Saint Kitts & Nevis: Getting there & around

Flying from the US is currently the only air option available to St Kitts from outside the Caribbean. American Airlines flies daily between St Kitts and Miami, New York and Boston via San Juan in Puerto Rico. Traveling from Europe or Canada requires flying via Antigua, St Martin or San Juan. Antiguan-based LIAT has daily flights between St Kitts and Antigua and St Martin. Carriers serving Nevis include LIAT (from Antigua) and Winair (from St Martin).

Cruise ships dock at Basseterre, and yachts can dock at Basseterre and Charlestown. Yachties will need cruising permits to visit other anchorages and a special pass to go between the two islands.

Renting a car is the best all-around transportation option on both islands. There are numerous car rental agencies on St Kitts and a few in Charlestown and Newcastle on Nevis. Foreign visitors must purchase a visitor's driver's license for around US$20.00 , which is valid for one year. The easiest place to get one is at the fire station in Basseterre; in Nevis, go to a police station. Remember to drive on the left.

Buses on St Kitts are a decent transportation alternative. Privately owned minivans serve most of the island except Frigate Bay and the southeastern peninsula. Service is cheap but sporadic and there's no schedule; buses are most plentiful in the early morning and late afternoon. On Nevis, there's no circle-island bus route and service is sketchy. If you're trying to see Nevis on a day tour, see either island on a day tour from the other, taxis will give you a day tour for around US$60.00 , or a half-island tour for US$44.00 .

The best way to get between the islands is via the government-run passenger ferry Caribe Queen , which runs between St Kitts and Nevis five days a week. The ferry docks are in central Basseterre and Charlestown, which for most people makes the ferry more practical than flying between the two islands. The ferry trip takes about 45 minutes and offers good views of both islands.

The other main way to get between the islands is to fly. LIAT has several daily flights between St Kitts and Nevis; there's also a prop-plane shuttle that operates about 10 times a day. St Kitts' Bradshaw Airport is on the northern outskirts of Basseterre. On Nevis, the airport is just west of Newcastle, at the northern end of the island. Taxis meet scheduled flights at both airports.