Before You Go

St. Barth’s Basic Travel Information

* Location: North of Antilles near St. Maarteen and St. Kitts and Nevis.
* Island Size: 8 Square Miles
* Religion: Roman Catholic
* Currency: Euro
* Language: Some English but mostly French
* Weather: Arid maritime tropical weather with threats of hurricane from July to November
* Area Code: 590 country code; 590 or 690 for cell phones and local area codes

The following topics are covered below:

Getting to St. Barths: airports and airlines, ferry service and other modes of transportation to and around St. Barths.
Car Rental Companies: a list of car rental companies serving St. Barths
Internet Connection: computer and internet services while in St. Barths.
Weather in St. Barths: links to advisories and weather sites for forecasts of St. Barths weather.
Hotels and Accommodations: suggested hotels and advice on lodging and accommodations in St. Barths.
Passport Requirements: proper documentation and forms of identification needed to enter St. Barths, in addition to arranging for your passport issuance in a short amount of time.
Voltage Concerns: answers concerns regarding electronics, adapters and their usage in St. Barths.

GETTING TO ST. BART’S - Top

PLEASE NOTE: As there are no direct flights to St. Barths, travelers must first get to St. Maarten or San Juan, and then charter a plane or use ferry services to reach St. Barths.

airport Traveling to St. Barths by AIR
Direct flights are not available to St. Barths. Typically, most flights go through Dutch St Maarten, and to connect to St. Barths via propeller plane on a ten minute flight.

Chartered air service can be arranged for through:

* Winair St Barths tel: 05 90 27 61 01

Winair leaves St. Barth’s at least once an hour between 7:30 AM and 5:30 PM and is used most frequently

* Air Caraïbes tel: 05 90 27 71 90

Air Caraïbes based in Guadeloupe, flies among the French West Indies and to the Dominican Republic.

* St-Barth Commuter tel: 05 90 27 54 54

St. Barth Commuter is a small, private charter company that can also arrange service.

International flights originating out of the Caribbean arrive at Princess Juliana International Airport (airport code SXM; tel: 599/545-5757) in Simpson Bay, St. Maarten. Some flights go through Guadeloupe, where you take a 45-minute Air Caraïbes flight to St. Barts.

Airlines carriers with flights to St. Maarten include:

* Air Canada tel: 599/545-2372
* Air France tel: 599/545-4212
* Air Caraïbes tel: 0820-835-835
* American Airlines/American Eagle tel: 599/545-2040
* BWIA West Indies Airways/Caribbean Airlines tel: 599/545-4646
* Caribbean Star/Sun tel: 800/744-7827
* Continental Airlines tel: 599/545-2788 or 800/231-0856
* Corsair tel: 599/545-4344
* Delta Air Lines tel: 800/872-2881
* KLM/Northwest Airlines tel: 599/545-4747 or 545-4344
* LIAT tel: 599/545-2403 or 888/844-5428
* United Airlines tel: 800/United-1
* US Airways tel: 599/545-3053 or 800/622-1015
* Winair tel: 599/545-2568

Please Note: The phone numbers listed above are local access numbers for St Maarten.

Reaching St. Barths by FERRY

ferry

The Edge Ferry is operated by Aqua Mania Adventures (tel: 599/544-2640, St. Maarten), operating between Pelican Marina in Simpson Bay, Dutch St. Maarten and Gustavia Harbour, St. Barths. The round-trip fare for adults costs $80 and for children 2-12 years $40, plus a $9 port fee per person. There is a $5 charge for each piece of luggage. The trip takes about 45 minutes.

The Rapid Explorer Ferry (tel: 599/542-9762, St. Maarten or 590/590 27 60 33, St. Barths) offers daily service between Chesterfield Marina at Pointe Blanche, Dutch St. Maarten and Gustavia Harbour, St. Barts. The open-return round-trip fare for adults costs $115 and for children $59. The ferry trip takes about 40 minutes, plus 10-30 minutes to get from the airport to the marina. Services include luggage handlers, in addition to on-board amenities such as plasma screen DVD players, snack bar and spacious seating. Please note that the Rapid Explorer is wheelchair accessible. For more information, please call the numbers above or email gustavia@smta-sbtt.com.

The Voyageur Ferry (tel: 590/590 87 10 68) operates from two ports in French St. Maarten (Marigot waterfront, 75-minute trip; Captain Oliver’s Marina, Oyster Pond, 40-minute trip) to Gustavia Harbour, St. Barths. The open-return round-trip fare for adults costs approximately $95 and for children 2-12 years approximately $35. A $15 port fee and fuel surcharge is added in addition to the fare. A $5 surcharge is added if you don’t make a reservation at least 24 hours in advance.

The Gustavia Express (tel: 590/590 27 54 65) operates between Anse Marcel in French St. Maarten and St. Barths.

Getting to St. Barths by WATER TAXI
Marine Service (tel: 05 90 27 70 34) and Master Ski Pilou (tel: 05 90 27 91 79 or 06 90 61 37 07) offer high-speed water taxi service between St. Maarten and St. Barths.

Getting to St. Barths by PRIVATE YACHT
Contact the Harbour Master on VHF channel 16 two hours prior to arrival (tel: 05 90 27 66 97). Upon arriving, you must check in at the Harbour Master’s office in the Port of Gustavia with your vessel’s registration documents as well as passports for all crew and passengers. For more information, please contact the Harbour Master’s office at 590/590-27-66-97.

CAR RENTAL COMPANIES - Top

car rental logo

It is recommended that a rental car be used to navigate and explore the island. In order to operate these cars, you must show a valid driver’s license; the island does have steep and winding roads and one should be very careful. The island speed limit is 45 km/h (28 mph). Most of the car rental companies operate out of the St. Jean Airport. There are only two gas stations on the island, and gas itself is expensive. The station near the airport is open Monday – Saturday from 7:30 – 12:00 noon and 14:00 – 17:00 (2:00 – 6:00pm). The Lorient Station is open from 7:30 – 17:00 (6:00 pm) on all days of the week except Thursday and Sunday. Luckily, there is a 24-hour automatic gas pump near the airport.

Below is an alphabetical list of Car Rental Companies on the Island:

Alamo National Car Rental (St. Jean Airport)
Tel: 0590 29 60 12

Avis Saint Barth Car Rental (St. Jean Airport)
Tel: 0590 27 71 43 / 0590 27 71 52

Barthloc Rental (Gustavia)
Tel: 0590 27 52 81

Budget (St. Jean Airport)
Tel: 0590 27 66 30
800 472 3325

Caraibes Welcome (Lorient)
Tel: 0590 27 82 54

Chez Beranger (Gustavia)
Tel: 590 590 27 89 00

Europcar (St. Jean Airport)
Tel: 590 590 27 74 33

Gumbs (St. Jean Airport)
Tel: 590 590 27 75 32

Gust Smart St. Barth (Colombier)
Tel: 0590 27 95 06

Hertz Car Rental (St. Jean Airport)
Tel: 800-654-3131 or 0590 27 71 14

Island Car Rental (St. Jean Airport)
Tel: 590-590-27-70-01

Maurice Car Rental (St. Jean Airport)
Tel: 0590 27 73 22

Soleil Caraibes (St. Jean Airport)
Tel: 0590 27 67 18

Star Location Car Rental (St. Jean Airport)
Tel: 0690 42 28 42

Top Locations (St. Jean Airport)
Tel: 590 590 29 02 02

Tropic’All Rent (Gustavia)
Tel: 590 590 27 64 76

Turbe Car Rental (St. Jean Airport)
Tel: 0590 27 71 42

INTERNET CONNECTION - Top
Below is contact information for places that provide Internet Access on the island:

Actif / Tel: 0590 27 93 73
Antilles Referencement / Tel: 0590 52 07 22
Bamboo 0690 40 04 02 / Tel: Centre Alizee 0590 29 89 89
Fixit / Tel: 0590 29 45 11
Mies / Tel: 0590 27 692 90
L’Odyssee du Jeu / Tel: 0590 27 95 33
Ouanalao Studio / Tel: 0690 81 88 98
StBarthfwi.net / Tel: 0690 81 88 07
St Barth Online / Tel: 0590 27 66 74

For more information on internet services, click here.

WEATHER IN ST. BART’S - Top

weather map Average monthly temperature for St Barth’s (and the rest of the West Indies) is incredibly consistent, with a 5 F variation throughout the year. The dry season traditionally runs from December to May, and the humid season fills in the spaces of June to November. Most days are sunny, and the majority of rainstorms come and go quickly. The average temperature near the coast ranges from 22º to 30º C (72º to 86º F) and it gets cooler as you move inland with the range of 19º to 27º C (66º to 81º F). The water temperatures are typically between 20º and 23º C (68º and 74º F).