Things to do in
Sint Maarten

Our most recommended things to do in Sint Maarten

St. Maarten Half-Day Tour of French & Dutch Sides

St. Maarten Half-Day Tour of French & Dutch Sides

Enjoy a 4.5-hour circular tour of the French and Dutch sides of St. Maarten (St.Martin), and experience a true Caribbean welcome. You will drive northeast to Dawn Beach and Oyster Bay, crossing one of the symbolic borders before stopping at Coralita Bay Natural Reserve for breathtaking views of the tropical wilderness. Next we head to one of the most stunning and popular beaches, Orient Beach where you can stroll along the pure white shore, swim or sunbathe, stretching out on the soft sand as you marvel at the turquoise water that sparkles in the tropical sunlight. Orient Beach has over 30 bars, restaurants and all the facilities to make you feel at home. Orient Beach lies next to a naturist resort and sometimes those guests may wander over to the clothing section of the beach. Now it’s time to shop in Marigot, the charming capital of St. Martin, where a lovely French atmosphere unfurls along colonial streets and the open-air bazaar. Next, explore the upscale area of Lowland, crossing another border back to the Dutch side to reach Maho Beach. Watch as the jumbo jets fly low over the sand to land at Princess Juliana International Airport. Your tour ends with a drive past Simpson Bay, stopping at Cole Bay Hill for one last picturesque view. If you wish, you can be dropped off in Philipsburg to explore on your own, instead of returning to the port.

St. Maarten: Orient and Maho Beaches Half-Day Tour

St. Maarten: Orient and Maho Beaches Half-Day Tour

Following pick-up from the cruise port at Philipsburg, transfer to Orient Beach to discover the longest beach in St. Maarten. Orient Beach boasts a wide range of beach bars and restaurants, all within easy reach of the sand. Take advantage of water sports facilities (own expense) such as jet skis, sailboats, paragliding and kids activities. Enjoy a refreshing dip in the pristine, clear blue waters. You will have 2 hours at Orient Beach before the transfer to Maho Beach. Arrive at Maho Beach at approximately midday, just in time to see the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 come into land at nearby Princess Juliana International Airport. The huge planes will fly just a few meters over the beach for a thrilling spectacle. With 2 hours at Maho Beach, you will automatically become a guest of the Sunset Beach Bar and Grill. Here you can enjoy a cocktail or tasty lunch (own expense). Listen to the live feed of the control tower communicating with the approaching aircraft. Sit back and relax and feel the cool breeze of the Caribbean Sea. Stroll along the pure white sand and get lost in the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks.  Then transfer back to your hotel or the cruise port, having achieved the official status of a St. Maarten beach bum!

St. Martin: 3-Hour Rhino Safari Excursion

St. Martin: 3-Hour Rhino Safari Excursion

A 4-time winner of the prestigious Tour of the Year award, Rhino Safari Excursions is a St. Martin original. Experience on-the-water excitement piloting your very own Rhino Rider on this 3-hour tour. These zippy 10-foot inflatable motorboats are yours to commannd for a thrill-of-a-lifetime ride on a vessel that’s safe, sturdy, reliable, and tons of fun! Unlike some other tours, you won’t be driving around in circles. Following your friendly guide, you'll cruise safely alongside mega-yacht marinas and boat anchorages before exiting Simpson Bay Lagoon to the French-side capital of Marigot. On the way to a snorkeling site, you'll admire the spectacular tropical coastline of St. Martin. Pass by the beautiful beaches of Galisbay, Friars Bay, Happy Bay, and Grand Case. Experience the breathtaking beauty of the best snorkeling site on the island, located within a protected marine reserve. Immerse yourself in the underwater world and meet its amazing inhabitants. Afterwards you’ll enjoy a complimentary drink in the dazzling Caribbean sunshine.

Edge Ferry Day-Trip to St Barts

Edge Ferry Day-Trip to St Barts

St Barts is aptly called "The Jewel of the Caribbean". Just 45 minutes from Pelican Marina with the "Edge" ferries. Depart at 9 am from Simpson bay marina to arrive in Gustavia Harbour, the hub of activity. Sidewalk cafes offer crepes and croissants for breakfast, car rentals meet the boat, the taxi stand is a few feet away, and boutiques are open for business. This exceptional island has white sandy beaches, good snorkeling, great restaurants and a unique shell museum. A day guaranteed to entertain with sights and delights. The taxi tours offer island sightseeing and a stop at St Jean Beach for shopping, beaching and lunch, and then return to Gustavia with a short time to spare for shopping before the ferry departs. Check in for the boat is at 3:45pm, for departure at 4pm. Arrival at Pelican at approximately 4:45pm. St. Barts also has some great scuba diving. Little pinnacles, reefs and wrecks are abundant with marine life and local dive shops are available. Dive trips can be arranged with St. Barts Plongee or Plongee Caraibes

Philipsburg: Extreme Plane Spotting at Maho Beach

Philipsburg: Extreme Plane Spotting at Maho Beach

Feel your adrenalin soar as you focus your camera on jumbo jets just feet above your head, coming in to land at the Princess Juliana International Airport. Experience five hours at the beach with some extreme plane spotting! Start out with a drive from the St. Maarten cruise port along the Great Salt Pond. Take in aerial views of the island from Cole Bay Hill. See the nearby islands of Saba, St. Eustatius, and Anguilla as well. When you arrive at Maho Beach, the Sunset Beach Bar & Grill has the flight arrivals listed on a surfboard so you don’t miss a landing. A live feed of the communication between the airport control tower and the arriving aircraft is aired as well.

Simpson Bay: Lambada Sunset Cruise of Sint Maarten

Simpson Bay: Lambada Sunset Cruise of Sint Maarten

Enjoy a perfect ending to a beautiful day in paradise on an evening cruise around the coastline of Sint Maarten. This coastal cruise on board the Lambada catamaran is truly spectacular and a tour that you will remember forever. Enjoy sightseeing as the Lambada sails from Pelican Marina on Simpson Bay up the coast to Long Bay, straight into the setting sun. Great music and an array of tasty snacks and drinks are provided for your enjoyment aboard the boat. Enjoy the spacious decks of the boat and relax on the nets set up on the front of the bow while the experienced crew provide excellent service and cater to your needs.

St.Maarten Top Ten Highlights Island Tour

St.Maarten Top Ten Highlights Island Tour

Welcome to paradise as we greet you like a celebrity with a welcome flower necklace and a red carpet walk to your vehicle. You will be driven in a fully air conditioned vehicle with a professionally trained tour guide to narrate the history of the island, a cooler will be onboard with free ice cold drinks (water, sodas, beers and our secret rum punch). The tours leaves the cruise facility at 9am or depending on what time your ship docks we will have a tour at 10am or 10:30am. Each stop is 25mins apart, the tour continues on the outskirts of the capital of the dutch side and heads through the eastern side driving through average class local residentials areas. During this drive you will get to see wild life and scenic sight. The tour crosses the border at oyster pond and makes its first stop at Corilita beach as a photo stop for 10mins. The tours leaves and within 10 mins we stop at the iguana stop for pictures with the iguanas for 5 minutes you can also feed or pet them, this stop is great for kids. The tour now drives through French Quarter you will see old houses since the 60's and some of the first churches on the island. Now get your cameras ready as we arrived at orient beach with a clothing optional section OooooWeeee. lots of restaurants and beach bars to choose from as you enjoy 1hr and 15minutes at this beach. After enjoying our crystal clear beach we now take a 25mins drive through grand case, la savan, rambou and enter the capital of the French Side Marigot. You will get 45minutes to browse the streets of marigot, you can choose to have local food, hike the biggest fort on the island For Louie, do some shopping or walk around and take pictures. lets ready for the main attraction of the island, the tour leaves Marigot and slows down by the border so the guests can take pictures of the 4flags that the island carries scream goede middag on 3 because we are now back on the dutch side as the tour crosses the bridge and reaches Maho beach for the best fun of your life. Watch planes land and take off from a safe distance or be brave and hold on to the fence and get sand blasted by the engine blast. This is what we locals do as fun. There is also a casino 10 steps away if you are feeling lucky. Sip on coladas, enjoy the beach and be entertained for 45mins. Now its time to cool off with some Rhum at Toppers. The tour leaves Maho beach and drives through Simpson Bay, take pictures of mega yachts and memorize some of the best names of restaurants as the tour reaches Toppers for a 10minute presentation where you can ask questions about their rum distillery and get a chance to sample their flavours and buy gifts, souvenirs and ice cream. After leaving toppers the tour drives to the top of cole bay hill for a 5minute photo stop then brings you back into philipsburg for the last stop at the Amsterdam cheese and liquor store where you will get to sample some of the best cheese and alcohol in the world all for free. The tour then ends where it began

St. Maarten: Full-Day Catamaran Sail to Prickly Pear Cays

St. Maarten: Full-Day Catamaran Sail to Prickly Pear Cays

Enhance your St. Maarten holiday with a full-day sail to the gorgeous and unspoiled islands of sun and sand – Prickly Pear. The Lambada has a long history of boat fun, family gatherings, and an outstanding crew. This is always a top-ranked excursion. Departing from Simpson Bay Resort, the Lambada sails down the coast of St. Maarten and across the Anguillan channel with a heading bound for Prickly Pear Cays. The 16-mile trip from St Maarten is about an hour and 45 minutes. After snorkeling the reefs at Prickly Pear, enjoy a tasty buffet of chicken and ribs served with tasty sides right on board the catamaran. Have a dip after lunch before we move onto the second stop of the day. On the way back to St Maarten, anchor off Mead's Bay for a refreshing swim before pulling up the sails for the trip back to Simpson Bay. During the nice leisurely sail back you’ll be treated to foot-tapping Caribbean rhythms and a tasty rum punch.

Sint Maarten: Luxury Catamaran Day Sail with Lunch & Drinks

Sint Maarten: Luxury Catamaran Day Sail with Lunch & Drinks

Spend the day aboard a luxury catamaran touring Sint Maarten’s coastline. Sail past gorgeous beaches and watch the planes taking off at Maho. Have fun in the water with kayaks, snorkels, and floating mats. Relax on the sunny deck with fine food and cold drinks. Set sail from Dock Maarten in the morning for a day of sunshine and sea. Snack on fresh fruit and cake and pause at one of the island’s picturesque beaches to dive into the refreshing Caribbean water. Continue to either Maho or Sunset Beach to watch the planes taking off and landing.  Enjoy a cold drink and lunch on the sunny deck. Get back in the sea to play on the floating mat, paddle a kayak and explore with a snorkel. End the luxurious day trip back at the dock.

Sand Dollar Half Day Snorkel Cruise St. Martin

Sand Dollar Half Day Snorkel Cruise St. Martin

Sand Dollar is a great half day trip offering sightseeing, snorkeling and swimming. Your captain, Shawn, is one of our most complimented staff members. The cruise takes guests through the lagoon, along our beautiful coastline and up to Creole Rock, off Grand Case. Creole Rock is a large rock formation with a reef extending out towards to the mainland, about a mile offshore. Waters are shallow and calm and provide excellent snorkeling. The boat picks up a mooring in a large sandy patch, in about 8' of water. A large cooler provides beers and sodas, and French baguette and Gouda cheese are served to hungry snorkelers. Guests should bring towels, hats and sun block, and have bathing suits on. Underwater cameras are sold in our boutique. Non swimmers are always welcome. The boat ride is enjoyable with great views of Anguilla from Creole Rock, and refreshments included on board. This trip is very popular in the afternoon at 2 pm for combo divers and snorkelers. Often a family member would like to accompany a diver and snorkel, Sand Dollar offers this opportunity. The site is a shallow one for divers, but the reef life is great with chances of seeing the rare frog fish, puffer fish, occasional barracuda and many different varieties of reef fish.

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What people are saying about Sint Maarten

Overall rating

4.6
(420 reviews)

The day with our guide was excellent! We were able to choose individually with him what we wanted to see and what was possible in which combination. He told us a lot of information about the island, the culture and the history. The viewpoints were breathtakingly beautiful. And the beach with the airport and the bar were a highlight for us. Feeding the giant eels was also very cool. If you want, you can also try the local cuisine; we opted for a cold local beer, which was really good. The time went by so quickly and I can definitely recommend this tour 😍 thank you again for this great day

Carlos form Secret Madeira tours was an excellent guide/driver. He explained about the history of Madeira and all the places we passed and visited on our self devised route . He went out of his way to ensure we saw all we wanted on our private tour and got us back to the cruise terminal on time.

Tour was good, unfortunately no information from the organizer that the tour had been postponed by 1 hour. But otherwise great and spectacular!

Nice trip, we had a great time. We visited two beaches. The driver was profesional. Complementary cold drinks in the car.

The snorkelling. Good group onthe trip, two guides and guests.