Trip Planning
The TakeYourBackpack guidebooks are your all-in-one travel companion, featuring the best cities, national parks, hikes, beaches, and unique sites, along with essential tips on when to go, how to get around, exchanging money, and even local phrases to get you started — everything you need for a smooth, unforgettable backpacking adventure.
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Planning a backpacking route through Grenada can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Grenada itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.
Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.
Travel Essentials
No vaccinations are required to enter Grenada, except a yellow fever certificate if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk. Make sure your routine vaccines (MMR, tetanus-diphtheria) are up to date, and hepatitis A and typhoid are recommended for most travelers, with hepatitis B for longer stays. Rabies is present in Grenada’s mongoose population, so consider pre-exposure shots if you’ll be working with animals. Dengue and chikungunya are spread by mosquitoes here, so use repellent, particularly in the June to November rainy season.
vaccination requirementsWhen I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.
These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Grenada, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.
There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with
Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.
HolaFly eSimCulture & Customs
Grenadians value courtesy and patience, so acknowledge people before asking for anything and don’t rush interactions in shops or on the bus. Wear swimwear only at the beach, and cover up when walking through St. George’s, entering shops or visiting churches. Always ask before photographing people, especially vendors at the market and Jab Jab masqueraders during Carnival, some of whom expect a small tip. Sundays are for church and family, so expect closed shops and dress respectfully if you join a service. Don’t haggle aggressively at stalls, and don’t take offense at blunt, teasing humor, which is part of island conversation. Public affection between same-sex couples draws disapproval in this conservative society, and women may get forward comments from men, which are best met with calm, confident disinterest.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Grenada.
- Oil Down: Grenada’s national dish is a one-pot stew of breadfruit, salted meat, chicken or fish, callaloo leaves, dumplings and turmeric, slow-cooked in coconut milk until the liquid is fully absorbed. It is made for gatherings and beach limes, so if someone invites you to an oil down, say yes.
- Callaloo Soup: This thick green soup is made from dasheen leaves, often with crab or salted meat. It is a Sunday lunch staple and a good way to taste the island’s backyard produce.
- Lambi (Conch): Tender conch is served curried, stewed or in a lime-sharp souse. It is a seafood favorite at fish fries and rum shops.
- Roti: Soft flatbread is wrapped around curried chicken, goat or vegetables with potato. This legacy of Indian indentured laborers is the go-to cheap, filling lunch across the island.
- Bakes and Saltfish: Fried dough is served with flaked salted cod sautéed with onion, pepper and tomato. It is the classic Grenadian breakfast.
- Nutmeg Ice Cream: Creamy ice cream is spiced with the island’s most famous crop. Grenada is one of the world’s largest nutmeg producers, and this is the sweetest way to taste it.
- Cocoa Tea: Hot drinking chocolate is made from local cocoa balls, spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon and bay leaf. Locals drink it with breakfast.
Tap water in Grenada is treated by the national water authority, and many locals drink it straight from the tap, especially in and around St. George’s. Most visitors drink it without problems, but supply and quality can be patchy in rural areas and after heavy rain or storms. A filter bottle is the cheapest and least wasteful option, with bottled water as a backup when the water looks cloudy.
English is Grenada’s official language, so you’ll have no trouble in St. George’s, Grand Anse, hostels and guesthouses, or with younger people anywhere on the island. Everyday speech is Grenadian Creole English, which is fast and full of local expressions. Expect to ask people to repeat themselves at first, especially in rural villages and on Carriacou. A few older people in the countryside still use a French-based patois, but you’ll never need it, and slowing down while asking simple questions works far better than any app.
Money & Payments
The local currency of Grenada is XCD ($).
Getting cash in Grenada is easy around St. George’s, Grand Anse and Grenville, where banks such as Republic Bank, RBC, CIBC FirstCaribbean and the Grenada Co-operative Bank have ATMs that dispense Eastern Caribbean dollars (EC$, pegged at about EC$2.70 to US$1). ATMs are scarce in rural villages and limited on Carriacou, so withdraw enough before heading out. Expect a local fee of roughly EC$5 to 15 per withdrawal on top of your own bank’s charges. Visa and Mastercard are accepted at hotels, larger restaurants, supermarkets and dive shops, but buses, rum shops, roadside food stalls and markets are cash only. US dollars are widely accepted everywhere, usually with change given in EC$, while euros and pounds are only worth exchanging at a bank. Change money at banks or your hotel rather than with people on the street.
Tipping in Grenada is appreciated but modest, and many restaurants and hotels already add a 10% service charge, so check the bill before leaving more. Where no service charge is included, 10 to 15% is normal at sit-down restaurants. Rounding up or adding EC$5 to 10 is a kind gesture for taxi drivers, tour guides and dive crews who go beyond the basics.
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Over the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.