Marigot Saint Martin

Cruise ships berth near the town centre. The pier takes only one medium-sized cruise ship at once, so some vessels use tenders instead.

Bring along a printable map.

Marigot, the capital of St Martin, feels French at heart but has a cosmopolitan Caribbean character. Traffic, shops and people fill an area only four streets wide, running along Marigot Bay. The harbour at the foot of Rue de la Republique is the focal point, with ferries leaving for neighbouring islands and fishing boats coming and going. Colonial buildings stand beside polished cafés, bistros, pastry shops and luxury boutiques, recalling a French market town.

A museum beside Marina Port la Royale at Marigot’s southern end preserves St Martin’s history and culture. Its collections include pre-Colombian finds excavated by the Hope Estate Archaeological Society, a recreation of a 1,500-year-old burial mound and ceramics from 550 BC. Black-and-white photographs also evoke the island before tourism, showing quiet streets with a few children and donkeys and labourers working in the salt industry.

Orient Beach, St Martin’s largest and best-known beach, has water-sport facilities, shops, restaurants and beach bars; its southern end is set aside as a nudist resort. Surfers favour Prune Beach, also called Plum Bay, while Rouge Beach is noted for snorkelling and is considered the island’s most beautiful. Long Beach, on the Dutch St Maarten border, offers little shade and usually no breeze, giving it a reputation as a hot spot.

Hurricane Irma also affected Le Galion Beach, where there are now no facilities.

Near the harbour at the town’s southern end, the main shopping centre has elegant tax-free stores selling current designer fashion and jewellery.

At the foot of Fort St Louis, along the wharves, Marigot’s open-air public market is held every Wednesday and Saturday. It is colourful rather than bargain-led, with home-grown produce, tropical fruits, spices, fresh fish, souvenirs, wood carvings and many other goods; the food is well worth trying. Opening time: Wednesday and Saturday 6am to 1pm.

On the Dutch side, the Netherlands Antilles Guilder or Florin (ANG) is used, with one guilder divided into 100 cents. US Dollars are widely accepted there and prices are commonly shown in both Dollars and Guilders. The French side uses the Euro (EUR), although US Dollars are also accepted. Both national sectors have many banks, bureaux de change and ATMs in their main towns, and travellers cheques and major credit cards are widely accepted.

Dutch and French are the official languages, while English is widely used. Residents also commonly speak Papiamento, which combines Portuguese, African, Spanish, Dutch and English.

On Sundays, the French side is entirely closed; stores on the Dutch side open at noon.