ST. BARTH - FRENCH WEST INDIES

Island Information, Beaches and Weather Forecast

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St. Barth (St. Barthélemy) airport code SBH

Gustaf III Airport also known as St. Barth Airport is a public use airport located in the village of St. Jean on the Caribbean island of St. Barth. Both the airport and the island's main town of Gustavia are named for King Gustav III of Sweden, under whom Sweden obtained the island from France in 1785 (it was sold back to France in 1878). The airport is served by small regional commercial aircraft and charters. Most visiting aircraft carry fewer than twenty passengers, such as the Twin Otter, a common sight around Saint Barth and throughout the northern West Indies. The short airstrip is at the base of a gentle slope ending directly on the beach. The arrival descent is extremely steep over the hilltop traffic circle and departing planes fly right over the heads of sunbathers (although small signs advise sunbathers not to lie directly at the end of the runway). 

St.Barth Map

SBH Map, click here

St Barth (St. Barthélemy)

There are two varieties of weather that result from St. Barts' location on the surface of the planet: the usual stuff and hurricanes.
Most of the year, puffy white clouds parade through a clear blue sky, and warm balmy breezes gently ruffle hair and sway palm fronds. It's a T-shirt, shorts and sandals kind of weather, interrupted now and then by a brief tropical shower. From July to November, however, this halcyon state of affairs may be interrupted by a revolving tropical storm, which, in its mature form, is known as a hurricane.

There are fourteen beaches on St. Barths, all blessed with gleaming white sand. Few are crowded, even in peak season. All are public and free. Nudism is ostensibly prohibited; topless is not unusual. For beaches with hotels, restaurants, and water sports, Grand Cul de Sac fits the bill, as does St. Jean, which is actually two beaches divided by the Eden Rock promontory. You can also see St.Jean Beach from our panoramic movie page. There is a smattering of hotels and restaurants at Flamands, a huge stretch of white sand fringed with lantier palms. The village of Corossol verges on a lovely beach that serves the practical purpose of a fishing port. The beaches at Marigot and Lorient are secluded and quiet, favored on Sundays by island families. Petit Cul de Sac is secluded, and usually very quiet; Toiny is wild and beautiful, not for the faint hearted. Gouverneur is serene; Saline is well worth the hike over the sand dune. Shell Beach can be reached on foot from Gustavia; Public, pronounced "poobleek", near the commercial pier, is fine for a quick dip. Hardest to get to is Colombier, reachable by boat from Gustavia or by a half- hour hike down a scenic path.

Facts and Figures