Grenada

St. George's

The capital curls around a horseshoe harbour with painted houses stacked up the hillsides, and it is the obvious place to start. Walk the Carenage waterfront, then climb to the old fort and its rusting cannons for the view back over the bay.

Grand Anse

The island's main resort strip, built around its best beach and the most developed tourist infrastructure. If you want turquoise water plus easy bus connections to the rest of the island, this is where to go.

Grenville

The second-largest town, over on the east coast, pulls in people looking for a less polished Grenada. Come on a Saturday for the market, where spices sell for the cheapest prices anywhere on the island.

Gouyave

A fishing town built around nutmeg processing plants, and one of the better places to watch chocolate actually being made. Friday night is when the street food festival takes over the main road.

Hillsborough

The quiet hub of Carriacou, with near-empty beaches and coral reefs just offshore. Worth a trip if you want to get away from the bustle and the cruise ships entirely.

Petite Martinique

A tiny island of fishermen and boat builders. You can walk the whole thing in a day, which is rather the point: silence, and seafood that came out of the water that morning.

Underwater sculpture park: The museum in Molinere Bay was the first project of its kind anywhere in the world. It is worth a trip for the concrete alone, now furred over with coral, where cast human figures are slowly turning into a living reef.
Beach classic: Grand Anse is reckoned the best swimming spot on the island thanks to its white sand and calm water. Can you do it in a day? Easily, and still have time to walk over to the market for nutmeg.
Jungle interior: Grand Etang is a highland park built around a crater lake, with wild monkeys in the trees. If you want trekking, the centre of the island is where to go, with damp forest hiding cascading waterfalls and rare birds.
The fortress: Fort George has loomed over the capital since 1705 and still keeps its old cannons in place. What to see if you like history is the harbour panorama from the upper bastions.
Waterfalls: The Seven Sisters is a complicated cascade deep in the forest, reached by a winding trail. Set aside a couple of hours for the walk through the ferns and the swim in the clear natural pool at the end.
Plantations: Belmont Estate is living chocolate history running back to the eighteenth century. Staff walk you through the whole route from cacao bean to finished bar and finish with a tasting of local varieties you will not find at home.

Currency: The local money is the East Caribbean dollar, and its rate is pegged hard to the US dollar. One US dollar is always 2.70 EC, which makes mental arithmetic refreshingly simple.
Cards: Visa and Mastercard work in chain supermarkets, town hotels and larger restaurants; Amex is far less widely taken. Buses and market stalls are cash only, so always carry small EC notes.
Exchange: US dollars are accepted almost everywhere, but your change will come back in EC dollars at a rate that is rarely in your favour. Better to withdraw cash once from a bank ATM in town; a Wise or Revolut card keeps the conversion cost down.
Tipping: Restaurant bills often already include a ten per cent service charge. Where they do not, it is normal to round up, and taxi tips are entirely at your discretion.

Item	Price (USD)
Lunch at a local cafe	9
Dinner for two with wine	75
Bottle of water 0.5l	1
Local beer 0.33l	3
Cappuccino in the capital	4
Street food (roti)	5
Minibus ride	1.5
Taxi from the airport	15
Night in a guesthouse	50
Car hire per day	60
Underwater sculpture tour	60
Bar of chocolate	6
Waterfall entry	5
Ferry to Carriacou	30

Getting there: Maurice Bishop International sits very close to both the capital and the main beaches, so you are at the sea within half an hour of landing. From Europe the usual routing is a seasonal service or connection through London; from North America you change at a US gateway airport. An airport departure tax applies on the way out, though it is normally already inside your ticket price.
Minibuses: Brightly painted minivans are what most people use to get around. They tear along the island's roads from early morning until about eight in the evening, stopping for a raised hand or any other signal you care to give.
Paying: You hand the money to the driver or conductor as you get off, and the fare depends on how far you went. Expect loud music and a tight squeeze, but you will reach your beach fast and for almost nothing.
Taxis: Cars with an H on the plate work to fixed rates and have no meters. Agree the price before you set off, or better still photograph the tariff board in the arrivals hall.
Car hire: A car buys you freedom, but remember that traffic drives on the left and the mountain roads are narrow and twisting. You need a temporary local driving permit, which any of the bigger rental desks will sell you.
Between islands: A large fast ferry runs twice a day between the main island and Carriacou. It takes an hour and a half and can be genuinely rough in a swell, so bring tablets if you are prone to seasickness.
Island hops: Tiny local aircraft link the airfields on Grenada and Carriacou. It costs about three times the ferry fare, but the whole trip is twenty minutes over very blue water.

Where to base yourself: Independent travellers do best around St. George's or Grand Anse bay. That is where the choice of rooms is widest, buses are frequent and shops are within walking distance.
Guesthouses: This is the most popular format for anyone watching their budget and wanting a bit of real island life. Plenty of owners let out a floor of their own house with a separate entrance and a kitchen you can cook in.
Hotels: The towns have small hotels that are perfectly fine for a night or two. If you are after seclusion, look along the south coast, where affordable private apartments are thick on the ground.
Booking: Use the usual booking sites, but read the reviews specifically for mentions of air conditioning. Grenada is humid, and decent ventilation in the room makes the difference between sleeping and not sleeping.
Prices: Budget rooms in private homes cost sensible money, but cheap beds thin out badly at the height of the season. Start looking months ahead, especially if your trip overlaps with carnival.
Location: If you plan to travel by bus, stay near the main road. Otherwise every evening ends with a long walk uphill along unlit streets, which wears thin after a full day out.

National dish: Oil down is a thick stew of breadfruit, meat and coconut milk. It is cooked slowly in an enormous pot and it is the most filling, most authentic thing you can eat on the island.
Street food: Roti is a flatbread wrapped around curried meat or chickpeas. It is the perfect stop for anyone who does not want to lose an hour in a restaurant and just wants something hot for a couple of dollars.
Seafood: Port towns always have fresh fish and grilled lambi conch. Grenada is an island, so what comes out of the ocean is genuinely fresh, though it can cost more than the usual chicken.
A warning: Some street food is fiercely hot thanks to the local red pepper. If a burning mouth is not your idea of a good time, ask the cook to go easy or order something rice-based instead.
Sweet things: Nutmeg ice cream is the island's calling card and should not be skipped. Try the local dark chocolate too, made up in the hills on the old plantations themselves.
Drinks: Grenadian rum punch is treacherous: it goes down easily and then takes your legs out from under you, because the rum behind it is strong. Tap water is not recommended for drinking, so buy bottled from the small shops.

The general picture: Grenada counts as one of the calmest places in the region, with genuinely friendly people. You can walk around by day without worrying, as long as you keep normal awareness about you.
Theft: Do not leave valuables, phones or cash on the sand while you swim. Petty theft happens even on quiet bays, so a waterproof pouch you can take into the water with you is a sound investment.
Nature: The real risks here are not people but the tropical sun and strong currents. Use high-factor sunscreen and do not swim far out at unfamiliar wild beaches where nobody is watching.
Camouflage ban: Wearing camouflage clothing of any colour is strictly illegal on the island, tourists included. Anything that reads as military kit can get you fined or held while your identity is checked.
Hurricane season: June to November is when the weather can turn sharply for several days at a stretch. Follow local news and forecasts closely during those months, and check your own government's travel advisory before you fly.
Wildlife: Grenada's forests hold no deadly snakes, only a lot of persistent insects. Save the local rescue and ambulance numbers into your phone on arrival so you are not looking them up in a hurry.

Carnival: Spicemas in August is the event of the year and turns the whole island into one continuous party. Dancers smeared in black paint and oil parade through the streets to booming soca rhythms.
Spice: Nutmeg is close to a cult here and appears on the national flag itself. The island supplies a huge share of the world market, and the smell follows you around wherever you go.
Regatta: July and August bring traditional sailing races to Carriacou. It is an old tradition that draws boatbuilders from across the Caribbean and always comes with cheerful street celebrations attached.
Religion: Most islanders are devout Christians, so Sunday is a quiet day. Many shops shut and the buses run far less often than during the week.
Chocolate: Cocoa production is having a real revival, with several working factories on the island. Grenada takes pride in making chocolate only from its own beans, following old local recipes.
Etiquette: Greeting people as you enter a shop or board a bus is expected, and politeness counts for a lot here. Away from the sand, do not wander about in swimwear; it reads as disrespectful to locals.

Networks: Two large mobile operators cover the island, Digicel and Flow. Both sell prepaid tourist bundles with enough data to see you through a holiday without extra charges.
Buying a SIM: Go to an official shop in the capital and bring your passport. The paperwork takes about ten minutes and data starts working on your phone straight away.
Coverage: 4G is solid in the towns and along the coast, though the signal drops out in the mountains. Carriacou is a little weaker but still fine for messaging apps.
eSIM: If your phone supports eSIM you can buy a plan before you travel through services such as Airalo. It costs slightly more than a local SIM, but you are online the moment you land.
Wi-Fi: Free Wi-Fi turns up in plenty of cafes and hotels, but speeds are unpredictable. For work or calls home, mobile data is the more reliable option and the prices are reasonable.
Language and apps: English is the official language, so signs, menus and conversations present no barrier at all, though the local creole takes an ear. Taxi drivers and hosts are usually reachable through the standard messaging apps, so save the numbers you need before you set off.

English	Grenadian Creole	Pronunciation
Hello, what's happening?	Wha' happenin'?	wah HAP-nin
Thank you	Tanks	tanks
Yes / No	Yeah / Nah	yeah / nah
How much is that?	How much dat?	how much dat
Where is it?	Weh deh?	weh deh
Everything's great	Real good!	real good
Cool, excellent	Irie	EYE-ree
Friend, mate	Bredren	BREH-dren
It's delicious	It sweet!	it sweet
Help!	Help!	help
I don't understand	Me nah understand	me nah on-der-STAND
Beautiful	Real nice	real nice
Goodbye	Walk good	wok good
See you later	Lata	LAH-ta
That's expensive	It dear	it deer
Food	Food	food
Water	Wata	WAH-ta
Rum	Rum	rum
Stop here	Stop!	stop
Spices	Spices	SPY-siz

Health: The main public hospital is in St. George's and will handle first aid and emergencies. Given how far the island sits from any mainland, insurance that covers an air ambulance transfer is worth paying for.
Plugs: Grenada uses the British three flat pin standard at 230 volts. Buy an adapter before you fly or ask your host for one on the first day.
Power: Short outages happen, particularly in the rainy season or after a thunderstorm. It is nothing dramatic, but keep a charged power bank in your bag for your phone and camera.
Information: The official national tourism portal keeps up-to-date schedules for festivals and regattas. Check the dates early, because holidays push prices up and rooms disappear.
Consular cover: Very few countries keep a permanent mission on Grenada, and most handle it from an embassy elsewhere in the region. Look up which post covers your nationality and note the emergency contacts down in case you lose your documents.
Airport: Maurice Bishop International is unusually close to both the capital and the main beaches. That means very little of your holiday is spent in transit after the flight.