Grenada
St George's
Often called the Caribbean's prettiest harbour town, with Grand Anse ten minutes south and a whole spice island rising behind it.
Grenada's capital climbs the hills around a horseshoe harbour, its red-tiled Georgian houses and old French forts stacked above the fishing boats and island ferries. A short ride south, Grand Anse runs for three kilometres of calm white sand, and just up the coast the Underwater Sculpture Park stands in clear, shallow water. Inland the island is steep rainforest, waterfalls and the nutmeg, cocoa and clove estates that earned it the name Spice Isle, and the town is where all of it starts.
Suggested stay
4–7 days
Language
English
Currency
XCD
Timezone
UTC-4
Why you'll love St George's
The harbour red fish-scale roofs and Georgian stone climb the hills around the Carenage, with an old French fort on the point and fishing boats and the island ferry tied up below.
Under the water a ring of sculpted figures stands on the seabed just north of town, and a burned-out Italian liner lies off the south coast as one of the Caribbean's great wreck dives.
Spice nutmeg is on the flag, and cocoa, cloves, cinnamon and bay grow in the hills, turning up in the market, on the rum punch and in the island's own tree-to-bar chocolate.
Grand Anse a long, calm curve of white sand with the capital's red roofs across the bay, and water gentle enough for small children.
Best time to visit
Jan-May
30-31° days
12.053° N, 61.752° W
UTC-4 · America/Grenada
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 St George's
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Jan-May
Diving prime Jan-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 St George's
June to November is hurricane season, and Grenada sits at the southern edge of the belt rather than below it: direct hits are rare, but Ivan in 2004 showed they happen. Those months are also wetter and more humid, with heavy showers that usually pass quickly. August brings Spicemas, the island's carnival, which draws its own crowd.
Top things to do in St George's
-
Grand Anse Beach - three kilometres of calm white sand
scenic 👍 PopularThe island's signature beach curves along the bay south of town, with soft sand, calm water and the red roofs of St George's across the water. Hotels and beach bars line the back of it, but the sand is public end to end, and water taxis run across from the Carenage.
-
Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park - statues on the seabed
diving culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedJason deCaires Taylor's first underwater gallery, begun in 2006 in a bay just north of town: a ring of children holding hands, a man at a typewriter and dozens more figures slowly taken over by coral. Much of it is shallow enough to snorkel, and boats run up from the Carenage and Grand Anse.
-
The Bianca C - the Caribbean's great wreck dive
diving adventure ⭐ Highly recommendedAn Italian cruise liner that caught fire in St George's harbour in 1961 and sank while being towed out, now lying in around 50 metres of water off the south coast. It is a deep, current-swept dive for advanced divers, with eagle rays and barracuda around the decks. Easier wrecks and reefs off Grand Anse fill out the rest of the diving.
-
The Carenage and Fort George - the harbour walk
history scenic 👍 PopularWalk the horseshoe of the inner harbour past old stone warehouses, fishing boats and the Christ of the Deep statue, given in thanks for the town's rescue of the Bianca C's passengers. Then climb to Fort George on the headland, a French fort from the early 1700s, for the view down over the harbour and the roofs.
-
Fort Frederick - the fort that faces inland
history scenicBegun by the French after they took the island in 1779 and finished by the British, the fort on Richmond Hill points its guns inland, towards the land approach the French had used themselves. The panorama over St George's, the Lagoon and the south coast is the reason to make the climb.
-
St George's Market Square - the Spice Isle on a table
food culture artsThe open-air market in the middle of town is at its liveliest on a Saturday morning, stacked with nutmeg, cinnamon bark, cocoa balls, bay leaf, tropical fruit and woven spice baskets. It is the easiest place to see what the island grows in one go.
-
Grenada National Museum - the island's story
history culture artsA small museum in an old colonial building a few streets up from the Carenage, covering the Kalinago and earlier Amerindian peoples, the plantation and slavery era, the spice trade and the island's modern politics. Worth an hour before heading out to the forts.
-
Oil down and the Spice Isle table
foodThe national dish is a one-pot of breadfruit, salted meat, dumplings and callaloo cooked down in coconut milk until the liquid is gone, traditionally made outdoors for a crowd. Look for it alongside lambi (conch), roti, callaloo soup, nutmeg ice cream and a rum punch finished with grated nutmeg.
-
Spicemas - Grenada's carnival
culture artsThe island's carnival fills St George's in August with calypso and soca, costumed bands and, before dawn on J'ouvert, the Jab Jab masqueraders: painted black with oil, horned and dragging chains through the streets. If you are on the island then, it is the thing to see; if you want quiet, plan around it.
Best areas to stay in St George's
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Grand Anse
First-time visitors $$The long beach and hotel strip
Explore hotels in Grand Anse →
St George's and the Carenage
Town and culture $Red roofs round a working harbour
Explore hotels in St George's and the Carenage →
Morne Rouge
Quieter beach stays $$Small sheltered bay beyond Grand Anse
Explore hotels in Morne Rouge →
Lance aux Epines
Villas and yachts $$$Villas, marinas and yachting bays
Explore hotels in Lance aux Epines →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on St George's
Getting to & around St George's
Getting there
Fly into GND at Point Salines, around 10 min by road to Grand Anse and 20-30 min to the Carenage.
Flight
Maurice Bishop International (GND)
On the island's southwest tip, a few minutes from Grand Anse. Taxis wait outside arrivals and most hotels arrange pickups; the run into St George's itself takes 20-30 min depending on traffic.
Cruise
Melville Street Cruise Terminal
Ships berth on the Esplanade side of town, a short walk through the Sendall Tunnel or round the point to the Carenage
Ferry
The Carenage
Fast ferries arrive from Carriacou and Petite Martinique, which is also how island-hoppers coming down the Grenadines from St Vincent finish the trip
Getting around
Minibuses
Privately run vans on numbered routes out of the Melville Street terminal, with Route 1 serving Grand Anse; flag one down anywhere and pay the conductor in cash
TBC
Taxis
Fares follow a set tariff rather than a meter, so confirm the price before you get in
TBC
Water taxi
Small boats run between the Carenage and Grand Anse, the scenic way into town
TBC
Hire car
Driving is on the left and you need a local permit, issued at the rental desk; roads are steep, narrow and winding
TBC
Walking
The Carenage is flat, but the rest of town is built on steep hills
Free
Day trips from St George's
Grand Etang and Annandale Falls
Half dayRainforest crater lake
The road climbs from St George's into the island's rainforest, with Annandale Falls a short detour on the way up. Grand Etang's crater lake sits near the top, with mona monkeys around the visitor centre and trails out to Seven Sisters Falls and the ridge of Mount Qua Qua.
Getting there
car | bus | tour
30-40 min by car, minibus or tour into the central hills
The north: Belmont, River Antoine and Sauteurs
Full dayCocoa, rum and cliffs
A loop through spice country: cocoa at Belmont Estate and the tree-to-bar chocolate makers nearby, the water-wheel rum distillery at River Antoine, and Leapers Hill at Sauteurs, where Kalinago families jumped rather than surrender to the French. Levera's wild beach, a leatherback nesting site, is at the very tip.
Getting there
car | tour
1-1.5 hr by car or tour to the north end
Gouyave and the west coast
Half dayNutmeg town
The coast road runs north through fishing villages to Gouyave, where the nutmeg processing station still sorts and grades the island's crop by hand. Stop at Concord Falls on the way, and on a Friday stay into the evening, when the town turns its main street over to grilled fish.
Getting there
car | bus
40-50 min by car or minibus up the west coast road
Carriacou
1-2 daysSister island
Grenada's small sister island to the north runs at a slower pace again, with wooden boatbuilding at Windward, the sandbar of Sandy Island offshore and some of the country's best diving. It rewards an overnight far more than a rushed return in a day.
Getting there
ferry | flight
About 2 hr by fast ferry from the Carenage, or a short flight
A little history of St George's
The Kalinago held Grenada against European settlers for more than a century after Columbus sighted it in 1498, driving off an English attempt in 1609. The French came from Martinique in 1649 and within two years had broken Kalinago resistance, the last survivors leaping from the cliffs at Sauteurs. In the early 1700s they built Fort Royal on the headland above the harbour, and the town grew up beneath it.
Britain took the island in 1763 and renamed the town St George's; fires in the 1770s led to the brick walls and red-tiled roofs that still define it. Grenada changed hands once more before settling as British, weathered Fedon's Rebellion in 1795-96 and built its fortunes on sugar, then cocoa and nutmeg. Independence came in 1974, followed by the 1979 revolution and its collapse in 1983. Hurricane Ivan in 2004 damaged most of the island's buildings and flattened much of the nutmeg crop.
Columbus sights the island on his third voyage
French settlers from Martinique break Kalinago resistance; survivors leap from the cliffs at Sauteurs
The Treaty of Paris cedes Grenada to Britain, and the French town becomes St George's
Julien Fedon leads a rebellion that holds much of the island for over a year
Nutmeg is introduced from the East Indies
Grenada becomes independent from Britain
The New Jewel Movement takes power and Maurice Bishop becomes prime minister
Bishop is killed at Fort George during a split in the government, and US-led forces land days later
Hurricane Ivan strikes, damaging most of the island's buildings
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Everywhere
Wifi
Workable
Power
Type G
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+1-473
Cyclones & hurricanes risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
FAQs about St George's
▸ When is the best time to visit Grenada?
January to May is the driest, most settled stretch, with trade winds taking the edge off the heat. June to November is wetter and more humid and covers the hurricane season, though showers usually pass quickly and the island is quieter. August is carnival month, busy for its own reasons.
▸ Does Grenada get hurricanes?
It sits at the southern edge of the hurricane belt, so direct hits are much rarer than further north, but they happen: Ivan in 2004 damaged most of the main island, and Beryl in 2024 hit Carriacou hardest. The season runs June to November, so in those months travel insurance that covers storm disruption is worth having.
▸ Can you snorkel the underwater sculptures, or do you need to dive?
Both work. Many of the figures stand in shallow, clear water that snorkellers see well from the surface, while divers get closer to the deeper pieces and the reef around them. The bay sits inside a marine protected area, so go with a licensed boat from the Carenage or Grand Anse.
▸ Do you need a car in Grenada?
Not if you are based at Grand Anse: minibuses and water taxis cover the run into town. For the rainforest, the north and the west coast, a car or a driver-guide makes the day far easier. Driving is on the left, you need a local permit, and the roads are steep, narrow and winding.
▸ What should I eat in Grenada?
Spice first: nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and cocoa grow here and end up in almost everything, from nutmeg ice cream to the grated nutmeg on a rum punch. Oil down is the national dish, and fish, lambi and callaloo soup are everyday staples. The island also makes its own rum and its own tree-to-bar chocolate.
▸ Should I stay in St George's or at the beach?
Most visitors base themselves at Grand Anse or Morne Rouge and come into town for the market, the forts and dinner on the Carenage. Staying in town suits travellers who want local life on the doorstep and don't mind steep streets, and the beach is still a short bus or water-taxi ride away.