on your own or with a guide.
Day Trip From St Lucia to St Vincent & the Grenadines
Unfortunately there’s not currently any day trips to the main island of St Vincent. It’s the same story with the Grenadines too.
There are very few direct flights between St Lucia and St Vincent with only a few flights each week. Due to the lack of flights, it wouldn’t be possible to do a day trip at all.
💡Helpful Tip: If you’re interested in visiting St Vincent and have a weekend to spare, then check out my post on how to get from St Lucia to St Vincent for the exact flight schedule.
You can check for yourself with LIAT which is the Caribbean airline that flies between the two islands.
Additionally there is currently no ferry operating between St Lucia and St Vincent or any islands in the Grenadines.
This is a shame because there used to be several day trips to the Grenadines available which departed from St Lucia each day.
For some reason, they’ve all stopped running. Maybe the trip just wasn’t popular enough.
Day Trip From St Lucia to Barbados
Another great day tour from St Lucia is to Barbados.
Barbados is known for its serene beaches that come in all shapes and sizes. They’re often rated as the Caribbean’s most beautiful.
Barbados is also known for being the birthplace of rum (rum tasting session anyone?) and for its lively capital city, Bridgetown.
How To Get From St Lucia To Barbados
Unfortunately there is no ferry from St Lucia to Barbados (or vice versa) but you can still visit the island for a day trip.
You will need to take a short 45-minute flight from St Lucia to Barbados. Flights cost on average around $180 per person for a one-way trip.
It’s possible to do a day trip if you book your first flight early in the morning and your return flight late in the evening.
You’ll easily be able to get at least 6 hours of time in Barbados itself.
To be honest, Barbados was definitely my second choice after Martinique as I’d love to see the birthplace of Rihanna and rum but I just didn’t want to spend so much time traveling in one day.
Of course, if you don’t mind staying overnight you’ll get much more time to explore the island.
Currently there are no organized tours from St Lucia to Barbados so if you want to do this day trip, you’ll need to arrange it yourself.
Day Trip From St Lucia to Grenada
Unfortunately it’s not possible to do a day trip from St Lucia to Grenada.
If you have time to spare, you could fly over to Grenada and spend a few days there before returning to St Lucia (or flying onwards).
Several regional airlines fly between St Lucia and Grenada however they don’t have many flights.
There are usually only one or two flights each week meaning a day trip is impossible.
Grenada is a nature lover’s paradise as it’s well known for having rolling hills, incredible waterfalls, beautiful beaches and the world’s first ever underwater sculpture park.
The island is also known as the ‘Island of Spice’ due to its spice production. Nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon are commonly produced on the island.
It’s definitely worth visiting if you have the time.
How To Get From St Lucia To Grenada
The only way to get between St Lucia and Grenada is by plane.
If you manage to get yourself a direct flight, the flight time is just 50 minutes but most indirect flights take 1 hour 30 minutes (and sometimes much more).
LIAT, InterCaribbean Airways and Air Antilles all fly the route but not very often and generally only offer indirect flights.
British Airways offer direct flights a few times a week.
This flight costs around $150 each way.
There is currently no ferry running between St Lucia and Grenada so this isn’t an option.
There are also currently no tours that take passengers from St Lucia to Grenada on a day trip so if you want to do this trip, you’ll need to arrange it yourself.
Check out my complete guide on how to get from St Lucia to Grenada for the exact schedules, pricing and more.
Day Trip From St Lucia to Dominica
Another day trip you can take from St Lucia is to Dominica.
Dominica is a vibrant and interesting country that is most famous for its mountainous terrain, waterfalls and volcanic National Park which includes the astonishing ‘Boiling Lake’.
Dominica is also home to the Caribbean’s highest mountain, Morne Diablotins, which stands at 1,447m high. It’s a great island for hiking and exploring nature.
How To Get From St Lucia To Dominica
The easiest way to get from St Lucia to Dominica is by ferry.
The L’Express des îles ferry offers departures most days from Castries in St Lucia to Dominica’s capital, Roseau.
The journey takes 4 hours and 15 minutes each way so be prepared for a long journey.
It is still possible to do this as a day trip (if you don’t mind 8hrs+ of ferry time).
If you catch the 8AM ferry from St Lucia, you will arrive in Dominica at 12:15PM in the afternoon.
You can then catch the 7:30PM ferry from Dominica which will arrive back in St Lucia at 11:45PM.
Although it’s a long day, this will give you a good 7 hours in Dominica to explore.
You could also stay overnight in Dominica if you want a more relaxing day and less time on the ferry.
The ferry costs approximately $50 per person each way.
Whilst it is possible to get a flight from St Lucia to Dominica, a day trip wouldn’t be possible as there just aren’t enough flights.
Additionally, there are very few direct flights between the two islands, so flights between them often take over 4 hours as you have to stopover on a different island.
LIAT, InterCaribbean Airways and Air Antilles all fly the route but not often.
If you manage to get a direct flight, it takes just 45 minutes and costs around $160 each way.
Unfortunately there aren’t currently any day tours you can take between the islands so if you want to visit, you’ll need to arrange everything yourself.
Day Trip From St Lucia to Guadeloupe
Another trip you can take from St Lucia is to Guadeloupe. Although a day trip isn’t possible as it’s slightly too far, you could easily do an overnight trip to this island.
Guadeloupe is a beautiful island that is great for bird watching, hiking and snorkeling.
It’s incredibly lush and green which makes it a haven for animals. Get lost in the jungle and discover epic waterfalls, winding rivers and undiscovered beaches.
How To Get From St Lucia To Guadeloupe
You can take a ferry from St Lucia to Guadeloupe.
The L’Express des îles ferry offers departures most days from Castries in St Lucia to Pointe-à -Pitre in Guadeloupe.
As Guadeloupe isn’t super close to St Lucia, the ferry time takes 6 hours and 45 minutes.
Due to the ferry timings, it isn’t possible to do a day trip to Guadeloupe but you could stay overnight and have enough time to see the island before heading back to St Lucia.
The ferry costs approximately $60 per person each way.
You could also take a flight between St Lucia and Guadeloupe but, similarly to other locations on this list, direct flights are infrequent and rare.
Air Antilles is the only airline that offers flights between St Lucia and Guadeloupe (both direct and indirect options).
A direct flight between St Lucia and Guadeloupe would take 1 hour and 40 minutes and costs around $210 each way.
Unfortunately there aren’t currently any day tour options to Guadeloupe so if you want to visit then you’ll have to arrange it yourself.
St Lucia Day Trips
Although it can be exciting to visit a completely different island, there are also tons of amazing day trips within St Lucia itself.
Additionally as there are very few organized tours to other islands available, a day trip within St Lucia itself is your best option for an easygoing, relaxing day.
Here’s a few of my favorite St Lucia day tours:
- St Lucia Land & Sea Tour – Visit all of St Lucia’s top attractions including the drive-in volcano, Toraille Waterfall, the Piton mountains and go snorkeling.
- ATV Tour – Ride along nature trails and explore St Lucia’s coastline on an ATV.
- Rum Tasting Tour – Taste several local rums and learn about how they are made.
- Catamaran Cruise With Snorkeling – Explore St Lucia by catamaran. Snorkel in two of St Lucia’s best snorkeling spots and stop at several main attractions along the way.
Booking St Lucia day tours like these are super fun and a great way to spend your vacation.
I personally would opt for one of these over some of the day trips to other islands because it’s quicker (no long travel times) and there’s more organized tours to choose from!
And that’s it!
Another fantastic activity you can do by yourself is swimming with turtles in St Lucia.
There’s several specific locations all over the island where you have a great chance of seeing these magical creatures up close and personal.
Need more help planning your St Lucia vacation?
