Fast Facts

Banks -- The two main banks, which both have ATMs, are in Gustavia. The Banque Francaise Commerciale, rue du General-de-Gaulle (tel. 590/27-65-88), is open Monday to Friday from 7:45am to 12:30pm and 1:35 to 4pm. The Banque Nationale de Paris, rue du Bord-de-Mer (tel. 590/27-63-70), is open Monday to Friday 8am to noon and 2 to 3:30pm, and closes at noon on Wednesday.

Currency -- Both euros and U.S. dollars are accepted currency. Under the current exchange, 1 euro equals US$1.30. Just before you leave home, you can check the current exchange rate on the Web at www.xe.com. Prices in this chapter are quoted in U.S. dollars and euros.

Documents -- U.S., British, and Canadian citizens need a passport to enter St. Barts. If you're flying in, you'll need to present your return or ongoing ticket.

Electricity -- The electricity is 220-volt AC (50 cycles); U.S.-made appliances will require adapter plugs and transformers.

Emergencies -- Dial tel. 17 for police or medical emergencies, tel. 18 for fire emergencies.

Hospital -- St. Barts is not the greatest place to find yourself in a medical emergency. Except for vacationing doctors escaping their own practices in other parts of the world, it has only seven resident doctors and about a dozen on-call specialists. The island's only hospital, with the only emergency facilities, is the Hôpital de Bruyn, rue Jean-Bart (tel. 590/27-60-35), about .4km (1/4 mile) north of Gustavia. Serious medical cases are often flown to St. Maarten, Martinique, Miami, or wherever the person or his/her family specifies.

Language -- The official language is French, but English is widely spoken.

Pharmacies -- The Pharmacie de Saint-Barth is on quai de la Republique, Gustavia (tel. 590/27-61-82). Its only competitor is the Pharmacie de l'Aeroport, adjacent to the airport (tel. 590/27-66-61). Both are open Monday through Saturday from 8am to 8pm; on Sunday, one or the other remains open for at least part of the day.

Safety -- Although crime is rare, it's wise to protect your valuables. Don't leave them unguarded on the beach or in parked cars, even if locked in the trunk.

Taxes -- You're assessed a $5 departure tax if you're heading for another French island. Otherwise, you'll pay $10. Taxes are included in your airline ticket.

Telephone -- St. Barts is linked to the Guadeloupe telephone system. To call St. Barts from the United States, dial 011 (the international access code), then 590 (the country code for Guadeloupe), then 590 again, and finally the six-digit local number. To make a call within St. Barts, dial only the six-digit local number, and ignore the prefix 590. To reach an AT&T operator from anywhere on the island, dial tel. 0800-99-00-11. To reach MCI, dial tel. 0800-99-00-19, and to reach Sprint, dial tel. 0800-99-00-87.

Time -- When standard time is in effect in the United States and Canada, St. Barts is 1 hour ahead of the U.S. East Coast. When daylight saving time is in effect in the United States, clocks in New York and St. Barts show the same time.

Tipping -- Hotels usually add a service charge of 10% to 15%; always ask if this is included in the price you're quoted. Restaurants typically add a service charge, too. Taxi drivers expect a tip of 10% of the fare.

Water -- The water on St. Barts is generally safe to drink.

Weather -- The climate of St. Barts is ideal: dry with an average temperature of 72°F to 86°F (22°C-30°C).