ST KITTS AND NEVIS TRAVEL REPORT.

 

ENGLAND

 

To reach Linate Airport from the Lambrate or Milano Centrale train station, you need to take the subway (cost of a single ride: 1.60 Euros) and get off at the Piazza San Babila stop (red line). From there walk for about 200 meters. in a southerly direction passing Largo Arturo Toscanini and find on the right the bus stop n. 73 which leaves every 15 minutes towards Linate Airport. The journey takes just under an hour. You can use the ATM ticket, previously used for the subway ride, which is valid for up to 90 minutes from the first validation. Remember to validate it even when you get on the bus.

 

Punctual as never before, my plane n. BA0569 of the British Airways Company in the direction of London Heathrow International Airport (United Kingdom), (price of the multi-leg ticket including taxes from Linate to St. Kitt and from Tobago to Malpensa with stopovers at London Heathrow and London Gatwick: Euro 820.04 ).

 

Punctual arrival at 19.55, at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow International Airport (United Kingdom). There is a time zone time compared to Italy.

 

In order to set foot in the United Kingdom, it is sufficient to have a valid identity card or passport. Once you arrive at the aforementioned airport border, just put your ID on the scanner, wait for a photograph to be taken and if everything is ok, the automatic doors that allow you to enter the United Kingdom will open.

 

The aforementioned airport consists of 5 terminals all connected by underground to central London which is about 30 km to the east. The metro ticket costs £ 6. The journey takes approximately 1 hour.

 

If from London Heathrow International Airport you want to reach the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport, located in Crawley, 60 km. approximately south of Central London, you can take the direct company National Express bus, which runs frequently. Tickets can also be booked online and costs £ 15. The journey takes just over an hour.

 

 The cheapest solution for the connection between the 2 aforementioned airports is to take the underground (blue line Piccadilly) from London Heathrow International Airport to Earl's Court metro Station in Kensington and Chelsea (London) where you have to take the green line to Wimbledon and get off at the next stop called "West Brompton metro Station". The metro ticket costs £ 6. The journey takes approximately 1 hour.

 

From West Brompton metro Station, exit, turn left and walk approximately 200 meters. until you find the bus stop. Although not signposted, this is where the Easy Bus Company Minibus stops, which in about 1 hour takes you to the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport in Crawley (England).

Tickets can be booked online a few weeks in advance and costs £ 1.95. Up to £ 15 if purchased a few days in advance or on site.

 

I slept in the aforementioned cold airport.

 

At the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport in Crawley (England), there are incredibly no screens where flight times are marked.

 

To leave the UK you don't have to cross the border at the airport.

 

ST KITTS AND NEVIS

 

Punctual as never before leaves from the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport in Crawley (England) at 10.05 my plane n. BA2157 of the British Airways Company in the direction of Robert L Bradshaw Airport in Basseterre (St Kitts), (multi-route ticket price including taxes from Linate to St. Kitt and from Tobago to Malpensa with stopovers at London Heathrow and London Gatwick: Euro 820, 04).

 

Before arriving in St Kitts, the plane makes a stop of about 1 hour in Antigua to drop off passengers bound for that country.

 

I therefore arrive at 16.35, at Robert L Bradshaw Airport in Basseterre (St Kitts), located about 3 km north of the city. There are 5 hours of time zone, compared to Italy.

 

A visa is not required to enter St Kitts and Nevis for tourism purposes and for a period not exceeding 6 months. It is sufficient to be in possession of a passport, with at least 6 months of residual validity at the time of entry into the country.

 

It is necessary to fill out a form to be delivered to customs, part of which must be returned when leaving the country.

 

To change money at the airport, there is a bank that is often closed, but you can withdraw cash with an ATM or credit card.

 

The currency of St Kitt and Nevis is the East Caribbean Dollar (EC $), but American Dollars (USD) are accepted everywhere (Hotels, Buses, taxis, Shops, Restaurants, Supermarkets, Ferries, etc.), even if using the latter are considered with the following value 1 USD = 2.5 EC $ instead of the official rate which is 1 USD = 2.7 EC $.

 

In St Kitts and Nevis the official language is English.

 

In St Kitts and Nevis, driving is on the left and is driven by private minivans, which do not have writing on the windshield, from 6.00 to 19.00. The service is very limited on Sunday in St Kitts and even almost absent in Nevis. You pay the driver before getting off. The public bus service does not exist on both islands.

 

To hitchhike in St Kitts and Nevis and in all the Caribbean you have to lift your index finger.

 

In St Kitts I slept in the cheapest accommodation on the island, the 3 Fern Tree Bed and Breakfast, located in the village of Conaree, less than 2 km northeast of the International Airport, at a cost of 50 USD per night for a double including breakfast (booking via booking.com website). It can be reached either on foot or by taking one of the numerous minivans, heading north, which pass near the roundabout 200 meters away. approximately from the airport at a price of 1 USD or 2.5 EC $. You pay the driver before getting off.

 

From Conaree Village you can easily reach the historic center of Basseterre, the capital of St Kitts, taking, on the main road, one of the numerous minivans, coming from the east coast and heading south, at a price of 1 USD or 2.5 EC $. You pay the driver before getting off. The ride takes about 10 minutes. To return to Conaree Village from Basseterre, the minivan must be taken to Wellington Road, just north of the Victoria Monument, located at the intersection of Wellington Road and Cayon Street.

 

Basseterre can be easily explored on foot. On Sunday morning the city is deserted.

 

The ferry terminal for Nevis is located in Basseterre, in Bay, Road, near the Market, 200 mt. west of the National Museum.

 

From Monday to Thursday there are 6 ferries connecting St Kitts and Nevis from 6.00 in the morning until late afternoon. On Friday and Saturday the rides increase to 8. The cost of a single ticket is 25 EC $ or 10 USD. The ticket office opens 30 minutes before departure. The journey takes just under 1 hour.

 

In Nevis the ferry docks at the terminal located in the center of the capital Charlestown, which can be visited very well on foot. To move around the island, on the other hand, you can use private minivans at a cost that varies between EC $ 2.5 and EC $ 6, but not on Sunday when the service is almost absent and therefore you are forced to ask for a makeshift ride.

 

In St. Kitts to visit Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located on the west coast of the island, you need to take a minivan to the west coast in front of the Basseterre ferry terminal and get off at the southern outskirts from Sandy Point Town, at the junction for Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, priced at 3 USD or 7.5 EC $. You pay the driver before getting off. The ride takes about 30 minutes.

 

At this point there are three possibilities to reach the aforementioned fort: walk uphill for more than 2 km, wait for an unlikely taxi or ask someone for a ride.

 

Admission to Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park costs 10 USD or 255 EC $. The park is open every day from 9.30 to 17.30.

My complete travel report with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:

http://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2017/11/traversata-dei-caraibi-da-nord-sud.html