Vigie Beach, Beach in Castries Quarter, Saint Lucia

Vigie Beach is a protected white-sand beach about 2 km north of Castries, running parallel and immediately adjacent to the runway of George F. L. Charles Airport. It is reached from Nelson Mandela Drive. From the sand there are views of the uninhabited Rat Island to the north and the Vigie peninsula to the southwest.

Vigie Beach has drawn sea-bathers for over a century; a 1927 British colonial guide called it "the famous Vigie Beach." Vigie Field, now George F. L. Charles Airport, opened in 1941 just south of the sand. Chronic sand mining from 1960 to 1970 worsened hurricane damage, and the bay was dredged in 1980 to rebuild the beach.

Vigie Beach has drawn sea-bathers for over a century; a 1927 British colonial tour guide called it "the famous Vigie Beach." Before air conditioning became common in the 1950s, bathing in the sea was one of the few ways to cool off, and in 1974 Fodor praised the Vigie Beach Hotel's air conditioning alongside its fishing, sand and amenities.

Access is from Nelson Mandela Drive; the beach runs parallel to the airport runway. From the sand you can see the uninhabited Rat Island to the north and the Vigie headland to the southwest. Small food kiosks stand opposite the airport departure lounge.

In 2004 Vigie Beach became the landing point for the Atlantic Crossing submarine cable system, linking Saint Lucia to international networks. The cable comes ashore beside a beach that was dredged in 1980 to rebuild sand lost to mining between 1960 and 1970.