Visit Saint-Barthelemy: when to go, what to see and how to get there

Gustavia, the only town, is arranged around a harbour where the yachts line up. It keeps traces of the Swedish period, from 1785 to 1878: the Wall House, three forts and the clock tower. To the west, Shell Beach drops right off the centre, the fishing village of Corossol keeps latania-palm weaving alive, and Anse du Colombier, a former Rockefeller property, is reached only on foot in twenty minutes or by boat.

Saint-Jean beach borders the airport runway: planes skim the Col de la Tourmente hill to land, a show in itself, best watched from the Tom Beach end. Lorient, more of a family spot with a small seaside cemetery, suits morning surfing. The Grand Cul-de-Sac lagoon, closed by a reef, shelters green turtles and serves as a kitesurfing spot; the marine nature reserve protects several anchoring and diving zones there.

In the south, two beaches stay completely untouched: Grande Saline, behind former colonial salt pans and reached by a short walk over the dune, and Gouverneur, hemmed between two hills at the end of a steep road. No bar, no sunbed, no shade: you must bring water and an umbrella. A twenty-minute trail links the two over the hill, with a view of the neighbouring islands. Further east, the windward coast of Toiny, pounded by swell, is a renowned surf spot but dangerous for swimming.