Visiting St. Barths soon? The gorgeous French-speaking island most popular among the rich and famous should definitely be on your bucket list!
If you read my most recent blog post about visiting St. Martin, I mention that if you have time, you should visit St. Barths or Anguilla because these are the surrounding islands that are quite close. So, of course, I took my advice and did a day trip to St. Barths 🙂
And it was well worth it!
WHERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
First things first, let’s book tickets to get there!
I would suggest you purchase tickets online, in advance which is available more than 24 hours before departure. You also have the option of paying in person on the day of departure but keep in mind that it could be booked to capacity.
Visit St. Martin bookings to purchase.
The ticket prices vary depending on if you want to travel economy, smart, or business class. Traveling economy gives you access to seating on the outside decks (upper and lower levels), traveling smart gives you the same as the economy and also includes priority check-in, and traveling business class gives you access to air-conditioned private cabins and wifi. All of the above options include a welcome punch drink.
We traveled economy, sat on the upper deck toward the back of the ferry, and got the BEST views 😉
The earliest departure time leaving from Marigot is 8:50 am and coming back from St. Barths at 5:30 pm
It takes about 1 hour to get there.
OK, you’ve booked your ticket, but DON’T FORGET YOUR PASSPORT! Speaking from personal experience, you don’t want to forget this since you are going to a completely different island. Also, take into consideration when your passport expires. Your passport shouldn’t expire for 3 months from the date of entry into St. Barths.
The Ferry Ride:
The ferry ride was very smooth at first, then as it started to go faster and the waves got bigger, it started getting a bit rocky. For the most part, it was an enjoyable, breezy ride which I am so grateful for because I’ve been on some nightmare ferry rides, like the ferry ride from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Isla de Culebra – where 98% of the passengers were seasick (I didn’t get sick but felt very queasy and uncomfortable from all the ‘commotion’ if you will). On a lighter note, the scenery was gorgeous especially on our way back to St. Martin watching the sun go down. After I got all my pictures in (lol), I wrapped up in my scarf and took a nap until we made it there.
WHAT TO DO:
You’ve made it to Gustavia, now what?
With St. Barths being only 10 sq miles, it’s totally possible for you to see it all in one day!
There are 22 beaches to choose from, duty-free shopping, kayaking, snorkeling, fishing, hiking, you name it!
Unfortunately, the day we went to Gustavia, which was on a Sunday, it was like a ghost town! Everywhere was closed, well a majority of the stores were closed, and only a select amount of restaurants were open *sigh* try not to make your day trip on a Sunday! We really didn’t have a choice since we landed in St. Martin on Saturday and left on Monday evening. Luckily we ventured down to Shell Beach, which is about a 10-minute walk from Gustavia Harbor.
Shell Beach:
Shell Beach has a ton of seashells that wash up on the shore, hence the name. It’s quite charming and tranquil I must say.
WHERE TO EAT:
Overlooking Shell Beach is a picturesque Greek restaurant called Shellona. We enjoyed our Mediterranean lunch while dancing and vibing to the oldies music the DJ was playing. This was the best part! And the atmosphere of the restaurant was so beautiful, it had an Ibiza/Mykonos vibe to it. Right next to the restaurant is a cute boutique shop as well.. oh and everything is pricey! But you already knew that.
Since almost everything was closed we just had a lazy beach day and it was so perfect!
Have you been to St. Barth’s? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for stopping by!
xoxo Tia ❤️
