⭐ Highlight
Saint-Jean Beach and the Airport Landing View
Turquoise bay on one side, small planes dropping over the hill onto the runway on the other.
Typical duration
150 min
Price
Free; beach club sunbeds from €40 (≈ $43)
From port
3 km / 1.9 mi
Transfer time
12 min
Indoor / Outdoor
outdoor
Queue risk
low
🕐 Best time to visit
Late morning, when arrivals from St Martin come in thick and fast
Saint-Jean is the island's other centre: a long turquoise bay split by a rocky point, with beach clubs, boutiques and Eden Rock along the sand. It is also where Gustaf III airport's single runway ends, so small planes come over the Col de la Tourmente and drop steeply onto the tarmac just behind the beach, which is the photo everyone takes home. Swimming is easy and the water is calm at the eastern end. Prices at the beach clubs are St Barts prices, but the beach and the plane-watching cost nothing.
Getting there from the port
Taxi from the rank at the ferry dock, about 12 minutes over the hill