St Barts ferries offer a world of convenience when traveling between the island and St Maarten. With an indisputable reputation for having one of the narrowest airstrips in the world, St Barts doesn’t exactly have a good rapport with anyone even slightly scared of flying. There’s also the fact that no airline can fly direct to St Barts airport with the exception of popular inter-island flights from three main Caribbean-based gateways. So if connecting to your final destination by plane doesn’t sound all that appealing, a St Barts ferries will do just the trick.

The Voyager Ferry to St Barts is the most popular way to get to the island via ferry. The ferry is super convenient because of its extensive schedule offering a ferry to St Barts several times a day on every day of the week. The Voyager Ferry to St Barts makes at least three trips each day departing from Oyster Pond on St Maarten’s Dutch side to Marigot Bay in St Barts, which is on the northeast side. The Voyager Ferry to St Barts is one of the most enjoyable cruises offering great views of both islands upon departure and arrival. From Gustavia to St Maarten the ferry takes about an hour and a half, but only a short 40 minutes from Oyster Pond to St Barts.

More than 1 million people board the Voyager Ferry since its inception in 1995, many to St Barts for vacations while others travel to St Maarten and the island of Saba. The Voyager is one of few St Barts ferries that is a high-speed vessel. Both the Voyager I and the Voyager II are modern with large sundecks ideal for whale watching. Voyager I typically makes the trip from Oyster Pond to Gustavia. Voyager II leave Marigot Harbor and arrives at St Barts every morning and again in the evening.

St Barts Map

A full staff is onboard serving complimentary drinks and snacks. Inside, seating is plush and the large windows offer great views. Each vessel isn’t just a ferry to St Barts and back. They are also available for private charters such as offshore dining, airport transfers, island tours to Saba, Nevis, and St Kitts, and for simple connections to nearby islands.

Aside from the Voyager Ferry to St Barts, there are a couple of additional options to choose between when needing a ferry during holidays. The Rapid Explorer is a fast, 67-foot boat referred to as a hyrdrofoil. It’s as high tech as it gets, is extremely luxurious inside and out, and makes the trip either way in about 45 minutes from Gustavia to Bobby’s Marina in St Maarten. Daily service is available on this air-conditioned ferry where video entertainment, drinks, and snacks are included.

The Great Bay Express and the Caribbean Express Ferry are two alternative options for St Barts ferries. Both offer ferries with upper sundecks, lower, open-air covered decks, and several convenient onboard services. The Great Bay Express departs from Bobby’s Marina in St Maarten making the trip to Gustavia in about 50 minutes. There is a morning and afternoon departure time for both ports daily and an added early-morning ferry to St Barts several days per week. Most ferries carry anywhere from 100 to 150 passengers comfortably and offer both one-way and return tickets that vary in price and are sometimes included in vacation packages.