A Ferry Between Two Islands and a Road Round Each

Two airports, one on each island

Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, on the north-eastern edge of Basseterre, is the country's main gateway and takes the long-haul flights. The centre of the capital and the hotels of Frigate Bay are a short taxi ride away. Nevis has its own smaller airport, Vance W. Amory International, in the north of the island near Newcastle; it takes the small aircraft of regional flights from neighbouring islands, so a stay on Nevis can begin without the crossing from Saint Kitts.

The cruise pier at Basseterre

Cruise ships berth at Port Zante, the pier on the waterfront of Basseterre. The town centre, with the Circus and Independence Square, begins at its landward end and is seen on foot, and the passenger ferries to Nevis leave from a terminal a short walk along the same waterfront. Taxis and tour drivers wait at the pier on ship days, and a day ashore is long enough for Brimstone Hill or an afternoon at Frigate Bay.

Ferries and water taxis to Nevis

Passenger ferries sail several times a day between Basseterre and Charlestown, the capital of Nevis, from terminals in the centre of each town; the crossing takes about 30 to 45 minutes. The timetable changes with the day of the week and sailings are occasionally cancelled in rough seas, so the day's last boat back is the time to know before setting out.

The shorter crossing is the Narrows, from the end of the south-east peninsula of Saint Kitts. A car ferry, which takes foot passengers too, sails from Majors Bay on the peninsula to Cades Bay on the north-west coast of Nevis, and water taxis, small boats booked in advance, cross between the peninsula's beaches and those of north-west Nevis.

Taxis without meters

Licensed taxis carry a yellow number plate with “T” or “TA” in it. They have no meters, so the price is agreed with the driver before setting off, together with the currency, since the Eastern Caribbean dollar and the US dollar are both in daily use. Taxis wait at the airports and the ferry terminals, and a hotel desk will call one. Many drivers also take visitors round the island for half a day, stopping at the sights and viewpoints along the road: the easiest way to see either island without driving.

Minibuses on the island roads

Privately run minibuses are the islands' public transport. On Saint Kitts they leave Basseterre along the main road in both directions, west along the Caribbean coast towards Brimstone Hill and Sandy Point and east along the Atlantic side through Cayon; on Nevis they run out of Charlestown on the road round the island. A minibus is stopped by waving to it and sets down anywhere on its route when asked, and services thin out after dark and on Sundays. The beaches at the end of the south-east peninsula lie off the routes and are reached by taxi or car.

Hire cars and driving on the left

Both islands drive on the left, and cars can be hired on each. Besides a licence from home, a visitor needs a local temporary driving licence, bought on the island. Country roads are narrow, with blind corners; minor roads have potholes and unmarked speed bumps; and pedestrians, goats and the islands' vervet monkeys share the roadway. Some roads are unlit, and after dark a licensed taxi is the surer way back from a restaurant or a beach.