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 Cruise ship port © St Lucia Tourist Board Attractions  Cathedral of Immaculate Conception © Wikimedia Commons Derek Walcott Square The spacious Derek Walcott Square is the central point of Castries, named for the town’s famed son who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1992. The town’s only architectural points of interest are to be found on the square, particularly the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, its interior ablaze with golden light, flowers and candles. Shading the Cathedral is a huge samaan tree, thought to be about 400 years old. South of the square are some French buildings dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries, made of wood and featuring old fretwork balconies. Near the square is the feverish Castries central market where vendors sell Indian spices, local crafts, fruit (particularly delicious varieties of bananas) and souvenirs. Colourful countrywomen are dressed in their traditional clothing and cotton headdresses. Banana plantation © jimp79 Marquis Estate St Lucia’s economy is based primarily on the cultivation of export crops, particularly bananas and copra. Several estates on the island are open to visitors. The largest, the Marquis Estate, is located just outside Castries and offers tours of the working plantation to illustrate how the crops are grown and processed. The tour includes a scenic drive along St Lucia’s northeast coast into the countryside, a visit to an old sugar mill and a boat ride on the Marquis River. After tourism, banana production is Saint Lucia's major industry but it is currently facing severe difficulties due to US protectionism.Telephone: 452 3762  Battery, Morne Fortune Morne Fortune On the outskirts to the south of Castries, accessed via Bridge Street, stands the hill of Morne Fortune, ‘Hill of Good Luck’, where some violent battles were waged between the French and British in the 18th and 19th centuries in their quest to control the island. The view from the lookout on the hilltop is magnificent. The hill is also the site of Government House, the palatial Victorian edifice that is the official residence of the governor general of the island, with its lovely private gardens. Visitors can explore the military cemetery, an old battery and powder museum, and a small museum exhibiting relics from the island’s colonial days.Website: www.slunatrust.org Excursions Folk Research Centre In the hills east of Castries at the village of Morne Pleasant is St Lucia's Folk Research Centre, housed in an old manor house that was originally owned by the Deveaux family. The centre includes a small but comprehensive museum. Among the exhibits, dedicated to preserving the language and culture of St Lucian Creole, is a reproduction of a traditional ti-kay hut and indigenous musical instruments. The centre also contains a research library with a collection of books, papers and photographs detailing St Lucia' folklore and history.E-mail: frc@candw.lc; Telephone: 452 2279; Opening time: The centre is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm Gros Islet North of Castries lies the small, rather unremarkable fishing village of Gros Islet, a collection of dilapidated wooden homes lining narrow streets and a rather grubby beach. But come Friday night this unprepossessing town is the place to be for everyone on St Lucia, local or visitor. The renowned Friday night 'jump-up' starts at around 10pm when the streets are blocked off, scores of vendors arrive with delicious snacks and cold beers, bars open their doors and speakers are set up on street corners. The party goes on most of the night.Marigot Bay A perfect spot for a picnic, Marigot Bay, about eight miles (13km) south of Castries is one of the most beautiful bays in the Caribbean. It was used in the movie Dr Doolittle, and has long been a favourite stopping point for recreational yachting and boating. The beach is lined with palm trees and remains largely unspoilt and natural.Website: www.marigotbay.com Pigeon Island Pigeon Island, north of Castries, is St Lucia's first national park, reached from the mainland across a causeway. The islet has a romantic past, having been the hide-out of Jambe de Bois, the much-feared peg-leg pirate who preyed on Spanish galleons. It was also from here that Admiral Rodney set sail in 1782 to destroy the French fleet in one of the most decisive sea battles in European history. Pigeon island features two white sandy beaches and an interpretation centre, where a multimedia display explains the local history. The centre includes the Captain's Cellar Olde English Pub, a re-creation of an 18th century English pub. The island is ideal for nature walks and has numerous marked trails which bypass historical sites, like the remains of an 18th century British fort.Website: www.slunatrust.org; Telephone: The St Lucia National Trust: 452 5005; Opening time: The Interpretive Centre is open daily from 9am to 5pm; Admission: US$4 (adults), US$1 (children 5-12) Soufriere Soufriere in the south is the oldest settlement on the island, having served as the French capital in the 18th century. The deep-water port stands at the base of St Lucia's main landmarks, the two towering extinct volcanoes known as the Pitons, rising to 2,619 feet (798m) above sea level. The town itself is pretty, with a cluster of colourfully painted arcaded buildings against a background of dense jungle. Most visitors, however, are drawn by the nearby attraction of the 'drive-in' volcano, Mount Soufriere, where it is possible to enter by car into an ancient volcanic crater filled with sulphur springs and steam geysers. Also at Soufriere are the Diamond Mineral Baths, the Diamond Waterfall and the Diamond Botanical Gardens.Opening time: The crater is open from 9am to 5pm daily Vieux Fort St Lucia's second largest town is on the south coast, adjacent to the island's busy Hewanorra International Airport on the southernmost tip of the island. At St Lucia's most southerly point just outside the town is the Cape Moule, a Chique Lighthouse, which offers one of the best panoramic views of the island. The town has a beach called Anse de Sables which is popular for windsurfers. Near the beach is the Maria Islands Interpretive Centre, which contains a small natural history museum and an office where visitors can book trips to the Maria Islands about half a mile offshore.Events  A turtle on the beach © djwudi Turtle watching Between mid-March and the end of July visitors can enjoy a unique experience at Grande Anse Beach on St Lucia's north coast. A beach camp is a haven where campers can watch the spectacle of leatherback turtles coming ashore in the starlight, every Saturday night between 4pm and 6.30am. For more information, contact Jim Sparks at 452 9829.Date: Mid-March until the end of July |
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