Saint Barthélemy — officially dubbed as the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy, and often referred simply as St. Barts, St. Barths or St. Barth — is an overseas collectivity of France in the French West Indies, east of Puerto Rico, and southeast of Saint Martin. The island was part of the French colony of Guadeloupe in 1674 before being captured in 1744 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, then verted back to French control in 1764, but later traded to the Kingdom of Sweden in 1784, only to be sold back to France in 1878, which the island later became a separate collectivity from Guadeloupe in 2007. St. Barthélemy is known for its white-sand beaches and clear turquoise water, luxury tourism, yachts and upscale resorts, French-Caribbean culture and cuisine, warm tropical climate year-round and a relaxed atmosphere.
The capital of St. Barthélemy is Gustavia — named after King Gustav III of Sweden during Swedish control. The place is a picturesque harbour town, famous for its marina filled with sailing boats and yachts, red-roofed buildings, boutique shopping and restaurants, and historic forts overlooking the harbour. Today, Gustavia serves as the administrative, commercial, and tourism centre of the collectivity.
Tropical cyclones, hurricanes and associated marine inundation, particularly during the June to November hurricane season.
As a French overseas collectivity, St. Barthélemy shares the same road-traffic rules as of mainland France. Common offences include:
Fines can be reduced if payment is done within a certain period (15 – 30 days), but can also increase significantly if left unpaid after 45 days.
The official language of St. Barthélemy is French, but St. Barth Patois, Antillean Creole and English are also spoken.
Vehicles drive on the right-hand side of the road. The minimum age to drive is 18, while the minimum age to rent is 21, but most rental companies would apply a 'young driver' surcharge and vehicle restrictions to drivers under 25, along with some having a maximum rental age of 80. UK drivers don't generally need an International Driving Permit (IDP) as long as they have held a valid full UK photocard driving licence for at least 12 months, and they are over the minimum rental age. However, some rental companies may request an IDP from you, so check with the company about that.
Roads in Saint Barthélemy are often very narrow, steep, full of sharp bends, and slippery after rain, alongside tight parking and passing oncoming traffic. It is therefore that many tourists rent small, compact cars like Mini Coopers and Mini Mokes, especially automatic ones with good hill power. It is also advised to fold mirrors in on narrow streets, use your handbrake when parking on hills, be extra careful when driving at night because of limited lighting, and reserve rental cars early during high season (December – April).
There are mainly two petrol stations on the island; the St. Jean Station Service near the airport, and the Ti Bidon Station in Lorient. You will commonly see Sans Plomb 95 (unleaded petrol) and Gazole (diesel) in these stations, and with them may having both self-service automated pumps and attendants who would fill up for you. Both stations are only open during the day — usually Monday to Saturday, 7:30am to 12pm and 2:30pm to 7pm, but automated pumps are generally available 24/7.
Card is widely accepted, alongside cash, where chip-and-PIN may be required for automated pumps. However, fuel is expensive compared to mainland Europe because of importation. Even though the island is small — short distances meaning less fuel uses, steep roads and constant hill climbing can increase fuel consumption. So it is best to not let the tank run too low. Also, most rental companies require drivers to return the rental with the same fuel level from when they received it, so keep any fuel receipts if possible.
The legal limit is 0.05%; 0.02% for probationary licence holders.
Mandatory for all occupants.
Like with France, children under 10 years must be secured using an approved child safety/booster seat.
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