The most popular way: Fly to St Maarten, then get a flight to St Barts

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Our advice: book your flights on Expedia.com , from your hometown to St Barts.

Big planes cannot land in St Barts. The airport is too tiny. The good thing about it is that St Barts remains secluded and you will get all the privacy you need. The bad thing is that there is no direct flight from either the US or Europe.

The most common way to get to St Barts (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 Barts.

Several US carriers have direct flights to St Maarten: USAIR, Delta, Continental, American Airlines, and United Airlines. From Europe, Air France, Corsair and KLM are the carriers of choice.

When booking your flight, remember that you have to take another flight after getting to St Maarten. As planes do not land at night in St Barts, make sure that you have sufficient time to catch the last flight of the day at 4:50 p.m.

The best way to fly to St Barts is to travel with carry-on luggage only, to rush to the “In Transit Gate” once your plane has landed, and pray that you will have to spend as little time as possible at the dreaded St Maarten airport. Remember, go to the “In Transit Gate” and do not go through the lengthy customs line that is aimed at people staying in St Maarten. If you have to check luggage, there are certain airlines that will check all the way through to St Barts.

Make sure to buy your plane tickets from St Martin to St Barts before you arrive at the airport. To buy them on Expedia.com, you have to book first a flight from the US to St Maarten. You cannot buy just a ticket to St Maarten to St Barts on Expedia. On the other hand, it is better to buy everything at the same time, so you don’t have to worry about connections. The most popular carriers from St Maarten (SXM) to St Barts (SBH) are WinAir (aka Windward Island Airways), St Barths Commuter and La Caribeenne des Transports Aeriens (aka Air Guadeloupe).

Arriving in St Barts by public ferry:
After arriving in St Martin, you may choose to get to St Barts by public ferry. You will have to get a cab o reach the port. Expect 15 minutes (onboard of Rapid Explorer) to 40 minutes to reach St Martin from S Barts. Most of our guests tend to avoid ferries because they can add up some significant time to the whole trip length.

Arriving in St Barts by private boat:
Gustavia has a beautiful, small harbor. During the low season, you can call port authorities at least 1 hour before your arrival. During the high season, make sure to plan things very ahead. Call the Harbor Office at 0590 276 697 or e-mail port.de.gustavia@wanadoo.fr to get all the details you need.

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