Planning a Trip

Visitor Information

For information before you go, contact the French Government Tourist Office (tel. 202/659-7779; www.franceguide.com). There are offices at 444 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022 (tel. 212/745-0960); 9454 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 210, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 (tel. 310/271-6665); and 205 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 3770, Chicago, IL 60601 (tel. 312/327-0290).

On the island, go to the Office du Tourisme, in the commercial heart of Gustavia, adjacent to La Capitanerie (the Port Authority Headquarters), quai du Général-de-Gaulle (tel. 590/27-87-27; www.st-barths.com).

Getting There

By Plane -- Before you book your own airfare, consider a package deal -- it can save you a bundle!

The makeshift landing strip on St. Barts has been the butt of many jokes. It's short and accommodates only small aircraft; the biggest plane it can land is a 19-seater. And even on these small planes, landing on St. Barts has often been compared (and not favorably) to touching down on an aircraft carrier. No landings or departures are permitted after dark.

There are no nonstop flights from North America. From the United States, the principal gateways are St. Maarten, St. Thomas of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guadeloupe. At any of these islands, you can connect to St. Barts via interisland carriers.

From St. Maarten, your best bet is Windward Islands Airways International (known by everybody as Winair; tel. 866/466-0410 in the U.S. and Canada, or 590/27-61-01; www.fly-winair.com), which usually offers 22 to 27 daily flights to St. Barts. One-way passage costs 58€ to 72€ ($76-$93); flight duration is a mere 15 minutes.

Air Caraibes (tel. 877/772-1005 in the U.S. and Canada, or 590/82-64-51; www.aircaraibes.com) flights depart four or five times a day from Pointe-à-Pitre's Le Raizet Airport in Guadeloupe. One-way passage to St. Barts costs 139€ ($181); trip time is 45 minutes. The airline also flies 10 times a day from St. Martin, costing 71€ ($92) one-way.

Airline Advice -- Always reconfirm your return flight from St. Barts with your interisland airline. If you don't, your reservation will be canceled. Also, don't check your luggage all the way through to St. Barts, or you may not see it for a few days. Instead, check your bags to your gateway destination (whatever island you're connecting through, most often St. Maarten), and then take your luggage to your interisland carrier and recheck your bags to St. Barts.

By Boat -- The Voyager vessels (tel. 590/87-10-68; www.voyager-st-barths.com), which operate from a base in Gustavia harbor, make frequent (usually daily, sometimes twice a day) runs between St. Barts and either side of St. Maarten/St. Martin. The schedule varies according to the season and the whim of the proprietors, but the Voyager II (a catamaran with room for 154 passengers) usually departs Marigot Harbor for St. Barts every morning at 9:15am, arriving in Gustavia at 10:45am, and at 6:45pm, arriving at 8:15pm. Voyager I, a single-hulled sailboat with room for 117 passengers, travels from Oyster Pond to Gustavia Wednesday and Sunday at 9am and 6:45pm, arriving 45 minutes later in Gustavia. Both vessels charge 52€ ($68) round-trip on the same day or 71€ ($92) round-trip on different days, with a one-way passage going for 44€ ($57). Fares for children under 12 are reduced in half. Advance reservations are a good idea.

Getting Around

By Taxi -- Taxis meet all flights and are not very expensive, mostly because destinations aren't far from one another. Dial tel. 590/27-75-81 for taxi service. A typical rate, from the airport to Cul-de-Sac, is 22€ ($29). Night fares between 8pm and 6am are 50% higher. Taxi service must be arranged between midnight and 6am -- call ahead.

Virtually every cab driver is aware of the official prices that the island government imposes on tours by taxi. Many travelers simply approach a likely looking taxi driver and ask him to show them around. The official rates for one to three passengers are 42€ ($55) for 45 minutes, 46€ ($60) for 60 minutes, and 62€ ($81) for 90 minutes. For four or more passengers, add 8€ ($10) to each of the above-mentioned prices.

By Rental Car -- Nowhere will you see so many open-sided Mitsubishi Mini-Mokes and Suzuki Samurais as on St. Barts. You'll enjoy driving one, too, as long as you're handy with a stick shift and don't care about your coiffure.

Budget (tel. 800/472-3325 in the U.S., or 590/29-62-40; www.budget.com) offers the least stringent terms for its midwinter rentals, and some of the most favorable rates. It rents Suzuki Samurais for 62€ ($81) a day or 403€ ($524) a week, with unlimited mileage. A collision-damage waiver (CDW; in French, une assurance tous-risques), absolving renters of all but 500€ ($650) of responsibility in the event of an accident, costs 11€ ($14) a day. For the lowest rate, you should reserve at least 3 business days before your arrival.

Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131 in the U.S. and Canada; www.hertz.com) operates on St. Barts through a local dealership, Henry's Car Rental, with branches at the airport and in St-Jean (tel. 590/27-71-14). It offers open-sided Suzuki Samurais for 65€ ($85) a day, and more substantial Suzuki for 75€ to 90€ ($98-$117) per day. The CDW is about 10€ to 15€ ($13-$20) per day (with a 534€-840€/$694-$1,092 deductible).

At Avis (tel. 800/331-1212 in the U.S. and Canada, or 590/27-71-43; www.avis.com or www.avis-stbarth.com), you'll need to make a reservation a full month in advance during high season. In the winter, cars range from 57€ to 75€ ($74-$98) a day. In the off season, rentals are 43€ ($56) a day. The CDW costs 10€ to 14€ ($13-$18) extra per day (with a 500€-1,500€/$650-$1,950 deductible).

Driving is on the right. Never drive with less than half a tank of gas on St. Barts. There are only two gas stations on the island, and they're closed on Sunday and open only from 7:30am to noon and 2 to 7pm on other days of the week. (Remarkably, though, you can pay at the pump during business hours if you have a Visa card.) One gas station is near the airport; the other is near L'Orient. All valid foreign driver's licenses are honored. Warning: Honk your horn furiously while going around the island's blind corners to avoid having your fenders sideswiped.

By Motorbike & Scooter -- Denis Dufau operates two affiliates (tel. 590/27-54-83). A helmet is provided, and renters must leave an imprint of a valid credit card. Rental fees vary from 25€ to 35€ ($33-$46) per day, depending on the size of the bike. For all but the smallest models, presentation of a valid driver's license is required and you must be 21 or older.