Getting there & Getting around

Getting there

If you're already in the Caribbean, you can fly via prop-plane into French St Martin's tiny Espérance Airport from St Barts, Guadeloupe and Martinique. All other local and international flights arrive at Juliana Airport, a 15-minute drive away in Dutch Sint Maarten. You can fly here from Puerto Rico, Antigua, Guadeloupe and most of St Martin's other neighbouring islands. Air France and KLM offer flights from Paris and Amsterdam respectively, and you can also fly from Miami and New York in the USA.

Naturally, being in the Caribbean, there are plenty of sea options as well. Getting to and from other Eastern Caribbean islands is a cinch, with numerous daily ferries to and from Anguilla, daily catamarans to and from St Barts, and a ferry several times a week to and from Saba. Yachts can clear immigration at Marigot and moor at marinas in Marigot, Simpson Bay Lagoon, Oyster Pond and Anse Marcel. Cashed-up travellers can also arrive in style via a cruise ship; however, as the Dutch Philipsburg harbour facilities have been improved to handle up to four ships at a time, you are more likely to dock there than Marigot.

At Juliana Airport international air departures attract a tax, which is cheaper for passengers heading to the Netherlands Antilles. There are no taxes from Espérance Airport. Boat departure taxes are the same as for Juliana Airport.

Getting around

A taxi-ride from Espérance Airport or Dutch Juliana Airport to Marigot costs around 15.00. Once in town, taxis are available from a stand at the public market. Buses are a cheap way to get around between major towns. They run between Marigot and the Dutch capital Philipsburg from 06:00-24:00. Services also run to Grand Case and Orleans, and the Dutch Mullet and Simpson Bays. Beyond this, services are sketchy, so don't rely on buses to get you around the island. You can catch buses at the stops in Rue de Hollande in Marigot, but in rural areas you can flag them down anywhere along the route. Private minibuses also ply the major routes, running more frequently and charging according to distance.

Hiring a car or motorcycle is a good option for reaching destinations off the major bus routes, and you'll find hire outfits at both the French and Dutch airports. Driving is on the right-hand side of the road on both the French and Dutch parts of the island, and your home driver's licence is valid. Bicycles can be hired, but choose this option with caution - St Martin is hilly and isn't the easiest place to cycle around, especially in the heat.

Visa information

International flights arrive at Juliana Airport in Sint Maartin. If arriving at Juliana Airport (as you probably will): US and Canadian citizens can stay up to three months. Others need a valid passport. If entering on the French side: EU citizens need an official identity card, valid passport or French visitor card; after December 31, 2006, citizens of North America will require a valid passport. Before this date, US and Canadian citizens still need only an official birth certificate with a raised seal and a photo ID. Citizens of most other countries need both a valid passport and a visa for France.