10–20 minutes from GND gets you to Grand Anse or St George’s
Car rentals at Maurice Bishop International suit confident left-side drivers who want to cover more than the Grand Anse strip. The airport sits about a 10–20 minute drive from Grand Anse and St George’s, but runs to the northern parishes can stretch well past an hour because of narrow, winding coastal roads and slower speeds.
Where the agencies are and how pickup works
You’ll see major brands at the airport and several local agencies within a short walk or quick taxi ride of the terminal. Travellers report picking up cars “a short walk from the terminal,” and others use local firms clustered near GND for better multi-day rates. There’s no set frequency; cars are held for specific reservations and turned over based on bookings.
Licensing, permits and paperwork
To drive away from GND, you need your home license plus a temporary Grenadian driving permit. Forum regulars say many rental desks arrange this on pickup for an extra fee, often processed in under 10–15 minutes at the counter. Bring the physical license card; app screenshots and photocopies regularly get rejected.
Road conditions and driving style
Drivers sit on the right side of the car and drive on the left, and multiple TripAdvisor posts describe roads as “narrow, steep and winding,” especially once you leave the south. A blogger who headed straight up the west coast from the airport praised the flexibility but warned about sharp bends and sudden curves, particularly outside the Grand Anse–St George’s corridor.
What regulars actually do
Frequent visitors call out specific, well-reviewed local agencies by name in TripAdvisor threads and tell people to skip rock-bottom prices from outfits with few reviews. Many schedule longer cross-island drives strictly in daylight, planning both airport runs and waterfall trips to finish before dark because of limited street lighting and blind bends.
Watch out for fleet age, parking and night driving
Several renters say cars can be older than typical US or European rentals, with cosmetic dings and weak air-conditioning on uphill climbs. Another common gripe: tight, steep parking in central St George’s near the harbour, plus very challenging night driving on unlit, curvy roads. One workaround regulars suggest is taking a taxi on arrival and having the rental delivered to your hotel the next morning.
Step-by-step: using a rental car from GND
- 1. Book a car in advance with a well-reviewed airport or near-airport agency for your exact arrival time at GND.
- 2. Land, clear immigration and customs, then walk to the rental desk or pre-arranged meeting point inside or just outside the terminal.
- 3. Present your passport, home driver’s license and booking; pay for the temporary Grenadian permit at the counter if the agency handles it.
- 4. Inspect the car for existing damage, test the air-conditioning, and photograph all four sides plus the odometer before leaving the airport lot.
- 5. Set your map app while still on airport Wi‑Fi, then drive the 10–20 minutes to Grand Anse or St George’s, taking it slow on the first hills and bends.
- 6. For northern parishes, plan extra time and daylight, and avoid starting a new cross-island route less than two hours before sunset.
- 7. On departure day, refill fuel at a station near the airport, recheck the car for new damage, and arrive at GND early to allow 15–20 minutes for the return process.
One last tip: build your first long island drive for the morning after arrival, not straight from the baggage belt, so you’re fresh for those hills and hairpins.