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Aerial view of the Simpson Bay Lagoon, its marinas and the airport runway

Places to Visit on Sint Maarten & Saint-Martin

Fifteen places on two sides of one small island — and three more islands on the horizon.

The island is only about fifteen kilometres across in any direction, but its coastline is so indented and its roads so winding that each bay feels like a separate place. That is the pleasure of it: a capital of duty-free shops, a beach under a flight path, a French fishing village full of restaurants and an uninhabited islet with turtles are all within forty-five minutes of each other.

We have grouped the pages below by side — not because the border matters when you are driving (it does not; you will barely notice it) but because it changes the currency on the menu, the voltage in the socket and the atmosphere at lunch. The third group covers the neighbouring islands you can reach in a day by ferry, catamaran or a very short flight.

Dutch side — Sint Maarten

Parasols on Great Bay Beach in Philipsburg with a cruise ship at the pier behind Dutch side — Sint Maarten

Philipsburg

The Dutch-side capital: Front Street, the Great Bay boardwalk and the cruise port.

A four-street town on a sandbar between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond, with duty-free shopping on Front Street, a long town beach, an 18th-century courthouse and the island’s cruise piers a short walk or water-taxi ride away.

A jet airliner passing low over beachgoers at Maho Beach Dutch side — Sint Maarten

Maho Beach

The beach at the end of the runway, where jets pass a few metres overhead.

A short strip of sand directly under the final approach to Princess Juliana International Airport. People come from all over the world to stand beneath landing airliners, check the arrivals board at the beach bar and swim between flights.

Yachts moored in the Simpson Bay Lagoon with green hills behind Dutch side — Sint Maarten

Simpson Bay

A long quiet beach on one side, the lagoon, marinas and nightlife on the other.

The island’s yachting and restaurant hub: a two-kilometre beach on the Caribbean side, the Simpson Bay Lagoon and its drawbridge on the other, and most of the Dutch side’s catamaran departures, bars and mid-range hotels in between.

Loungers and parasols on the sand at Mullet Bay Dutch side — Sint Maarten

Mullet Bay

The Dutch side’s prettiest swimming beach, five minutes from Maho.

A wide crescent of white sand and bright blue water beside the island’s golf course, lined with sea grapes and a couple of beach shacks. A favourite with locals at weekends and the easy antidote to the noise of Maho.

Low cliffs with a sea cave above clear turquoise water near Cupecoy Dutch side — Sint Maarten

Cupecoy Beach

Sandstone cliffs, small coves and the best sunset on the Dutch side.

A string of little beaches under golden sandstone cliffs at the far western tip of the Dutch side, right by the French border. The sand comes and goes with the season; the sunsets are reliable.

Philipsburg, Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond seen from high in the hills Dutch side — Sint Maarten

Rainforest Adventures (Rockland Estate)

A chairlift to the top of Sentry Hill and a very steep zipline back down.

An adventure park on a former plantation in the hills behind Philipsburg: the Sky Explorer chairlift to a viewing deck high above the island, the Flying Dutchman zipline, the Sentry Hill zipline, a tubing run and a small museum in the restored estate house.

French side — Saint-Martin

Grand Case bay at dusk with its beach, village and hills French side — Saint-Martin

Grand Case

One beachfront street, dozens of restaurants and the island’s famous lolos.

A fishing village on a calm bay that became the dining capital of the island: French and Creole restaurants shoulder to shoulder along the boulevard, open-air barbecue stands called lolos, and Creole Rock for snorkelling just offshore.

The long white sweep of Orient Bay beach and its turquoise water French side — Saint-Martin

Orient Bay

The French side’s big, breezy beach of clubs, water sports and long lunches.

Around two kilometres of pale sand on the Atlantic side, lined with beach clubs, restaurants and water-sports operators. Lively in the middle, quieter at the ends, with a long-established naturist section at the southern tip.

Marigot’s waterfront and bay seen from the hill of Fort Louis French side — Saint-Martin

Marigot & Fort Louis

The French capital: a waterfront market, bakeries and a hilltop fort.

Saint-Martin’s small capital looks across the water to Anguilla. Come for the open-air market on the waterfront, a croissant and coffee, the short climb to the ruins of Fort Louis and its view, and the ferries to Anguilla.

The sheltered bay of Cul-de-Sac with Pinel Island just offshore French side — Saint-Martin

Pinel Island

A tiny islet with a shallow beach, five minutes by boat from Cul-de-Sac.

Îlet Pinel sits just off the north-east coast inside the nature reserve. A little ferry or a kayak takes you over to a sheltered, knee-deep beach, two beach restaurants, a snorkelling area and a walking path round the island.

Green forested hills in the interior of Saint-Martin seen from Pic Paradis French side — Saint-Martin

Loterie Farm & Pic Paradis

The green interior: a hillside nature retreat below the island’s highest point.

On the slopes of Pic Paradis (424 m), a former sugar estate has become a private reserve with hiking trails, a treetop adventure course, a spring-fed pool with cabanas and a restaurant under the trees. The summit above has the widest view on the island.

The white beach and low cliffs of Baie Blanche on Tintamarre French side — Saint-Martin

Tintamarre

An uninhabited island in the marine reserve, reached only by boat.

A flat, empty island about three kilometres off the north-east coast with a white beach, clear water where sea turtles are regularly seen and no facilities at all. Boat tours from the French side stop here to swim and snorkel.

Day trips to neighbouring islands

Powder-white sand and pale turquoise sea at Shoal Bay on Anguilla Day trips to neighbouring islands

Anguilla

A different country and some of the Caribbean’s best beaches, 25 minutes away.

The flat British island on the northern horizon is an easy day trip: a public ferry from Marigot or a catamaran from the Dutch or French side to dazzling beaches such as Shoal Bay East, Rendezvous Bay and the offshore cays.

Gustavia harbour on St Barths seen from above, with an old cannon in the foreground Day trips to neighbouring islands

St Barths (Saint-Barthélemy)

Gustavia’s yacht harbour, red roofs and chic beaches, under an hour by ferry.

The small, expensive and very pretty French island to the south-east. Scheduled ferries from Philipsburg and Marigot make a day in Gustavia, Shell Beach and St-Jean entirely possible — if the crossing is kind.

The red-roofed village of Windwardside on the green slopes of Saba Day trips to neighbouring islands

Saba

A steep green volcano with red-roofed villages and no beaches to speak of.

The smallest of the Dutch Caribbean islands rises almost vertically from the sea 45 kilometres to the south-west. Day-trippers come for the hike up Mount Scenery, the cottages of Windwardside, world-class diving — and one of the shortest commercial runways in the world.

How to combine them

With a rental car you can see a great deal in a day. Three loops work well:

Without a car, shared minibuses link Philipsburg, Simpson Bay, Maho, Marigot and Grand Case cheaply, taxis cover the rest at fixed zone fares, and the guided tours on our tours page string the highlights together for you. Driving times, bus routes and taxi rules are in getting here & around.

For the neighbouring islands

Take your passport. Anguilla is the easiest and best for beaches; St Barths is the most glamorous and has the roughest crossing; Saba is for walkers and divers and needs the most planning. Each page explains the ferries, the flights and what is realistic in a day.

Plan your island days

Two countries, 37 beaches, one booking tab

A half-day loop of both sides, a catamaran to Anguilla, a sunset sail or the world’s steepest zipline — compare tours with cruise-port and hotel pickup and book in a couple of taps.