St. Barts cruise port

Tender into Gustavia, lunch by the yachts, Shell Beach before the last boat.

St. Barts is a tender port and a small-ship port: Gustavia’s harbor cannot take anything much over 200 feet, so every cruise ship anchors off the red roofs and runs its own tenders to the quay in the middle of town, a ride of about 10 minutes. Most cruisers wander the French boutiques and harborside cafes, walk 10 minutes to Shell Beach, or taxi over the hill to St. Jean, where small planes skim the beach to land. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at St. Barts from every line, priced with taxes, fees and port expenses included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.

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Tender10 minutes to the Gustavia quay; small ships only

Eurodollars taken almost everywhere, prices are Paris prices

Dec to Aprdry, low 80s, yacht season

All inevery price includes taxes and fees

Start here

Three ways to do St. Barts

Gustavia on foot, a beach by taxi, or a whole yacht-style voyage built around the island; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.

Town and beach

Gustavia and Shell Beach on foot

Step off the tender into the harbor: Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Ligne St. Barth boutiques, the fish-scale rooftops, superyachts at the quay
Shell Beach (Grand Galet) is a 10 minute walk south of the tender dock, a sheltered cove paved with tiny shells and a beach restaurant
Climb to Fort Gustav for the harbor photo; the whole loop takes 3 hours with lunch

Best for: first-timers, shoppers, short calls, anyone who hates waiting for taxis

Beach day

St. Jean, Colombier or Gouverneur

St. Jean is 10 minutes over the hill (about 20 euros by taxi): Eden Rock, Nikki Beach and planes landing a few feet over the sand
Colombier is the island’s most beautiful beach and only reachable on foot (a 30 to 40 minute trail from Flamands) or by boat
Gouverneur and Saline are the wild, empty beaches on the south coast, about 25 to 35 euros each way; bring water and shade

Best for: couples, swimmers, photographers

Yacht style

Overnights and New Year’s in the harbor

SeaDream, Silversea, Windstar and Explora anchor off Gustavia for evening and overnight calls so you can dine ashore
Both SeaDream yachts spend New Year’s Eve in the harbor with the superyacht fireworks
Seven to 10 night San Juan and Miami round trips reach St. Barts after a sea day

Best for: anniversaries, foodies, repeat Caribbean cruisers

Live from the cruise lines

St. Barts cruises: SmartCruiser picks first

Every cruise that calls at St. Barts from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.

SmartCruiser picks

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Every cruise that calls at St. Barts

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Prices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.

Where you start

Home ports that sail to St. Barts

Pick a home port and the list above filters to cruises leaving from there.

San JuanSeaDream and the yacht-style lines run 7 night Leeward Islands loops from Puerto Rico with Gustavia overnights MiamiExplora Journeys, Crystal and other small luxury ships on 7 to 12 night Caribbean voyages that include St. Barts Fort LauderdaleSilversea and other luxury ships on 10 to 14 night Eastern and Southern Caribbean itineraries New YorkFall repositioning voyages from the Northeast down to the Caribbean that call at Gustavia on the way south

In port

Things to do in St. Barts

Gustavia is walkable; everything else needs one of the island’s roughly 30 taxis, so decide early and share a ride.

Gustavia harbor walkFree: the quay where the superyachts tie up, the Swedish-era streets, the Wall House museum and the designer boutiques (duty-free, but still expensive). Many shops close for lunch from noon to 2 pm, so shop first and eat second.

Shell Beach (Grand Galet)The town beach, 10 minutes on foot from the tender dock past the ferry pier: a small cove with calm water, millions of crushed shells underfoot and the Shellona beach restaurant. No chairs for free, so bring a towel.

St. Jean and the airport beachThe island’s busiest beach, 10 minutes by taxi (about 20 euros each way), with Eden Rock, Nikki Beach and the famous runway where small planes clear the hilltop and touch down beside the sand. Lunch at a beach club is the splurge of the day.

Colombier Beach hikeThe prettiest beach on St. Barts has no road: taxi to Flamands or Petite Anse, then a rocky 30 to 40 minute trail to a crescent of white sand with yachts moored offshore. Wear real shoes, carry water, and allow 3 hours door to door.

Gouverneur and Grande Saline beachesTwo long, undeveloped south-coast beaches with no bars and no shade, reached by taxi (about 25 to 35 euros each way) and a short walk over the dunes. Saline is clothing-optional at the far end; both have real waves in winter.

Fort Gustav and the lighthouseA 10 minute climb from the harbor to the ruins of the Swedish fort for the postcard view over the red roofs and the anchored ships. Free; go in the morning before the heat.

Boat tour of the islandCatamaran and speedboat trips from the harbor circle the island with snorkel stops at Colombier and lunch on board; ship-sold versions run about $150 to $250 per person. The best way to see the beaches you cannot drive to.

Island loop by taxiDrivers at the taxi rank offer 1 to 2 hour loops over the hills to Grand Cul-de-Sac, Lorient and St. Jean. Agree on the price before you get in, expect 60 to 100 euros for the car, and more on Sundays and holidays.

Pick your style

Which lines call at St. Barts?

Only small and yacht-style ships call here; nothing bigger than about 1,500 passengers tenders in, and most ships carry a few hundred.

      SeaDream Yacht ClubSeaDream I and II on 7 night San Juan and St. Thomas voyages with Gustavia overnights, including the New Year’s Eve anchorageSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      WindstarStar Pride and sisters on 7 night Leeward Islands sailings with late-evening Gustavia departuresSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      SilverseaSilver Shadow and fleet mates on winter Caribbean voyages from Fort Lauderdale and San JuanSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Explora JourneysExplora I, II and III on 7 to 11 night Caribbean journeys from Miami in the 2026-2027 seasonSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      CrystalCrystal Symphony on Caribbean voyages that call at Gustavia in November and JanuarySmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Atlas Ocean VoyagesWorld Navigator on yacht-style Caribbean expeditions with long days in portSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
    

Timing

When to go

St. Barts is warm all year, low to mid 80s with trade winds; December to April is dry and glamorous, summer is hotter and quieter, and hurricane season runs June to November with the greatest risk in September.

December to AprilHighs 81 to 85, cool nights, little rain and the calmest sea for tendering; the superyachts are in and so are the prices. Christmas and New Year’s are the social peak.

May to JuneMid 80s with short showers, far fewer visitors, beach clubs still open; the sweet spot for value and quiet beaches.

July to AugustUpper 80s and humid; the island is sleepy and many restaurants close for the French summer holiday, so check what is open.

September to NovemberThe rainy months and the peak of hurricane season; most ships stay away until November, when the sea settles and the season reopens.

Good to know

St. Barts questions we answer every day

Do cruise ships dock in St. Barts?

No. Gustavia’s harbor takes yachts up to about 200 feet, so every cruise ship anchors outside and tenders you to the quay in the center of town, about 10 minutes each way. The landing is right among the shops and cafes. Tenders can be bumpy on windy winter days, ships occasionally cancel the call in a strong swell, and the last tender is usually 30 minutes before sailing.

How do I get around and what do taxis cost?

Gustavia and Shell Beach are on foot. For everything else there are only about 30 licensed taxis on the island, at a rank beside the harbor; fares are regulated and posted (about 20 euros to St. Jean, 25 to 35 euros to Gouverneur or Saline, more on Sundays and holidays). There is no Uber. Agree on the price and a pickup time before you leave, or book a ship excursion if more than one ship is in.

Do I need euros, and what time is it in St. Barts?

The currency is the euro, but dollars are accepted almost everywhere and every shop and restaurant takes cards, so most cruisers never change money. French is the language and English is spoken everywhere tourists go. The island keeps Atlantic Standard Time year round, one hour ahead of the East Coast in winter and the same as Eastern Daylight Time in summer; your U.S. phone will roam on French networks, so check your plan.

Is St. Barts safe?

St. Barts is one of the safest islands in the Caribbean: French police, low crime, and a town built around people who leave their yachts open. The real risks are sunburn, winter surf on the south-coast beaches and missing the last tender. Keep valuables with you on the beach and do not swim at Gouverneur or Saline when the red flag is up.

What is the best excursion, and should I book it through the ship?

On a first visit, do Gustavia and Shell Beach on your own and spend your money on lunch. If you want Colombier or a swim at several beaches, the catamaran around the island is the one to book through the ship, because it leaves from the tender dock and the ship waits for it. Taxi beach days are fine on your own as long as you set the return time with the driver.

Do I need a passport for a cruise that stops in St. Barts?

St. Barts is part of France. On a round-trip cruise from a U.S. port, U.S. citizens may sail under the closed-loop rule with a government photo ID plus an original or certified birth certificate, but we recommend a passport: nearly every St. Barts cruise starts or ends in San Juan, Miami or Fort Lauderdale and visits several foreign islands, and flying home from one requires a passport.

Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?

Yes. Every price on SmartCruiser includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions, drinks and gratuities are extra.

Talk to a St. Barts cruise specialist

We know which yacht-style sailings overnight in Gustavia, which ones spend New Year’s Eve in the harbor, and which carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.

1-800-444-1560