St. Barths is not the easiest place to get to (which by most is considered a good thing). Here are a few tips and companies that will make planning the trip easier. Historically, the most common way to get to St. Barths (SBH) is to fly first to the Dutch side of St. Maarten (SXM) and then take a prop plane for the short, ten minute flight to St. Barths. US Airways and American Airways, Delta, Jet Blue, United and Continental offer direct flights from the US. Air France, Corsair, Alitalia, & KLM have regular flights to St Martin from Europe.

A new option is to fly to San Juan and take a one hour charter flight directly to St. Barts. Tradewind Aviation offers a scheduled charter service which leaves San Juan (SJU) at 3:00 p.m. every day. The return flight leaves St. Barths at 12:00 p.m. Air Caraïbes also has several flights a week between San Juan and St. Barths via St. Martin. The airstrip in St. Barths is small, and pilots are required to have special training to land. For many, the landing, especially on a windy day, is an adventure in itself.

**One thing to remember -- planes do not fly to St. Barths at night (no lights at the airport!) so you have to arrive on St. Maarten in time to catch the last flight of the day at 4:50 p.m. or take the Voyager ferry.

St. Maarten to St. Barts

It is generally advisable to have paper tickets in hand before you arrive in St. Maarten. Here are the airlines that make the 10 minute flight from SXM to SBH:

• WinAir … 011-599-545-4237 Around $200 in high season… less in off season.
• Air Caribes -
• St. Barths Commuter… 011 590590 275454 (around $90 roundtrip/$50 one way) One flight a day SXM to SBH @ 3:30 PM & SBH to SXM @ 12:00 Noon.
•Charter Flights - Both Winair and St. Barths Commuter offer a charter service which is good for large groups or those with money to spare. A Winair charter is around $1500 roundtrip and can accommodate about 14 passengers. Also, check with the airlines before you book to see if anyone chartered a flight and still has extra room for your dates.

Ferry Service to St Barts

•The Voyager High Speed Ferry - the largest ferry departs the French side of St Martin (you fly into the Dutch side) which is a 20 minute cab ride from the airport. The Voyager ferry makes the boat trip to St. Barts a comfortable and fun experience. Voyager Ferry Website Phone: + (590) 87 10 68
•The Edge - a high speed ferry that leaves from the Pelican hotel 599-544-2640

Arriving in St. Barts by Private Boat

You'll arrive at the lovely Gustavia Harbor. Alert the port authorities at least an hour before your arrival on VHF channel 16. The Harbor office telephone number is
590590 276697.

Passport Requirements

A valid passport is now required to enter St. Barths (as opposed to a certified copy of a birth certificate and a photo id). This policy has been in place for some time (see State Department Information Sheet - FWI) but has only recently been enforced. A visa is not required for US citizens unless you plan to stay for more than 90 days. Not a US citizen? This is a handy site regarding visa requirements: Visa Information