Grenadines

The Grenadines (VC-06) are the chain of small islands and countless islets strung south from the main island of Saint Vincent across the eastern Caribbean, between Saint Vincent and Grenada. The northern, larger islands — Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Union Island and the cays around them — fall within Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the southernmost Grenadines belong to the nation of Grenada. The Vincentian Grenadines are administered as a parish and are the country's signature draw: white-sand beaches, turquoise reefs, sheltered anchorages and a yachting and sailing scene with few rivals in the region.

Each island has its own character. Bequia is the largest and most accessible, with a working harbour at Port Elizabeth and a long maritime and boatbuilding heritage; Mustique is a private, exclusive retreat of villas; Canouan blends a quiet local village with a high-end resort and marina enclave; Union Island is the lively southern hub for yachts and a gateway to the Tobago Cays; tiny Mayreau is the smallest inhabited island; and Palm Island and Petit Saint Vincent are single-resort private islands. At the heart of it all lies the Tobago Cays Marine Park, a cluster of uninhabited islands ringed by reef and protected waters.

What defines the Grenadines as a destination is the sea. This is one of the world's great sailing grounds, with short hops between anchorages, calm leeward bays and reliable trade winds. Travel here is unhurried and boat-centred — by ferry, by inter-island plane to small airstrips, or by chartered yacht — and the appeal is laid-back, low-key and oriented around the water rather than around towns or monuments.

The best months are the dry season, roughly December to May, when the trade winds are steady, the seas are clearer for snorkelling and diving, and rainfall is lowest — prime conditions for sailing and beach time. This is also the high season, so the islands and anchorages are busiest, especially around the Christmas–New Year period and Easter. The wetter, more humid months from June to November overlap the Atlantic hurricane season, bringing heavier showers and the small risk of storms, but also quieter islands and lower prices.

Sailing and regatta culture shapes the calendar: the Bequia Easter Regatta is the islands' flagship event, drawing yachts, model-boat races and a festive crowd around Easter, while Union Island hosts its own Easterval festival of music, culture and sailing over the same holiday. Canouan and other islands run smaller sailing and fishing events through the season. For the calmest seas and surest inter-island ferry and air connections, aim for January to April.

Movement within the Grenadines is by boat and small plane. Scheduled ferries link Kingstown on Saint Vincent with Bequia (the crossing takes about an hour on services such as the Bequia Express and the MV Gypsy), and onward boats continue south to Canouan, Mayreau and Union Island on a less frequent schedule. Inter-island flights serve the airstrips at Bequia (J.F. Mitchell Airport, IATA: BQU), Canouan (IATA: CIW) and Union Island (IATA: UNI), connecting the chain to Saint Vincent's Argyle International Airport (SVD) and to regional hubs such as Barbados, Saint Lucia and Martinique.

On the individual islands, getting around is short and simple: Bequia has taxis (often open "dollar van" style trucks) and water taxis around its bays; Union Island and Canouan have local taxis and minibuses; and the smallest islands like Mayreau are walkable end to end. Water taxis and chartered boats are the practical way to reach beaches, the Tobago Cays and neighbouring islands, since there are no road links between islands. Fares are in East Caribbean dollars (EC$/XCD); agree boat and taxi prices before setting off, as nothing is metered. Many visitors experience the Grenadines entirely from a chartered or crewed yacht, hopping anchorage to anchorage.

• Bequia — the largest and most accessible Grenadine, with Port Elizabeth's harbour, beaches and a strong sailing and boatbuilding heritage.
• Mustique — exclusive private island of luxury villas, famous for its discreet, high-end seclusion.
• Canouan — quiet local village paired with an upscale resort, marina and golf enclave.
• Union Island — lively southern yachting hub and the main gateway to the Tobago Cays.
• Mayreau — the smallest inhabited Grenadine, a tiny, tranquil island of beaches and a hilltop village.
• Palm Island — a single-resort private island ringed by white-sand beaches.
• Petit Saint Vincent — a secluded private-island resort at the southern end of the Vincentian chain.
• Tobago Cays — uninhabited cays and reefs protected as a marine park, the islands' snorkelling and sailing showpiece.
• Port Elizabeth — Bequia's main town and harbour, the arrival point and hub for ferries and yachts.

Grenadines cooking is Caribbean and sea-focused, built on the day's catch: fresh fish, lobster (in season), conch and other seafood, grilled or stewed and served with rice and peas, ground provisions, breadfruit and plantain. The national dish, roasted breadfruit and fried jackfish, appears across the islands, and callaloo soup, saltfish and curried or stewed seafood are common. Bequia in particular has a cluster of waterfront restaurants and bars around Port Elizabeth and Admiralty Bay serving fresh seafood, while beach grills in the Tobago Cays cook lobster brought straight from the boats.

Dining ranges from simple village shops and rum-bar kitchens to polished resort restaurants on Mustique, Canouan and the private islands. Self-catering is common for sailors, who provision in Kingstown, Port Elizabeth or Clifton (Union Island). Prices are in EC$, with resort and private-island dining far above local-eatery levels. Vegetarians can rely on the abundance of provisions, breadfruit, callaloo and fresh fruit, though dedicated specialist (vegan, gluten-free, halal) options are limited outside the higher-end resorts.

The culture of the Grenadines is maritime to its core, shaped by generations of fishermen, sailors and boatbuilders — Bequia is especially noted for its tradition of building wooden boats by hand and, controversially, for a small International Whaling Commission-sanctioned aboriginal whaling allowance. Model-boat building is a living Bequia craft, with miniature wooden sailing boats made and sold as the island's signature souvenir.

The festival calendar centres on sailing and the Easter holiday. The Bequia Easter Regatta is the standout, combining yacht racing, model-boat races, music and food over the Easter weekend, while Union Island's Easterval brings calypso, cultural shows and boat races at the same time. Christmas and New Year fill the anchorages and bring island parties, and the wider national Vincy Mas carnival on Saint Vincent (around late June and early July) draws Grenadines residents to the main island. String-band music, the steel pan and calypso are part of island life, alongside crafts in shell, wood and local fibre.

• Snorkelling and swimming with turtles in the Tobago Cays Marine Park — anchoring among the uninhabited cays in crystal-clear water over coral reefs and a protected turtle area is the quintessential Grenadines experience.
• Sailing or chartering through the island chain — short hops between sheltered anchorages on a yacht or a classic Caribbean schooner make the Grenadines one of the world's premier sailing grounds.
• The Bequia Easter Regatta — the islands' flagship festival of yacht and model-boat racing, music and waterfront celebration.
• Beach days on Bequia's Princess Margaret and Lower Bay — golden-sand beaches reached on foot or by water taxi from Port Elizabeth's Admiralty Bay.
• Lobster beach barbecues in the Cays — freshly caught lobster grilled on an uninhabited beach by local boat vendors, a memorable on-the-water meal.