Planning Your Visit To St Kitts And Nevis
Here you will find all the basic information you need to assist you in planning your visit.
St Kitts and Nevis is a twin island federation. Completely independent, it is one of the worlds smaller nations. The population on St Kitts is around 40,000 Nevis is around 10,000.
It is a member of the British Commonwealth, a member of CARICOM and OECS.
Our main visitors come from the USA, Canada and the UK with smaller numbers from Europe, South America and also from other Caribbean islands.
Travel around Christmas for Carnival or visit us in June for our music festival. Visit in July/August for Nevis Culturama or try the world famous cross channel swim in March. Our Events Calendar has all the details.
Sea temperatures are around 83 F in summer, dropping to 80 F in winter.
Sunshine hours are all day, everyday.
An average of 8 hours a day all year.
Rainfall is usually short downpours, the wettest months being July to November. We call it “liquid sunshine”
Frequently asked questions.
I am visiting on a cruise, anything special I should know?
We have a page of information specially for cruisers visiting St Kitts.
St Kitts and Nevis are located in the Leeward Islands chain of the Lesser Antilles. We are SE of St Thomas and North of Antigua.
From Miami, NY and Atlanta around 4 hours, Dallas 5 hours, Toronto is 5 hours, London is around 8 hours.
See this page for a full list of airlines serving St Kitts and Nevis
Very easy and cost around US$12 each way.
There are a number of passenger ferries to Nevis which take less than an hour, there is also a car ferry.
Once a British Colony, St Kitts and it’s sister island Nevis are now one of the smaller independent countries in the world: The Federation of St Kitts and Nevis.
We are the 8th smallest country in the world and the smallest country in the Western Hemisphere.
The islands have a fascinating history from 1493 to Independence on 19th September 1983.
This is a very hard question to answer because everybody’s idea of “expensive” is different.
We are less expensive than, say, Grand Cayman, but we do not have the “pile ’em high, sell ’em cheap attitude to tourism that the Dominican Republic has.
Overall lets say somewhere in the middle. We have fine dining restaurants you can spend lots of money on but in a beach bar you can eat great food probably cheaper than at home.
Carnival is over the Christmas period, Music Festival is during July.
We have a complete calendar of all St Kitts and Nevis Events here.
No, all our Taxi drivers are also licensed tour guides. Taxis are not metered, prices are fixed by the area you are travelling To/From.
Ask the fare (it will be in US$). We have sample taxi fares for St Kitts here.
St Kitts lies roughly NW to SE.
The eastern side of the Island face the Atlantic ocean, the wind normally blows from this side. The eastern side is very scenic, very rugged but the seas are heavier. Without shelter, the beaches can be subject to current and waves. (The Marriott Resort, which faces the Atlantic built a sea break to give guests a safe area to swim).
The western side of the island is more sheltered and the beaches are safer. (See our “beaches of St Kitts page”)
The main tourist accommodation areas are all in the south of the island, commonly referred to as the “South East Peninsula”.
Brimstone Hill and Romney Manor are on the west side, Black Rocks is on the east side.
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What currency does St Kitts and Nevis use?
The currency of the island is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar EC$.
There is a fixed rate of exchange to the US Dollar of EC$2.70 to US$1.
Everywhere on the island accepts both US dollars and EC dollars.
Almost all businesses are happy to accept Mastercard and Visa.
American Express is only accepted at larger establishments.
Discover cards are accepted only at a few places.
Very few taxis accept credit cards.
Cash machines are easily accessible on the islands, you will find them at every bank and at the larger resorts. Currency dispensed is EC$ with the exception of certain machines inside the Marriott Casino which dispense US$
Good question, it is a mix of both so ask if in doubt.
Local supermarkets are priced in EC$.
Taxis are priced in US$.
Gas is priced in EC$.
Larger resorts usually price everything in US$.
Most restaurant and bar menus outside of resorts will show both currencies.
Will my phone work?
If your network provider supports international roaming then your mobile will work in St Kitts.
We have very robust internet access, 4g is available through our service providers, Flow and Digicel.
Almost every Restaurant and Bar (including beach bars) will offer you wireless internet access free of charge.
Do I need any special vaccinations?
Special vaccines are NOT required for St Kitts and Nevis.
Zika Virus is not an issue here.
We have many pharmacies, most drugs are available here.
Every country in the world that has a tropical climate has mosquitoes, St Kitts and Nevis is no exception.
Please take the necessary precautions to prevent being bitten by mosquitoes.
We do not have the Zika virus in St Kitts and Nevis
Yes, our water is pure and safe to drink. If you prefer bottled water is available everywhere.
How should I dress?
It is an offence for anyone, including children, to dress in camouflage clothing of any type. This law is strictly enforced.
Dress conservatively away from the beaches, shorts and tees are fine everywhere including most restaurants.
Public nudity, even on beaches is not allowed.
You can purchase alcohol here at 18 yrs, this rule is not strictly enforced.
You need to be at least 18 yrs of age to enter a St Kitts Casino, this rule is strictly enforced.
Marijuana is illegal, this law is strictly enforced and there are NO exceptions for medical reasons.
Is St Kitts and Nevis a safe place to visit?
There is very, very little tourist associated crime on the islands, basically this is a very safe place to stay.
Would you normally walk through your downtown at 2 am on a Sunday morning, rolling drunk? No? well its probably not a good idea to do that here either.
Use common sense and you’ll be just as safe – if not safer than at home.
A lot of visitors ask about walking from the Marriott hotel down to “The Strip“, I always tell them it is perfectly safe, the greatest danger being the pot holes in the poor footpath!