# Day trips from St Lucia

> Day-trip range from Castries means: (1) L'Express des Îles ferry to Fort-de-France, Martinique, 1h30 each way — same-day round trips only run Fri/Sat (out 07:30, back 13:15, ~4h ashore) or Sun (out 14:00, back 19:45, ~4h ashore, afternoon/evening); Mon/Wed/Thu/Tue sailings don't pair up for a return same day. (2) Short regional flights: Barbados (interCaribbean, ~45min, near-daily), Grenada (~55min, a few times/week), Antigua (LIAT20/Liat Air, ~50min, 3x/week), St Vincent (Air Adelphi/Mustique Airways, ~25min, only 3x/week Mon/Wed/Fri and with a tight turnaround — least reliable for a genuine day trip).

Canonical: https://rockhopping.com/st-lucia/day-trips  
Source: Rockhopping (rockhopping.com) — a what’s-on guide for 55 island and low-tax jurisdictions.

- **Tour des Yoles Rondes de la Martinique (40th edition)** — Sainte-Anne (opening/closing) and stages around Martinique, MQ · 2026-07-26 to 2026-08-02 · ~2h10 door-to-door each way
  40th-anniversary edition of Martinique's answer to the America's Cup — traditional wooden sailing canoes racing under absurdly oversized rigs, crew balanced on planks over the water.
  Getting there: Ferry Castries–Fort-de-France (1h30), then ~40min taxi/drive south to Sainte-Anne
  https://tourdesyoles.com/tour-des-yoles-2026/
- **Reggae Therapy Festival** — Stade Louis Achille, Fort-de-France, Martinique, MQ · 2026-07-11 to 2026-07-12 · ~1h45 door-to-door each way
  4th edition, headlined by Julian Marley & The Uprising with Barrington Levy, Tarrus Riley and Alborosie — the biggest reggae/dancehall date in the Eastern Caribbean this summer.
  Getting there: Ferry Castries–Fort-de-France (1h30); stadium ~10min taxi from the ferry terminal
  https://www.thereggaetherapyfestival.com/
- **Tour cycliste international de la Martinique** — Fort-de-France (prologue) and island-wide stages, Martinique, MQ · 2026-07-03 to 2026-07-12 · ~1h30 each way
  Prologue plus 9 stages and 2 time trials circling the whole island over 10 days — Martinique's own mini Tour de France, run since the early 1970s.
  Getting there: Ferry Castries–Fort-de-France (1h30)
  https://inisport.com/actualites/cyclisme/martinique-autres-sports/le-tour-cycliste-international-de-martinique-2026-se-tiendra-du-3-au-12-juillet/
- **Festival Culturel de Fort-de-France (55th edition, "Diaspora Nègre")** — La Savane and other sites, Fort-de-France, Martinique, MQ · 2026-07-01 to 2026-07-27 · ~1h30 each way
  Martinique's flagship annual arts festival — free open-air concerts, theatre and heritage events, this year themed around the African diaspora, right by the ferry dock.
  Getting there: Ferry Castries–Fort-de-France (1h30); festival sites are walkable from the ferry terminal
  https://la1ere.franceinfo.fr/martinique/grandes-vacances-2026-les-7-festivals-musicaux-en-martinique-1716133.html
- **Crop Over Festival — Grand Kadooment Day** — Bridgetown / Spring Garden Highway, Barbados, BB · 2026-07-03 to 2026-08-04 · ~45min flight (~1h30 door-to-door with transfers) each way
  The Caribbean's biggest costumed street parade after Trinidad Carnival — calypso trucks, sequinned mas bands and an all-day fete atmosphere through Bridgetown.
  Getting there: interCaribbean Airways direct flight Castries–Bridgetown, ~45min, several times a week (near-daily in peak season)
  https://socaislands.com/barbados-cropover-2026/
- **West Indies v New Zealand ODIs** — Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, BB · 2026-07-19 and 2026-07-21 · ~45min flight each way
  Rare chance to see live West Indies international cricket at the historic Kensington Oval for the cost of a short hop, not a Test-match-length trip.
  Getting there: interCaribbean Airways direct flight Castries–Bridgetown, ~45min
  https://www.windiescricket.com/fixtures/
- **Spicemas (Grenada Carnival) — Carnival Monday & Tuesday** — St George's, Grenada, GD · 2026-08-01 to 2026-08-11 · ~55min flight each way
  Grenada's biggest carnival, built around the grimy, glorious Jab Jab (molasses/oil devil mas) — grittier and less commercial than the bigger-island carnivals nearby.
  Getting there: Direct flight Castries–Grenada (Maurice Bishop Intl), ~55min, a few times weekly
  https://socaislands.com/grenada-carnival-2026/
- **Antigua Carnival — J'ouvert & Parade of Bands** — St John's, Antigua, AG · 2026-07-25 to 2026-08-04 · ~50min flight each way
  One of the Caribbean's original carnivals (running since the 1950s) — 11 days climaxing in a pre-dawn J'ouvert and an all-day Parade of the Bands through St John's.
  Getting there: Direct flight Castries–St John's, Antigua, ~50min via Liat Air (LIAT20)
  https://antigua.news/2026/02/20/antigua-carnival-2026-calendar-of-events/
- **Vincy Mas — J'ouvert & Parade of the Bands (tail end)** — Kingstown, St Vincent, VC · 2026-06-26 to 2026-07-07 · ~25min flight each way
  The most authentic, least-touristy carnival finale in the Windwards — if the logistics actually work out.
  Getting there: Air Adelphi/Mustique Airways direct flight Castries–Kingstown (Argyle Intl), ~25min
  https://socaislands.com/st-vincent-carnival-2026/