Looking to travel somewhere warm all year round, packed with great nightlife, French culture, and incredible food? Nestled in the heart of the Caribbean lies the perfect destination for your next vacation. St. Barths is best known as a playground for the rich, but the allure extends far beyond the glamor of the island. St. Barths is packed with picturesque hiking scenery, charming streets in Gustavia, fabulous French pastries, and of course, beautiful turquoise waters. If you’re looking how to spend a holiday in St. Barths, be sure to check out my travel guide below!

St. Barths Travel Guide

This small island has so much to do for all types of travelers. When traveling to St. Barths, you’ll find scenic hiking trails, water sports, beach clubs, and noteworthy gastronomy. With so much to do and see, St. Barths is my all time favorite winter destination. Below is my complete St. Barths travel guide, including commonly asked questions, how to get to St. Barths, where to stay in St. Barths, the best things to do in St. Barths, and the best restaurants and beach clubs in St. Barths!

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St. Barths is short for Saint Barthélemy, and pronounced “Saint Barts”. St. Barths is a small island located in the French West Indies, just south east of St. Maritn. St. Barths has been an Overseas Collectivity of France since 2007, and the majority of the population working in St. Barths has moved from France. The native language is French, though almost everyone on the island knows English as well.

Is St. Barths safe to travel?

St. Barths is an incredibly safe island in the Caribbean, with essentially no crimes recorded. Because of this, St. Barths makes for a great place for female solo travel in the Caribbean!

Is St. Barths expensive?

St. Barths is known to be an expensive island in the Caribbean. While many of the hotels are expensive and there are upscale restaurants, it is still doable to travel to St. Barths on a budget. All of the beaches are free entry, there are Airbnb options for lower prices, and affordable restaurants. That being said, it is not a “cheap” budget destination.

What’s the best time to visit St. Barths?

St. Barths is an island that’s perfect to visit almost all year-round, with the exception of August through November. August and September are considered the worst of the months in St. Barth’s hurricane season, and many of the workers move back to France during this time. That being said, the best time to visit St. Barths considered to be April through June. I visited for 6 days during February, and experienced beautiful, mild temperatures in the mid 70s, with only one day of rain.

How do I get around St. Barths?

A car rental is a must when traveling to St. Barths to fully experience the island. Though the island is small and takes only about 20 minutes to reach the other side, there is no public transportation available. Taxis can be ordered, however, are quite expensive. To get the best island experience, I highly recommend reserving a convertible during your stay in St. Barths! Click here to reserve the best price on your car rental!

Wondering how to get to St. Barths? Unfortunately, there are no direct flights to Saint Barthélemy however, there are several different options of getting there! One option is to fly into San Juan and take a Tradewind flight from there, however, flights with Tradewind typically are over $800 roundtrip. The most popular option is to fly into St. Martin and from there, take either a flight or ferry ride to St. Barths. I flew from NYC to St. Martin with Delta Airlines, which is about a 4 hour flight. Once arriving in St. Martin, you have the option to take a flight or a ferry to St. Barths. The flights are only 15 minutes with about only 6 passengers on the plane. Flights to St. Barths are typically between $250 and $350 round trip. St. Barths is famous for having one of the shortest landing strips in the world, making for an adventurous flight!

The least expensive option to get to St. Barths is via ferry. The ferry gets a bad reputation for being rough, but it’s tolerable if you take Dramamine or antiemetics before. It’s about $150 round trip per person and takes 1 hour. The ride is less rough on the way back to St. Martin, and very scenic! Just keep in mind that whether you are leaving/arriving through Marigot or Philipsburg ports, you’ll need to take a taxi or a bus. There is a bus available from the Philipsburg ferry port back to the airport for $10 per person. The ferry can be booked online in advance here.

If you’re wondering where to stay in St. Barths, there are various options including villas, Airbnbs, and of course, hotels. If you’re planning to travel in a large group, a luxury villa is the best option. The villas on the island have a wide range of prices, with more affordable options if split amongst a group.

Another option of where to stay in St. Barths is a hotel, with Rosewood Le Guanahani being at the top of the list! This picturesque St. Barths resort is situated between Grand Cul-de-Sac and Marigot beaches. The property of this top St. Barths hotel is visually stunning, from its infinity pool to the beach front restaurants. My favorite part about this property is the privacy that it offers. The beach beds are spread along both beaches and the property is large enough that it allows some sense of seclusion. If you’re planning a honeymoon or couples trip to St. Barths, Rosewood Le Guanahani is a perfect destination!

I stayed in an Airbnb and had a perfect experience! Airbnb is one of the most affordable options for staying in St. Barths. The V Lodges Airbnb is conveniently located, just 5 minutes away from the beach and Gustavia. There are 4 separate Airbnbs available on the property, all beautiful, brand new buildings. The boho decor inside is so cute and all of the appliances are brand new. I loved having a kitchen and espresso machine to prepare breakfast in the morning while I enjoyed the sunshine!

Colombier Trail

Colombier trail is one of the best things to do in St. Barths! This hiking trail leads you to Colombier Beach, a beach that can only be accessed from the hiking trail or by boat. There are two ways in which you can access the trail. You can arrive at the Colombier Beach parking area where you’ll find signs for the trail. This trail is primarily through the woods and involves a lot of stairs. It brings you out to a beautiful looking point over the water, perfect to capture some pictures. Along this trail, you’ll come across goats, turtles, lizards, and hermit crabs!

The other option is by parking your car at the end of the road, D210 (where the Auberge de la Petite Anse hotel is located). This brings you to the start of the Colombier Beach Trail. This is a really scenic trail along the water which involves some climbing, but not to difficult. As you keep hiking the trail, you’ll eventually come across the Colombier beach. Both options are in and out routes, and not a loop. The Colombier hiking trail is definitely one of the best things to do in St. Barths, as the views are so scenic!

St. Jean Beach

St. Jean Beach is one of the best and most popular beaches in St. Barths! This beach is located adjacent to the St. Barths Airport, so you’ll get to see a bunch of planes flying right over the water. Speaking of the water, this beach is perfect for swimming. This beach has the most calm water on the island, and when I visited, there was no seaweed in sight. Along the beach, you’ll find the Eden Rock Hotel, Nao Beach Club, and Nikki Beach, some of the most popular beach clubs and restaurants on the island, perfect for grabbing lunch or renting a daybed.

Gustavia Lighthouse

Gustavia Lighthouse is the perfect place for picturesque views of Gustavia town. This also happens to be the best place to watch the sunset in St. Barths. Here, you’ll have unobstructed views of the sun setting over the water!

Shopping in Gustavia

St. Barths has great shopping, from local boutique shops to Dior. Shopping in St. Barths is a must, as the stores have so many unique pieces and the shops often tend to be a work of art themselves. Aside from the stores, there are also gelato shops and many waterfront restaurants to grab lunch, dinner, or a drink when in town. If it happens to rain during your stay in St. Barths, the best rainy day activity is shopping in Gustavia!

Snorkel with sea turtles

Anse de Petit-Cul-de-Sac is the best place in St. Barths to spot sea turtles! I was able to see a bunch from shore during my visit. Here, the water is crystal clear and calm for spotting some wild life. If you have snorkel gear, this is the perfect spot to use it since you’re likely to spot sea turtles! If you don’t snorkel, don’t worry, as you’ll still be able to spot them from shore.

Watch the sunset

As I mentioned before, the Gustavia Lighthouse is one of the best places to watch the sunset in St. Barths. Other great sunset spots include Shell Beach and Beefbar, located at Hôtel Barrière Le Carl Gustaf.

Water sports

If you’re looking for something active to do in St. Barths, one of the best activities is water sports! Located on St. Jean Beach, you’ll find several booths with endless options of water sport rentals. Some of them include Hobie Cats, kayaking, paddle boarding, jet skiing, and eFoil boards.

Spend the day at a beach club

St. Barts is where the party is at. One of the best things to do in St. Barths is to head to one of the popular beach clubs for a day of music, dancing, and great food by the water. Nikki Beach takes the lead as one of the most popular beach clubs, and most popular on Sundays. Sundays at Nikki Beach are huge parties and need to be reserved weeks to months in advance!

Grab some French pastries

Because St. Barths is a French island, there is no shortage of delicious French pastries. Among my favorite cafes is La Petite Colombe Bakery and Choisy Boulangerie-Patisserie. Both bakeries have delicious croissants and eclairs, a perfect start to a morning in the best island in the Caribbean.

Plage des Flamands

Plage des Flamands is a beach located in the Northern part of the island, close to Colombier. This beach made the list as one of the best things to do in St. Barths, as it is such a quaint and visually stunning beach. The waves here are a bit more rough than other beaches, but it still such a beautiful and peaceful place to admire the crystal blue water and relax.

Nikki Beach is known world wide for being an upscale beach club and restaurant with great music and even better food. Nikki Beach in St. Barth is located on St. Jean Beach, and the perfect place to spend your afternoon. “Nikki Sundays” is most popular, which is a huge party and needs to be reserved in advance. Nikki Beach St. Barth is also really nice during the week, just a more low key vibe where you can enjoy lunch or rent a daybed. Daybeds at Nikki Beach are 50 euro per person.

Nao Beach Club is one of the top beach clubs in St. Barths! It’s also located on St. Jean Beach. Nao has some of the best food on the island, with the lobster roll sushi being my absolute favorite! It’s so good that I came back here twice just for the lobster sushi. They also have delicious desert options and great cocktails. Nao Beach Club plays music all day, however, on Fridays around 3pm they have a DJ and a party atmosphere. You can also rent a daybed at Nao, for about 80 euro per person. This includes the bed and beach towel.

Beefbar is an absolute gem. This new restaurant can be found worldwide, and just made their debut recently in St. Barths. Beefbar is located in Hotel Barrière Le Carl Gustaf, right in Gustavia. As the title suggests, it is a beef forward restaurant serving top notch dishes like wagyu bolognese, Kobe beef bao buns, various cuts of imported aged steaks.

Aside from having the most incredible dinner in St. Barths, Beefbar has unmatched views! For a unique experience in St. Barths, I highly recommend booking a table for drinks at sunset. You’ll experience unobstructed sunset views with the stunning ambiance of the open air restaurant, all while having a hand crafted cocktail in hand. It makes for the most memorable night!

Bagatelle is another internationally known restaurant, best known for waiters and guests dancing on tables late in the evening. This is a super fun place to have dinner if you’re looking to party and dance among a fun crowd. If you’re hoping for a more quiet dinner, the party usually gets started around 10pm. Aside from the great vibes, the food and drinks are phenomenal, making it a top restaurant in St. Barths. Bagatelle also now serves lunch, which can be enjoyed outdoors overlooking the boats on the dock. Overall, the atmosphere at Bagatelle is really vibrant and should not be missed during your trip to St. Barths!

Romi is a new restaurant located in Tropical Hotel which serves Indonesian food. The restaurant is located outdoors in a covered space surrounded by tropical trees and plants, making for a really unique atmosphere. The dinner menu primarily consists of small plates to be shared. All of the dishes were really flavorful, and it was fun to try a bunch of different foods. My favorite was the crab tacos!

ITA is another new restaurant in St. Barths, located in Gustavia directly above L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. ITA is decorated with a “disco jungle” vibe, with disco balls and tropical plants lining the space. It is a really cool atmosphere and great for both dinner and drinks. ITA has a tapas style menu with Mexican and Peruvian flavors. This place is definitely worth booking for a trendy dinner with great tapas to share!

While this is a casual spot to grab some food in St. Barths, Buns must not be missed! Buns specializes in burgers, however, has a bunch of other items on the menu like salads and chicken tenders. This place has really flavorful burgers for a great price. I came twice during my stay in St. Barths because they were so good! Buns is a perfect place to get lunch, a casual dinner, or even take-out.

Rosewood Le Guanahani

As I mentioned earlier, Rosewood Le Guanahani is one of the very best resorts in St. Barths. If you’re not staying at the property, one great option is to get a day pass. A day pass at Rosewood includes a daybed with a towel and umbrella, a main course on the menu, and a desert from the Beach House restaurant, all for 95 euro per person. The beaches at Rosewood have calm waters for swimming, an infinity pool, and incredible food that can be enjoyed right on the beach.

Another unique thing about Rosewood is the on-property hike to the top of the peninsula. This short, mild hike brings you to a vantage point where you capture picturesque views of the hotel, Marigot Bay, and Grand Cul-de-Sac!

St. Barths Travel Guide

That’s all for my St. Barts vacation guide! St. Barths is the perfect travel destination whether you’re seeking a winter escape, couples retreat, or girls trip to the Caribbean. Aside from mega yachts and luxury shopping, St. Barths is known for its pristine beaches and unique terrane for hiking. St. Barths is the perfect Parisian inspired vacation destination to add to your travel bucket list!