Anguilla To St Barts Ferry

St Barthelemy, written St Barts, sits about 21 square kilometres large in the northern Leeward Islands, and Anguilla is its near neighbour to the north west. The two islands are close on a map, which is exactly why the question comes up so often: people assume a ferry links them the way ferries link St Martin and St Barts. The short version is that the scheduled ferry routes to Gustavia all start one island over, on St Martin, and that the trip from Anguilla is a two leg journey. This guide from St Barthelemy Travel lays out the confirmed routes, the documents, the seasonal pattern and the options once you step off the boat in Gustavia.

Is There A Direct Ferry From Anguilla To St Barts?

No scheduled ferry runs directly between Anguilla and St Barts, and none appears on the operators' current routes. The two scheduled ferry services with confirmed operators to Gustavia are Great Bay Express from Philipsburg in Sint Maarten and Voyager from Marigot in St Martin, and both serve the St Martin to St Barts corridor only. Travellers starting in Anguilla therefore cross to St Martin first and continue from there by ferry or small plane.

The confusion is understandable. Anguilla and St Martin are linked by regular short crossings, and St Martin and St Barts are linked by the two ferries described in this guide, so the idea of a single boat running straight from Blowing Point or Sandy Ground to Gustavia feels plausible. The operators' own pages, however, show the scheduled services to Gustavia departing only from Bobby's Marina in Philipsburg on the Dutch side and from the Marigot terminal on the French side.

For planning purposes this means the Anguilla traveller has one decision to make: where to change islands. Both ferry terminals on St Martin are reachable from Anguilla, and the choice between Philipsburg and Marigot usually comes down to where your crossing from Anguilla lands and how you plan to move around St Martin. The island-hopping pattern is covered in more detail in St Barts island connections, and the reverse direction is covered in the Anguilla day trip from St Barts.

How Do You Get From Anguilla To St Barts?

The practical route runs Anguilla to St Martin, then St Martin to Gustavia, using either the ferry from Philipsburg or the ferry from Marigot, or a small turboprop flight from Princess Juliana or Grand Case instead of the boat. Great Bay Express covers Philipsburg to Gustavia in about 45 minutes; Voyager covers Marigot to Gustavia in about 50 to 60 minutes; and small scheduled and charter aircraft fly the last hop into Gustaf III Airport.

Two things shape the plan. The first is that St Barts has no jet airport: Gustaf III Airport, code SBH, has a 646 m runway served only by small STOL turboprops in daylight and visual conditions, so every arrival from outside the immediate region involves a transfer somewhere, and St Martin is the transfer point. The second is that the ferry and the flight complement each other rather than compete. In rough sea conditions the ferry crossing can be uncomfortable, and in poor visibility the small planes can be delayed, so having both in mind gives the itinerary resilience.

The air option from Anguilla itself exists in the charter and occasional-route layer: Anguilla Air Services appears among the smaller operators serving St Barts, and the scheduled network through St Martin is covered on the flights from Anguilla to St Barts page. The details of the airport, the famous approach over the Col de la Tourmente and the short runway are on the St Barts airport guide.

The comparison below sums up the legs. Note that the operators publish fares on their own booking systems, and they vary by season and by date.

If your trip is really a St Barts trip with Anguilla as the starting point, it is worth deciding early whether St Martin is a changeover or a stop. The St Maarten before or after St Barts question is a real one, and the answer changes where you book the ferry from.

Once you are committed to the crossing, the boat itself can be a highlight rather than a transfer. Three day trips listed here do exactly that, leaving from St Martin or Sint Maarten and giving St Barts the water-level arrival.

What Are The Ferry Options From St Martin To St Barts?

Two scheduled operators serve Gustavia from St Martin: Great Bay Express, departing Bobby's Marina in Philipsburg on the Dutch side, Sint Maarten, with a crossing of about 45 minutes, and Voyager, departing the Marigot ferry terminal on the French side, St Martin, with a crossing of about 50 to 60 minutes and two to three sailings a day in each direction. Both require a passport and neither promises a smooth crossing.

Great Bay Express suits travellers whose Anguilla to St Martin leg finishes on the Dutch side, since Philipsburg is the Dutch capital and Bobby's Marina sits on its waterfront. The operator asks passengers to arrive about 45 minutes before departure and closes check-in about 15 minutes before the boat leaves, so the buffer matters more than the timetable. Voyager suits travellers finishing on the French side: Marigot is the French capital of St Martin and its ferry terminal is the departure point.

The full route detail, including the seasonal pattern and what to expect at each terminal, is on the St Barts ferry operators and schedule page, and the connection between the airport and the ferry on the Dutch side is covered in SXM airport to the St Barts ferry. A note on a third operator: an Edge ferry from Oyster Pond has been mentioned in older guides, but it could not be confirmed on any operator page, so treat only the two services above as current.

What Documents Do You Need For The Ferry To St Barts?

A passport is required for the ferry between St Martin and St Barts, and the same document logic governs the Anguilla leg: St Barts is a French overseas collectivity that sits outside the Schengen area, so travellers should carry a valid passport and check their own government's travel advice for validity rules rather than relying on a single secondhand number. US citizens need a passport book, not a passport card, for air travel.

Entry to St Barts follows French overseas rules rather than Schengen systems, and ETIAS does not govern the territory. For US, UK, Canadian and EU citizens, short tourist stays of up to 90 days do not require a visa, and an onward ticket is needed. The entry rules in full, including the customs picture and the tourist tax collected by accommodations, are on the St Barts customs and entry pattern covered by this site's passport page.

One point matters for anyone stringing three territories together, Anguilla, Sint Maarten and St Martin, then St Barts: each leg is a separate border event in practice, even when the crossings feel like bus rides. Keep the passport accessible rather than packed deep in a bag, and keep the printed or digital confirmation for each ferry segment.

What Is The Crossing Like Between St Martin And St Barts?

The crossing between St Martin and Gustavia is a short open-water run, about 45 minutes from Philipsburg and about 50 to 60 minutes from Marigot, and sea conditions affect it: the operators run subject to weather, sailings can be adjusted or cancelled when the sea is rough, and no operator promises a calm trip. Seasickness remedies and timing choices are the standard precautions.

The channels around St Martin and St Barts are open to Atlantic swell on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other, and the direction of the swell matters more than the calendar. A crossing that is flat in the morning can be bouncy by afternoon. The practical advice is on the St Barts ferry seasickness page: sit toward the centre of the boat, take remedies before boarding rather than during, and keep the day plan flexible enough to shift to a later sailing or to the small-plane alternative if conditions are poor.

The arrival is the reward. The ferry enters Gustavia harbour past the anchored yachts and docks within a short walk of the town, and the harbour itself, its restaurants and its two forts are covered on the Gustavia harbor page. Arriving by sea also gives the view that the runway approach gives from the air: red roofs, green hills and the small scale of the place.

Can You Fly From Anguilla To St Barts Instead?

Yes, flying is a real alternative to the ferry: Anguilla Air Services appears among the operators serving St Barts, and the scheduled small-plane network runs from St Martin, with St Barth Commuter flying from SXM at Princess Juliana, from Grand Case and from Guadeloupe, and Tradewind flying from San Juan and Antigua. All flights land at Gustaf III Airport, SBH, on a 646 m runway that takes only small STOL turboprops in daylight.

The airport is the constraint that shapes everything. No jet lands on St Barts: the runway is short, operations are visual and daylight only, and the aircraft are types like the DHC-6 Twin Otter, the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan and the Pilatus PC-12. That is why every long-haul itinerary routes through a gateway, and St Martin is the nearest one to Anguilla. The flight from St Martin is a short hop, and the approach over the hill at Saint-Jean is famous enough that landing at St Barts airport has its own following.

For an Anguilla traveller the air route has two shapes. The first is a charter or occasional service from Anguilla itself, arranged with operators such as Anguilla Air Services. The second, and usually the simpler one, is to cross to St Martin and fly from there, which keeps the whole journey inside a single day and adds the landing experience. The comparison with the ferry is straightforward: the plane is faster and calmer in rough seas, the ferry is cheaper in most cases and docks in the middle of Gustavia.

When Is The Best Time To Make This Trip?

The peak months from December through April combine the most ferry sailings with the driest pattern in the climate normals, while the low season from May through October brings fewer sailings, the annual hotel and restaurant closures, and the Atlantic hurricane season from 1 June to 30 November with its peak from mid-August to mid-October. The sea is warm year round, about 26 C in winter to about 29 C from August to October.

The climate normals for St Barts, Meteo-France 1991-2020, show a mean daily high of 28.5 C in January rising to 31.7 C in September, with 891.3 mm of rain across the year and October the wettest month at 135.6 mm. February has the lowest monthly total at 38.4 mm. Read as a travel calendar, that means the Christmas to Easter window is the reliable one, the May and June shoulder is warm with moderate rain, and the autumn is the quiet stretch when the island partly closes and rebuilds for the next season.

Two seasonal facts sharpen the picture. The hotels and many restaurants close each autumn and reopen between mid-October and early November, so a late-October ferry arrival lands in a town still waking up, while a November arrival coincides with the Gourmet Festival. And if the goal is the per-person group sail, its 2027 listing window runs from 12 May to 31 August only; outside that window the water options are private charters priced per group.

What Can You Do Once You Arrive In St Barts?

Arriving by ferry puts you in Gustavia with the whole island reachable in a day: the public beaches from Saint-Jean to Colombier, the harbour and its two forts, the shops of the capital, and boat days along the coast to Ile Fourchue and the marine reserve, all from a dock in the middle of town. Every tour listed here departs from St Martin or Sint Maarten, so St Barts based exploring is self-guided or by private arrangement.

The marine reserve sets the tone for the water. The environment agency's regulatory-zones page lists a 5-knot speed limit in its zones, a ban on jet skis, 23 dive sites, no dogs on beaches and no touching of turtles, and those rules shape every boat day. The St Barts nature reserve page covers them in full. On land, all beaches are public, and the beach-hopping options run from Shell Beach within walking distance of Gustavia to Colombier at the end of its trail.

For a first visit built around a ferry arrival, three anchors work well: a morning in Gustavia, a beach afternoon on the coast, and a water day either before or after. The St Barts itinerary page sequences them, and the things to do in St Barts page is the full index. If the trip is short, the St Barts long weekend pattern fits a two ferry, two night shape.

If you would rather arrive the way the island intends, from the water, the private charter route from St Martin is the other way across:

And for the return planning, the reverse journey is covered in St Barts to Anguilla, and the wider money question of what a St Barts trip costs sits on the how much does St Barts cost page.

For anyone weighing a longer stay built around both islands, the water-based options below cover the full range, from the per-person group sail in its summer window to private charters priced per group and an overnight catamaran.

Common Questions About The Anguilla To St Barts Ferry

The Anguilla to St Barts trip is really a St Martin story: one short crossing, one choice of boat or plane, and an island that repays the effort the moment the harbour opens up in front of the ferry.