Grenada
| General Information
General Info, Travel Info, & FAQs are provided to assist with your vacation.
ATMs Not all ATMs in the Caribbean operate like those in your home country. Some may only accept a four digit PIN number, so if yours is longer you may want to change it before your trip. Ensure you keep your travel money in your primary chequing account as some ATMs default to this account and will not allow you to choose another. Withdrawal fees are generally much higher outside your home country.
The main banks are Capital Bank International (tel 473/440-7399), FirstCaribbean International Bank (tel 473/440-3232), RBTT Bank (tel 473/444-4919), Republic Bank (tel 473/444-2265) and Scotiabank (tel 473/440-3274).
Republic Bank has ATMs at its branches in St Andrew's (Victoria St, Grenville), Carriacou (Main St, Hillsborough), St George's (Otway Building in Grand Anse, Halifax St and Republic House), St John (Depradine St, Gouyave) and St Patrick (Main St), as well as at the Point Salines International Airport and The Carenage in St George's. They accept MasterCard and Visa on the Cirrus and Plus networks and dispense Eastern Caribbean dollars.
BANKING AND BUSINESS HOURS Banks Banks hours vary, but generally they are open Mon-Thurs 8am-2/3pm and Fri 8am-4/5pm.
Post Office Mon-Thurs 8am-3:30/4pm (some may close at lunch) Fri 8am-4:30pm
CHURCHES/RELIGIONS Roman Catholic, Islam and Protestant, including Anglican, Baptist, Church of God, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Pentecostal and Presbyterian are all represented.
CURRENCY AND CREDIT CARDS The local currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$ or XCD), which is divided into 100 cents. Paper money runs in denominations of EC$5, EC$10, EC$20, EC$50 and EC$100 bills, and coins in 1¢, 2¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ and EC$1 pieces. US dollars are widely accepted and most shops, hotels, restaurants and car rental companies accept major credit cards and traveller's cheques.
To ensure hassle-free purchases during your trip, you may want to contact your credit card company and let them know you will be travelling abroad.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS American Express: lost or stolen card, 336/393-1111 (call collect); lost or stolen cheques or cheque cards, 800/452 0761 Discover Card: 801/902-3100 MasterCard: 800-1561 Visa: 410/902-8022 (call collect) Western Union: Renwick Thompson & Co, 439-5364 (St George's), 442-8353 (St Andrew's), 437-0047 (St John) and 442-0492 (St Patrick's); Vena Bullen & Sons, 443-6471 (Carriacou)
DEPARTURE TAX A departure tax of EC$50 is payable in cash at the airport by all persons 13 years of age and older. The fee is EC$25 for children 5-12 years old. Kids under five years are exempt.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS A passport is preferred, however, American, British and Canadian citizens can also enter with proof of citizenship bearing a photograph. All visitors must also have an onward or return ticket.
Nationals of other countries may require a visa. Consult your nearest Grenada consulate/embassy or contact the Department of Immigration at tel 473/440-2456 or 440-4765.
Note: As of January 8, 2007, all persons travelling by air to the Caribbean, Mexico and Bermuda will require a valid passport, Air NEXUS card or US Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document to enter and/or re-enter the United States in accordance with the US Government's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. For more information visit the US Government's Bureau of Consular Affairs website at www.travel.state.gov.
Some countries require single/lone parents or other adults travelling alone with children to provide documents showing evidence of parental/custodial and/or access rights, and/or documents authorizing consent from the parents, legal guardian, and/or the court for the children to travel. Parents of adopted children, particularly those of a different nationality, should carry the proper documents.
NEAREST FOREIGN REPRESENTATION British High Commission: 440 3222 (St George's) High Commission of Canada: 246/429-3550 (Barbados), 800/387-3124 (toll free to Ottawa) US Embassy: 444-1173 to 6 (located on the main road to Lance Aux ?À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À??À?pines)
EXCHANGE RATES
As of October 26, 2006
US$
EC$/XCD
British pound sterling
1.87562
5.11106
Canadian dollar
0.88765
2.41885
European Union euro
1.25755
3.42682
Japanese yen
0.008390
0.02286
Swiss franc
0.79009
2.15299
US dollar
--
2.72500
HEALTH STANDARDS There are three public hospitals: the General Hospital (tel 440-2051) in St George's; Princess Alice Hospital (tel 442-7251) in Mirabeau, St Andrew; and Princess Royal (tel 443-7400) in Carriacou. Private hospitals and clinics include St Augustine Medical Services/SAMS (tel 440-6173) in St Paul's and the Old Trafford Medical Centre (tel 440-7780) in Tanteen, St George.
Medical care is limited. Prescription medication is available, but visitors should still ensure they bring enough medication for the length of their visit. Serious cases may require transfer to the mainland US. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for services. Your home medical program may not provide payment for medical services outside your home country. Obtaining adequate medical/travel insurance, including air ambulance coverage, and consulting a physician or travel medicine specialist six to eight weeks prior to your trip to determine health risks and necessary vaccinations is recommended.
Grenada has plenty of pharmacies. Mitchell's Pharmacy in the Grand Anse Shopping Centre (tel 444-3845 or 407-0625) is open Mon-Sat 8:30am-9pm and Sun and holidays 5-9pm. Gitten's can source emergency drugs within 48 hours: Gitten's Pharmacy in the Spiceland Mall (tel 439-0863) is open Mon-Sat 10am-8pm and Sun and holidays 2-6pm, and Gitten's Drug Mart on Grand Anse Main Rd (tel 444-4954) is open Mon-Sat 9am-8pm and Sun and holidays 9am-12 noon. Monarch Pharmacy (tel 435-4093) on Grenville St in St George offers emergency service (tel 497-3430) and is open Mon-Fri 7:30am-6pm and Sat 7:30am-1pm.
For all emergencies dial 911.
ILLEGAL ITEMS There are harsh penalties for possession, use or trafficking in illegal drugs, and strict regulations for exporting or temporarily importing firearms, antiquities, business equipment, fruits and vegetables, electronics, archaeological items and certain marine and animal specimens. It is an offence for anyone, including children, to wear camouflage clothing.
For more information call the Customs and Excise Department at 473/440-2239 or 440-2240.
LANGUAGE The official language is English, although French-African patois is also widely spoken.
POSTAGE The general post office is located on Lagoon Rd by the port in St George's, and there are sub-post offices around the island. They are open Mon-Thurs 8am-3:30/4pm and on Fri until 4:30pm (some may close at lunch). Many post offices also host Internet cafés. Airmail to North America can take one to two weeks and to the UK, two to three weeks. Courier service is also available.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS Jan 1 New Year's Day Feb 7 Independence Day Mar/Apr (varies) Good Friday Mar/Apr (varies) Easter Monday May 1 Labour Day May/June (varies) Whit Monday June (varies) Corpus Christi Aug (first Mon) Emancipation Day Aug (varies) Carnival Monday Aug (varies) Carnival Tuesday Oct 25 Thanksgiving Dec 25 Christmas Day Dec 26 Boxing Day
Note: When a designated holiday falls on a Sun, the public holiday is observed on the Mon.
SHOPPING HOURS Shops are generally open Mon-Fri 8am-4pm and Sat 8am-1pm. Shopping centres and grocery stores are generally open 9am-7pm. Some shops will open on Sun and holidays when cruise ships are in port.
TAXES Hotels and restaurants add an 8% government tax to bills.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS The phone system on Grenada is modern and cellular and Internet services are available.
The country code is 473. Local phone numbers have seven digits. For local directory enquiries dial 411 and for operator assistance dial 0.
Cable & Wireless/C&W (tel 440-1000 or 800/804-2994) provides telecommunications services. Smart Phone pay phones located around the island accept coins, credit cards, prepaid calling cards and Smart Cards, which are inserted into the slot on the phone. Prepaid calling cards can be used with any Touch-Tone phone. Dial the number on the back of the card and follow the instructions - do not insert the card into the slot on Smart Phones. C&W sells prepaid Phonecards and Smart Cards at their offices on The Carenage and in Carriacou, and at restaurants, gift shops and card agents island wide.
To use American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa dial 1-800-744-7777. You can also dial 1-800 CALL USA to use major credit cards, US calling cards or to make collect calls.
For more information see the section in FAQs: Can I use my calling card from here?
C&W and Digicel (tel 439-4500) provide cellular roaming services. C&W also rents cellular phones. Check with your service provider to see if they have a roaming agreement with one of these companies.
TEMPERATURES Temperatures vary from about 75°F to 85°F. Although June-Dec is considered the wet season, it rarely rains for more than an hour at a time.
TIME ZONE The island is on Atlantic Standard Time year round, which is four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). During the summer the time is the same as on the east coast of North America and during the winter, the time is one hour ahead. Grenada does not observe daylight savings time.
Disclaimer: Information is provided as a service to visitors and is updated regularly. All
information should be verified prior to travel.
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