More location and points of interest are available in the above map

About 10km north of Castries, the vast horseshoe of Rodney Bay boasts the island’s most diverse tourist facilities. Within the bay is a large, artificial lagoon and marina, flanked by Rodney Bay Village, a somewhat bland assemblage of bars, restaurants, shops and more. Far more interesting is the fishing village of Gros Islet to the north. Here the historic streets are lined with rum shops and fishing shacks draped with drying nets.

Pigeon Island really used to be an island before being joined to the mainland by a sandy causeway in the 1970s. It's a fun place to explore, with paths winding around the remains of barracks, batteries and garrisons whose partially intact stone buildings create a ghost-town effect. At the top of Fort Rodney Hill, you’ll find a small but well-preserved fortress, a few rusting cannons and cardiac-arresting views.

Once you’ve left bustling Rodney Bay, life becomes more sedate as you head toward the island’s northernmost reaches. On Cap Estate the hilly terrain is dotted with chichi villas, large estates and the island’s only public golf course. From there it’s an easy drive downhill to secluded Cas En Bas Beach. On the wilder side of the island, the winds and surf here can be lively.

As the road heads south from Castries, it encounters the rising topography of the island – twisting and turning around hairpin corners and steep hills – and uncluttered ocean views. Passing through the tiny fishing villages of Anse La Raye and Canaries, and the banana plantations that surround them, the real St Lucia comes to the fore. Marigot Bay is an exquisite example of natural architecture. Sheltered by towering palms and the surrounding hills, the narrow inlet is said to have once hidden the entire British fleet from French pursuers.

If one town were to be the heart and soul of St Lucia, it would have to be Soufrière. Its attractions include a slew of colonial-era edifices scattered amid brightly painted wooden storefronts and a bustling seafront.

The surrounding landscape is little short of breath-taking: the sky-scraping towers of rock known as the Pitons stand guard over the town. Jutting from the sea, covered in vegetation and ending in a summit that looks otherworldly, these are St Lucia’s iconic landmarks.

At the very southern tip of the island, Vieux Fort, the island’s second-largest town, lies on a vast plain onshore from where the azure waters of the Caribbean blend with those of the rough Atlantic Ocean.