St Barth’s is highly known as the playground for the rich and famous, with a price tag to match. This stunning island, full of trendy beach clubs and high end luxury shops, is often overlooked by travellers simply because of the cost of accommodation. You will be hard pushed to find a hotel for less than €800 a night. But let me introduce you to how you can visit St Barths on a day trip from St Maarten, and it’s surprisingly easy.

There are two different ways to get there from St Maarten. You can either take a small puddle jumper flight into St Barths airport, which takes less than 10 minutes but can be expensive, and in some cases may require chartering a plane. If there’s a group of you, it obviously becomes much easier to split the cost. The other option is to take the ferry. There is the public Voyager ferry, which departs close to the SXM airport, or the Edge ferry, with tickets available through Aqua Mania Adventures.

If you choose the Edge ferry, a return ticket costs around $100. You’ll leave on the 9am ferry, arriving into St Barths at 9.45am, and return at 4pm, which leaves plenty of time to explore the island. A word of warning though, the sea crossing to St Barths is very rough. If you’re at all sensitive to motion sickness, I strongly recommend taking Dramamine or something similar at least an hour before departure. If you suffer badly from seasickness, I would honestly advise flying instead. Several people on my journey became very sick, and the staff said this is completely normal. There is a reason there are seasickness bags at every seat. Do not attempt this boat ride while hungover. You’ll need to arrive at Simpson Bay Marina and check in by 8.35am at the Aqua Mania tour desk.

Once you arrive into Gustavia Harbour in St Barths, you’ll go through passport control, which only takes a few minutes, and then you’re free to explore the island.

If you’re planning on doing any shopping while you’re here, I recommend doing that first. Most stores close for two to three hours during lunchtime, so if you leave it too late you may find yourself out of luck.

In terms of getting around the island, there are taxis waiting at the port, but as you can imagine, they are quite expensive. I highly recommend renting a car for the day instead. We used Alamo and paid just €35 for the entire day, which allowed us to explore the island at our own pace. Most car rental offices are located near the airport, so you’ll need to call them once you arrive at the port for a pickup. I didn’t realise this beforehand, but the friendly staff at the tourism information office kindly called the Alamo office for us, and they came to collect us and take us to the airport to pick up the car.

It only takes an hour or two to drive around the entire island, longer if you stop along the way, which makes it completely doable as a day trip. They drive on the right side of the road and follow French road laws. Most rental companies require drivers to be at least 18 years old. The majority of cars we saw were automatic, although there were a few manual options available.

Some of the beaches I recommend visiting during a day trip to St Barths are worth researching ahead of time, especially as some of the beaches on the island are clothing optional! My personal favourite was Gouverneur Beach, we spent a couple of hours here and saw maybe two people during our visit.

For lunch, I suggest visiting one of the many beach clubs on the island, most notably Gypsea, Nikki Beach, and The Pearl. At these beach clubs, you can also rent a lounger or cabana for the day if you feel like fully leaning into the St Barths experience. During our visit, we had lunch at The Pearl Beach Club and enjoyed a wonderful meal with drinks. As you’d expect, prices are fairly high, but not wildly different from cities like New York or London. Prices are listed in Euros, but US Dollars are widely accepted, and credit cards are accepted almost everywhere.

It’s worth noting that St Barth’s has a low season when around 90 percent of restaurants and beach clubs close, usually from the end of August until October. While visiting during this time means fewer crowds, it won’t offer the same experience as peak season. If there’s a specific restaurant or beach club you’re keen to visit, make sure to research ahead of time to confirm it will be open. I’ve found that checking their social media pages is the most reliable way to do this. Pearl Beach Club is one of the few places that reliably stays open year round, making it a great option if you’re visiting during the low season and still want a beach club experience.

If you’re feeling more active, there are also a couple of hikes you can do on the island. Just remember to bring proper footwear and plenty of water.

A day trip to St Barths is the perfect way to experience the island without having to spend a fortune on accommodation, and it makes for a fun and memorable day trip from St Martin. It’s also a great way to decide whether you’d want to return for a longer stay. Getting there from St Martin by ferry or small plane is one of the most convenient and affordable ways to visit the island.

Extra tips
– Remember to bring your passport, Dramamine if taking the ferry, sunscreen, water, and a hat
– Prices are in Euros, but US Dollars are widely accepted
– End of August through October is when many establishments close for the season, so plan accordingly
– The island is French owned, they drive on the right, and while French is spoken, English is widely understood

Ready to book a day trip to St Barths? You can get your Edge Ferry ticket through Aqua Mania Adventures.

Looking for more things to do in St Maarten? Read my full guide to the island here.

You can find out more about my stay on my “St Maarten” Highlights on Instagram @chase.the.rainbows.

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