Saint Barthélemy, commonly known as St. Barts, is a French overseas territory divided into 40 quartiers (Saint-Jean being one of them) and located between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the US Virgin Islands. This Caribbean island has a little over 9,961 people (as of 2017), most of which are Roman Catholics and Protestants.
Thanks to its tropical white sandy beaches, St. Barts is a holiday destination particularly famous among tourists during the Christmas and New Year season. Flamands Beach, Saline, Gouverneur, Lorient, Colombier, Grand Cul de Sac and St Jean Beach are among the most popular beaches on the island. Browse through the live streaming beach cams to choose your next vacation spot.
The capital and main town, Gustavia, was named after King Gustav III of Sweden, after the island was given to the Swedes by France, in 1784. Ninety-four years later, in 1878, Sweden sold the island back to the French. Gustavia features sophisticated restaurants, designer shops and historical landmarks, as the Wall House, which exhibits the legacy of the Swedish colonial era on the island, or Fort Gustav and Lighthouse.
If you are arriving to the capital by sea, you will dock in a harbour full of luxurious yachts. On the island’s north coast there is a small airport, Gustaf III Airport, used by charters and small regional commercial aircrafts. A typical international flight would land at Princess Juliana International Airport, on the neighbouring island of Sint Maarten.
