The Caribbean

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Flying is the most popular, efficient way to reach the Caribbean. There are international airports on most Caribbean islands and in all of its non-island countries. Many of the countries and islands have multiple airports for convenient direct or connecting travel, like the 20 international airports in the Bahamas.

Some of the most popular entry points to the Caribbean are in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and Montego Bay, Jamaica.

• From North America: Flying from North America to the Caribbean is convenient and fast with a wide range of direct and connecting flights available to popular destinations (like the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Cancun). Direct flights from major U.S. cities like Los Angeles, Boston, New York, and Miami are frequent and offered by airlines like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. The average direct flight time is between 3-6 hours, depending on your departure airport and destination.
• From Europe: Getting to the Caribbean from Europe takes a little longer, but you’ll find plenty of direct and connecting flights to these tropical countries and islands through airlines like British Airways, Air France, or Lufthansa. You can catch flights from airports in major cities like Paris, London, and Amsterdam to all Caribbean destinations. The average flight time ranges from 8-12 hours, depending on your departure location and Caribbean destination.
• From Asia: Flying from Asia to the Caribbean is quite a journey, but there are abundant connecting flights and some direct flights available through airlines like Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Cathay Pacific. You’ll have the best luck finding direct flights to the most popular Caribbean destinations like St. Lucia, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. Flights take longer from Asia, averaging between 16-24 hours with layovers.
• From South America: South American travelers can easily reach the Caribbean by plane with tons of direct and connecting flights available from the continent’s major airports. Destinations like Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire can be reached from South American cities like São Paulo, Buenos Aires, or Lima with a relatively short direct flight from Copa Airlines, Avianca, or LATAM Airlines. Average flight times from South America are between 4-8 hours in most cases.

How Long Is the Flight to the Caribbean?

The average flight time to the Caribbean can vary depending on the departure city. Here are approximate flight times from some of the most common origins:

• New York, USA: About 4 hours and 7 minutes​​
• London, UK: Approximately 10 hours and 9 minutes​​
• Paris, France: Around 8 hours and 40 minutes​​
• Los Angeles, USA: Approximately 8 hours and 22 minutes​​
• Sydney, Australia: About 18 hours and 57 minutes​​
• Tokyo, Japan: Around 17 hours and 3 minutes​​

These durations are estimates and may vary depending on specific routes, airlines, wind speeds, and the specific destination within the Caribbean.

You can travel to parts of the Caribbean region by road, but only in mainland the countries. You can travel by road to some mainland Caribbean countries like Mexico, Puerto Rico, Belize, and Guyana. To reach the different Caribbean islands, you’ll need to take a plane or boat.

Traveling across the Caribbean islands by road with a rental car is recommended on larger islands to enable more exploration. Driving conditions will vary by the island and area, with some roads being well-maintained and others more rugged and rough. In some Caribbean countries, you’ll drive on the left (like St. Lucia, the Bahamas, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands).

While you can’t get to the Caribbean islands by rail, St. Kitts and Martinique do have tourist trains that can bring you to plantations for a day trip during your visit.

Getting to the Caribbean by water is a very popular way to travel to these tropical oases. Cruises and ferries bring thousands of tourists to the islands and mainland ports each day. Cruise ships (7-14+ days) offer a convenient, all-in-one appeal for travelers who want to see multiple Caribbean islands without the hassle of booking hotels, packing and unpacking, or arranging meals each day. Ferries (1-4 hours) are an excellent, relatively fast option for island-hopping around the region.

Cruise lines that visit the Caribbean depart from major ports across North America (like Miami and Ft. Lauderdale), Europe (like London and Barcelona), and South America (like Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires).

Ferries make it easy to island-hop around the Caribbean and operate between islands of close proximity, like Antigua and Barbuda or Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.