Grenada is three inhabited islands, not one. Carriacou and Petite Martinique are a different pace again — smaller, quieter, and with a character of their own that visitors consistently describe as the highlight of the trip.
Getting there is easy. Choosing how is the decision.
| By ferry | cheap, scenic, and can be rough |
|---|---|
| By air | quick, more expensive, small aircraft |
| Onward | a smaller boat to Petite Martinique |
| Worth | at least an overnight, ideally more |
The ferry
The usual way, and an experience in itself.
- Runs on set days, so check the schedule before planning
- Takes a couple of hours, depending on the vessel and conditions
- Inexpensive compared with flying
- Carries cargo as well as people, which is half the interest
- Book or arrive early on busy days
An honest warning: the crossing includes open water and it can be genuinely rough, particularly when the trade winds are up. People who are prone to seasickness should take something beforehand rather than find out.
Practical advice for the crossing: sit outside and toward the middle of the boat, look at the horizon, and stay in fresh air. Inside, in the back, looking at a phone is the recipe for a bad two hours.
Flying
- Very short — a matter of minutes in the air
- Small aircraft, which some people love and some do not
- Strict baggage limits, lower than you expect
- Spectacular views on a clear day
- More expensive, and limited seats
The obvious combination: ferry one way and fly the other. You get the crossing and the view, and if the sea is up on the return day you have an alternative.
What Carriacou is like
Smaller and slower. Fewer cars, fewer people, and a strong sense of its own identity — the boatbuilding tradition covered in the material on sailing events is a real part of daily life there, not a heritage display.
- Beaches with nobody on them, routinely
- Excellent snorkelling and diving, including offshore islets
- A very small main town, walkable in minutes
- Limited services — fewer shops, fewer restaurants, earlier closing
- Its own festivals, including the regatta and distinct musical traditions
Do not day-trip it if you can avoid it. A day trip is mostly travel; an overnight is a completely different experience, and two or three nights is when people start talking about extending.
Petite Martinique
Smaller again, and reached by a short boat from Carriacou rather than directly.
- Very small population, and a strong seafaring tradition
- Almost no tourism infrastructure
- A short crossing from Carriacou, running on a local schedule
- A place to visit respectfully — it is a working community, not an attraction
Go if you want to see somewhere genuinely off the tourist map. Go quietly, greet people, buy something local, and do not photograph anyone without asking. The same rules as anywhere here, applied a little more carefully because you will be one of very few visitors.
Planning it
- Check the ferry schedule before fixing dates — it does not run every day
- Book accommodation ahead; there is not much of it
- Take enough cash, as bank machines are limited
- Allow slack — weather can affect sailings
- Do not schedule a tight connection to an international flight
Point five is the important one. A rough sea or a cancelled sailing on the day you need to fly home turns a lovely trip into a stressful one, so build in a night back on the main island before departure.
Frequently asked questions
Ferry or plane?
Ideally both — ferry one way for the crossing and the cargo life, fly the other, which also gives you an alternative if the sea is up.
Is the crossing rough?
It can be, especially when the trade winds are up. Sit outside toward the middle, watch the horizon, and take something beforehand if you are prone.
Is a day trip enough?
No — a day trip is mostly travel. An overnight is a completely different experience and two or three nights is better still.
What should be planned around the return?
Weather. Never schedule a tight connection to an international flight — spend a night back on the main island first.
