St. Maarten Island Tour: Beaches, Forts & Duty-Free Shopping

Six Stops Across Two Countries in One Afternoon

You get picked up from your hotel and driven across both sides of St. Maarten in five hours, stopping at two lookout points, Maho Beach to watch planes land, Marigot's duty-free shops and French fort, Orient Bay beach, and downtown Philipsburg's jewelry district. The tour includes a cooler of free drinks, a cheese and rum tasting, and the option to be dropped back at your hotel or left in town to explore on your own.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Maho & Mullet Bay45m
2. Orient Bay Beach1h 15m

Complete island tour with key stops

• Photo stop at Harold Jack lookout
• Sample rum and buy ice cream
• Visit Maho Beach and village
• Shop and explore Marigot capital
• Hike to biggest fort and visit museum
• Relax and enjoy Orient Bay Beach
• Stop at Paradise View lookout
• Cross border to Dutch side slowly
• Shop and explore Philipsburg downtown
• Sample local rum at Guava berry Emporium
• Sample free cheese and buy souvenirs
• Return to cruise facility or drop off

The experience

The Harold Jack lookout point hits different when you're standing on Cole Bay hill and the Simpson Bay lagoon spreads out below you like someone tilted the whole island toward the sun. That's where this tour starts, not with a speech, but with the thing people actually want: a view that makes the camera work. From there, the stops are spaced about 25 minutes apart, which means you're moving but not rushing, and the driver narrates the island's history while you sip free drinks from the cooler. Six stops in five hours, crossing the border between the Dutch and French sides twice, which sounds tight until you realize the whole point is to see how both halves actually work.

Maho Beach is the one everyone's heard of: planes land so close you can feel the heat off the engines, and the tour builds in time to grab a rum punch and watch it happen. After that comes Marigot, the French capital, where the duty-free shopping is real: jewelry, Cuban cigars, local rum, spices, the kind of stuff that actually costs less here than anywhere else. There's a 100-step hike up to the biggest fort if you want it, or you can skip it and hit the French bakeries instead. Then Orient Bay, which has two sections (one clothed, one not), and the tour brings you to the clothed side where there are beach bars, restaurants, jet skis, parasailing: basically everything if you want to stay in the water, or nothing if you just want to sit. The cooler keeps coming with free sodas, water, beer, rum punch.

Paradise View lookout is the second photo stop, this time looking at the Atlantic forming waves into Orient Beach, with St. Barths in the background. Then you cross back into the Dutch side at the border monument (the guide explains the treaty while you shoot pictures of the flags), and finish in downtown Philipsburg, where the shopping streets (Front Street and Back Street) run parallel and supposedly have jewelry prices you won't find elsewhere. The Guava Berry Emporium is there too if you want to sample the local rum. You can either stay on the bus back to the cruise facility or get dropped in town and find your own way back: taxi, water taxi, or a 30-minute walk. There's also a bonus cheese and rum tasting stop worked in somewhere, and the whole thing runs in an air-conditioned vehicle with a professional guide.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel or cruise facility pickup, transportation in a fully air-conditioned vehicle with a professional guide, six stops across both the Dutch and French sides of the island, a cooler stocked with free cold drinks (water, sodas, beer, rum punch), a cheese and rum tasting, and drop-off back at your hotel or in downtown Philipsburg.

Options for this experience

2 options

Cruise ship guestsGuide in English · 09:00 and 10:00Start time: If the cruise ship's docking time doesn't allow for the 9am departure, we will set up a 10am start for the tour.

Best Island Tour of St. MaartenGuide in English · 09:00

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 09:00 and 10:00

AgesAdult (18 to 64 years) · Senior (65 and older) · Youth (14 to 17 years) · Child (6 to 13 years) · Infant (under 6)

GroupUp to 500

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 17 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfants must sit on laps

Operated by St. Maarten Presidential Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see both sides of St. Maarten without arranging your own transport or timing each stop: the fixed five-hour schedule and included pickup handle the logistics, leaving you free to focus on the views, the beaches, and the shopping.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (14 to 17 years); Child (6 to 13 years); Infant (under 6).

How long is the St. Maarten island tour?

Five hours total, with six main stops spaced roughly 25 minutes apart.

What's included in the tour?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, all six stops, an air-conditioned vehicle, a professional guide, free drinks (water, sodas, beer, rum punch), and a cheese and rum tasting.

Do we really watch planes land at Maho Beach?

Yes. Planes land and take off close enough that you can see them clearly while you're at the beach with a drink.

Is there time to swim at Orient Bay?

The tour includes beach time at Orient Bay, where you can swim, rent jet skis, parasail, or just relax. The exact amount of time depends on the day's schedule.

Can I skip the hike to the fort in Marigot?

Yes. The 100-step hike to the fort is optional. You can explore the French bakeries or shops instead.

Is shopping included in the price?

No. The tour takes you to the shopping areas in Marigot and Philipsburg, but purchases are separate.

What if I want to stay in Philipsburg instead of returning to my hotel?

You can ask the driver to drop you in downtown Philipsburg. You'll need to arrange your own way back to your hotel or ship (taxi, water taxi, or walk).

Is this tour suitable for cruise passengers?

Yes. The tour starts and ends at the cruise facility, and the itinerary is designed to fit a port day.