St. Barts | Travel Information
General Info, Travel Info, & FAQs are provided to assist with your vacation.
CUSTOMS
Visitors are allowed to bring in items for personal use in reasonable quantities for the duration of their stay. Generally throughout the Caribbean the standard is around 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco, and one to two litres of alcohol.
Also see the section in General Info: Illegal items.
IMPORTING ANIMALS
To import your pet you must obtain a health certificate, signed by a licensed veterinarian and dated less than five days prior to your arrival, as well as a record of vaccinations, including rabies shots.
For more information contact your nearest France embassy or consulate.
GETTING THERE
BY AIR
You cannot fly direct. Most flights go through Dutch St Maarten where you catch a 10-minute flight on Winair St Barths (tel 05 90 27 61 01), Air Caraïbes (tel 05 90 27 71 90) or St-Barth Commuter (tel 05 90 27 54 54) to St Barts. International flights originating out of the Caribbean land 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.
The landing strip at the St Barthelemy Airport (airport code SBH) is very small, which requires special training for pilots to land. If you are apprehensive about flying, you can take a quick ferry trip or charter a water taxi from St Maarten instead. (See By ferry and By water taxi, below.)
Airlines that service 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) and Winair (tel 599/545-2568). Note: The phone numbers listed above are local access numbers for St Maarten.
BY FERRY
The Edge ferry, operated by Aqua Mania Adventures (tel 599/544-2640, St Maarten), operates between Pelican Marina in Simpson Bay, Dutch St Maarten and Gustavia Harbour, St Bart's. 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 Barts) 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 €89/$115 and for children €45/$59. The ferry trip takes about 40 minutes, plus 10-30 minutes to get from the airport to the marina.
The Voyageur ferry (tel 590/590 87 10 68) operates from two ports in French St Martin (Marigot waterfront, 75-minute trip; Captain Oliver's Marina, Oyster Pond, 40-minute trip) to Gustavia Harbour, St Barts. The open-return round-trip fare for adults costs €71 and for children 2-12 years €25. A €12 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 Martin and St Barts.
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 Barts.
BY PRIVATE YACHT
Contact the Harbour Master on VHF 16 two hours prior to arrival. Upon arrival you must check in at the Harbour Master's office in the Port of Gustavia with your vessel's registration documents and passports for all crew and passengers. For more information contact the Harbour Master's office at 590/590-27-66-97.
GETTING AROUND
There is no public transportation on St Barts.
BY CAR
There are plenty of car rental agencies on the island. Motorcycles and scooters can also be rented. To rent a car you will need to bring your valid driver's license from home.
There is a gas station near the airport (open Mon-Sat 7:30am-12 noon and 2-5pm), which also has a 24-hour credit card gas pump (some foreign credit cards do not work at the pump), and another one in Lorient (open Mon-Sat, 7:30am-5pm, closed Thurs and Sat afternoons).
Roads are generally in good condition, but they are steep, narrow and winding, so drive with caution, especially at night.
Driving is on the right. Seat belts are mandatory, and children under 12 years must sit in the back seat. There are no traffic lights on the island. At an intersection, the driver on the right has the right of way.
CAR RENTALS (country code 590)
- Alamo National, 05 90 29 60 12 or 05 90 27 89 00
- Béranger Rental, 05 90 27 89 00
- Budget, 05 90 27 66 30 (airport) or 05 90 29 62 40 (office)
- Caraïbes Car Service, 05 90 27 73 33
- Caraïbes Welcome Center, 05 90 27 82 54 or 06 90 59 17 15
- Crazee Ride, 05 90 27 64 76 or 05 90 27 86 47
- Europcar, 05 90 27 74 34
- Hertz/Henry's Car Rental, 05 90 27 71 14
- Island Car Rental, 05 90 27 70 01 (airport) or 05 90 27 60 61 (office)
- Maurice Car Rental, 05 90 27 73 22
- Saint-Barth Centre Auto, 05 90 27 71 52 (airport)
- Saint Barth Location (SARL), 05 90 27 71 43
- Soleil Caraïbe Car Rental, 05 90 27 67 18
- Sun Destinations, 08 11 03 64 54
- Top Locations, 05 90 29 02 02
- Tropical Rent, 05 90 27 64 76
- Turbé Car Rental, 05 90 27 71 42 or 05 90 27 60 70
SCOOTER AND MOPED RENTALS
- Béranger Rental, 05 90 27 89 00
- Dufau Denis, 05 90 27 54 83
BY TAXI
There is a taxi stand at the airport and one at the public dock in Gustavia on rue de la République. Island tours are available in addition to standard taxi service.
TAXI SERVICE
- Gustavia taxi stand, 05 90 27 66 31
- JC Taxi, 06 90 49 02 97
- St Jean taxi stand (Tête de Taxi Aéroport), 05 90 27 75 81
Disclaimer: Information is provided as a service to visitors and is updated regularly. All
information should be verified prior to travel.
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