Arrival and Information
St Lucia's regional airport lies just over half a mile from downtown Castries, the public transport hub for the island: several informal bus depots are scattered around town. Formerly known as Vigie Airport, Castries' small George F.L. Charles Airport (tel 758/452-1156) on Vigie Peninsula mostly handles small aircraft arriving from neighbouring Caribbean islands and South America. There's a tourist information booth (tel 758/452-2596) as well as a row of car rental kiosks inside, while just outside the arrival area is a taxi stand. If you've arrived from Guadeloupe, Dominica or Martinique via the high-speed L'Express des Iles ferry, you'll disembark at the North Wharf docks, from where it's a short walk southeast along Jeremie Street to the rest of town. The administrative office of the St Lucia Tourist Board is on the second floor of the Sureline Building complex (tel 758/452-4094 or 5968, fax 453-1121, ) in Vide Bouteille, north of Castries. However, visitors may find themselves better served by the knowledgeable and helpful staff of the tourist information kiosk in Pointe Seraphine (Mon-Fri 8am-4.30pm; tel 758/452-7577), which often remains open to accommodate cruise-ship visitors who arrive outside regular opening hours. Castries is not an easy city to navigate by car . On weekdays in particular, the narrow streets are congested and choked with randomly parked cars and trucks. However, parking - once a nightmare - is now a dream, thanks to the new municipal multi-storey garage (EC$1.50/hr) opposite Castries market, on the John Compton Highway as you come into town. If you don't want to pay, you might find a place at the car park outside the Marketing Board building behind the market on Jeremie Street. If heading out of town by bus , all the terminals and main stops are located in the downtown area. Services north to Gros Islet and Cap Estate (route 1A) leave from the Anglican School on Darling Road. For Vieux Fort and the south via the east coast (route 2H), head to the terminal at the junction of Jean Baptiste Road and Darling Road, while Soufriere buses (route 3D) leave from Carl's Crescent. Anse la Raye and Marigot buses (route 3C) depart from Victoria Road between Chausee Road and Chisel Street, and to Dennery, Praslin and Mon Repos (route 2D) head out from the Micoud Street junction.
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