Saint Barthélemy

Quick Facts

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Capital

Gustavia

Population

8,450

Area

21 km²

Full name

Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy

Government

French Overseas Collectivity

Religions

Languages

French, Creole

Calling Code

+590

Local name

Saint-Barthélemy

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Introduction

Saint Barthélemy is also known as Saint Barths, Saint Barth, Saint Barts or St. Bart's. Until recently it was a part of Guadeloupe, but in 2007 it became an overseas collectivity of France. It has become a haven for the rich and famous, attracted by the pristine beaches, high-end boutiques and fine dining on offer.

Brief History

Christopher Columbus, who discovered Saint Barthélemy in 1493, named the island after his brother Bartolomeo. The island wasn't settled until 1648 however, when French colonists from St Kitts made their home there. The original settlement wasn't much of a success and the island was sold to the Knights of Malta in 1951. Angry Carib Indians raided the settlement five years later, killing all the settlers and destroying the settlement. The island wasn't settled again until 1763, this time by French mariners from Brittany and Normandy. The new settlement succeeded and then sold to Sweden in 1784 in exchange for trading rights in the Swedish port of Gothenburg. The Swedish renamed the capital to Gustavia, in honor of King Gustav III, and developed it as a free port, which led to some prosperous times. France bought the island back in 1878. In 1946, St Barthélemy, as part of Martinique and Guadeloupe, became a Department of France, giving it the same legal status as the French Home Departments, roughly equivalent to Hawaii becoming a state of the US.^[1]

In February 2007, it separated from Guadeloupe and is now officially an overseas collectivity of France.

Geography

Saint Barthélemy is an island roughly 250 km off the east coast of Puerto Rico and near the islands of Anguilla, Saint Martin and Saba. There are several small islets off the coast of the main island.

Cities

• Colombier
• Corossol
• Gustavia is the capital and largest settlement.
• Lorient
• St Jean

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

Saint Barthélemy Airport (SBH) is a small airport near St. Jean Bay, that can only accept up to 20-seat planes. Most travellers make the journey to St Barths through Juliana Airport (SXM) in nearby St Maarten, where there are daily flights from Europe and the USA.

From there, it is a 10 minute flight to St Barths via one of several small local airlines.

There are also some direct flights to St Barths from Guadeloupe, which take roughly 45 minutes.

By Boat

Saint Martin - Saint Barthélemy vv
There are possibilities to go by ferry from Saint Martin to Saint Barthélemy. The MV Voyager travels two times daily between Marigot to Gustavia, except on Wednesdays and Sundays, when it leaves from Oyster Pond on Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island). It takes about 75 minutes from Marigot, 45 minutes from Oyster Pond.

Sint Maarten - Saint Barthélemy vv
Between Oyster Pond on Sint Maarten (the Dutch southern half of the island shared with Saint Martin) and Gustavia on Saint Barthélemy with Rapid Explorer. Crossings are two times daily and the schedule can be found here.
The MV Voyager travels daily and on Wednesdays and Sundays twice daily (one in the morning and one in early evening) between Oyster Pound and Gustavia as well.
Another option is to take the high speed ferry The Edge that travels to Gustavia once a day from Tuesday till Saturday. It leaves from Pelican Marina in Dutch St. Maarten at 9am. This passage lasts around 45 minutes.

Getting Around

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Red Tape

Money

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

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