St Kitts & Nevis in a Day

Dear lilioftheworld.com reader, here is Lili, your co-editor. Today I will take you to a group of two beautiful islands in the Caribbean- St Kitts & Nevis. St Kitts & Nevis were one of the 12 isotopes we did during a two-week cruise across the Lesser Antilles in the beginning of 2020 (yes, back then when travelling was smooth and easy). 

The article about St Kitts & Nevis is part of the series of posts presenting the islands we visited and giving you tips on what to see and do “in a day”. The other islands we visited were:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Barbados
• British Virgin Islands
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Guadeloupe
• Martinique 
• St Lucia
• Saint Maarten
• St Vincent & The Grenadines
• Trinidad & Tobago

In order to read our recommendations for each island, just follow the links. We also shared our overall experience and tips when going on a cruise for the first time.

St Kitts and Nevis 

Actually this one will be a pretty short post as we did not do much about exploring the island. I guess we simply needed a little break from sightseeing. Relaxing on the beach was a good option and especially with the great beach location we found. 

Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country in the West Indies. It is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, in both area and population (according to the latest data it has a bit more than 50 000 inhabitants) .The country is a Commonwealth realm, with Elizabeth II as Queen and head of state. In addition, it is the only federation in the Caribbean.

The capital city is Basseterre, located on the larger island of Saint Kitts. Basseterre is also the main port for both passenger entry (via cruise ships) and cargo. The smaller island of Nevis lies approximately 3 km to the southeast of Saint Kitts, across a shallow channel called The Narrows. Interesting fact is that every summer there is a contest for swimming through the channel. People from all over Caribbean come to take part in the race. 

A bit of history about St Kitts & Nevis

Certainly, St Kitts and Nevis were among the first islands in the Caribbean to be colonized by Europeans (mainly because of its vast sugar cane fields). St Kitts was home to the first British and French colonies in the Caribbean, and thus has also been titled “The Mother Colony” of the West Indies. It is also the most recent British territory in the Caribbean to become independent, gaining independence in 1983.

To clarify, the day we spent at St Kitts & Nevis was a relaxing one. So do not expect a long list of recommendations on what you can do. This post would be more a gallery post showing you some beautiful spots we saw during the day. 

Walk around the main town Basseterre

Set in the shadow of St. Kitts’ great volcanic ridges and shrouded by the regular silhouettes of colossal cruise ships, energetic little Basseterre has the veneer of an aged Parisian suburb fused with a pretty English village. Thankfully, the main points of interest are on a walking distance from the cruise ship harbor, so do not hesitate to take a quick stroll either upon arrival or just before going back to the ship.

• Souvenirs market

Right in front of the port you will find a small market where you can buy local stuff and some souvenirs. Hurry up because they close relatively early. We were there around 17:00 I think and they already started closing their stands. 

• National museum of St Kitts

Just a few minutes away from the port, you can find the National Museum. The building used to be the Treasury of St Kitts. You know very well that we are not museum type, so we did not visit it this time either.

• Berkeley memorial

This memorial stands in Fort Street since the late 20th century. It consists of a clock and a drinking fountain. No need to say we avoided tasting the water as a precautionary measure. For quite long it has been the only public memorial commemorating an individual in St Kitts. It was dedicated to the memory of Thomas Berkeley Hardtman Berkeley, a legislator and owner of a couple of estates on the island.

Obviously the locals really loved this guy- on the south side there  is a basin with tap and an inscription which reads: This drinking fountain has been erected by the country men and private friends of the late Thomas Berkeley Hardtman Berkeley, Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George and president of the Legislative Council of the Leeward Islands, in recognition of the many valuable services he rendered this his Native Island as a Planter, a Politician and a Citizen. His Sterling qualities, his love for this Island and his deep interest in the welfare of the country at large entitle him to a Memorial by which his memory will be preserved and perpetuated…

• Independence square

Yes, similar to any other port town in the Caribbean, Basseterre also has an independence square. The explanation is pretty simple- the locals celebrate their freedom from the colonial times. 

• Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Located on the eastern side of the independence square. It is created of grey stone and the current view was finished in the beginning of the 20th century. Why is it called a “co-cathedral”? Obviously towards the end of the last century it was elevated to this status within the diocese of St John’s in Antigua. 

• St. George’s Anglican Church

Strange enough, we could not find this one despite the fact it is the biggest one in Basseterre. Maybe we had the wrong address… Anyway, we could experience the not-so-touristic part of Basseterre which resembles very much the streets of the village where my grandparents live. Different cattle were freely walking through the streets, some locals were lazily sitting on the sidewalks and just waiting for the time to pass- very similar to many Caribbean islands. 

The colorful streets of Basseterre

Cockleshell bay

You can get to this one by taxi and the ride takes about 20 minutes. When you get off the ship and walk through the port, several locals will start coming up to you asking you if you need a taxi. Like on every other island, be ready to bargain. You can get a ride between $5 and $7. Do not forget to arrange your way back. Simply ask the driver to come and pick you up at a certain time.

Cockleshell Bay is on the island’s southern tip facing Nevis, which means it offers great views of its sister island. The beach is quite long- around 3 km and by the time we were there it did not get that crowded (despite the warnings that it can be quite busy when cruise ships are there). 

Hip beach bars

You will find a few hip beach bars,  the fanciest of all being the Reggae Beach bar.  The only thing we went there for was the good internet connection (if you remember we were on a cruise ship where the Wi-Fi is limited). Otherwise we had chosen to stay on another beach bar towards the middle of the beach. I do not remember exactly whether we paid something for the beach chairs, but even if we did so, it was not a lot. 

What I also can clearly remember from this white-sand beach is that I found a lot of sea-urchin shells. They were in the shallow water, so easy to get them even if you are not a good swimmer. Otherwise the snorkeling was not spectacular. 

The beach area in front of Reggae bar (on the right) was a bit crowded, so we have the chosen the calmer middle part of the bay.

Timothy Hill overlook

On our way back the driver stopped us to take one of the best photos you can have at St Kitts. Up here, your 360-degree view includes the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, Friar’s and Frigate bays, Nevis, and the hilly peninsula itself.

St. Kitts Scenic Railway Tour

Something which we did not do, but it sounds quite interesting if you are on the island for longer. It is the most popular attraction- the railway tour. The narrow gauge St. Kitts Scenic Railway is one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. In the beginning of last century it was used to deliver sugar cane from the fields to the sugar mill in Basseterre. Nowadays, the “Last Railway in the West Indies” provides a fascinating way for visitors to see the island.

Certainly, the description of the experience was quite appealing: “The Railway hugs the Northeastern coastline where spectacular vistas of the ocean, surf, cliffs and lush vegetation surround you. The train rolls across tall steel bridges spanning deep “ghuts”, or canyons, and winds through small villages and farms.  Dark green rain forests are skirted by rippling fields of sugar cane, with the volcanic cone of Mt. Liamuiga rising above the railway.”

However, there were two things which made us decide against doing the trail. Firstly, the tour was quite long- 3 hours altogether (the combination of bus and train) and second, it costs $90 US per person. We chose the option to spend the day in the sun.

So, this was everything from the island of St Kitts and Nevis. As said in the beginning, not many facts about the islands, but we hope to at least awaken your curiosity. If you enjoyed travelling with us, do not miss the other stories from this Caribbean cruise.