Welcome to St Maarten / St Martin, one of the most visited cruise ports of the Caribbean. More importantly, one of the most popular. The St Maarten cruise port has won many accolades by cruise sites and magazines as a great location for island excursions and shopping and beach days in Philipsburg.
Let us assist you with best things to do on your St. Maarten shore excursions!
If you are not sure yet what to do while in the St Maarten cruise port, just go for a walk, explore and indulge in the friendly St Maarten capital. The St Maarten cruise terminal is uniquely located close to the Dutch Side capital, Philipsburg. You can walk from the port to the town center in 10 minutes along the main road outside the port gates.
Philipsburg is easy to navigate. A lot of landmarks, attractions and restaurants are within walking distance from each other and the cruise port. The boardwalk, as well as parallel running Front Street, is dotted with restaurants and things to do. The two Mile main street Front Street runs parallel to the boardwalk, as does Back Street which is behind Front Street. Front Street, Back Street and Old Street are the core of St Maarten’s shopping haven.
Famous and picturesque locations in Philipsburg are the Courthouse as depicted in the national flag, Walter Plantz square with colorful local architecture and the many murals in town. If you like walking, consider to continue to historic Fort Amsterdam offering a great view of the cruise port.
Taxis from Cruise Port to Philipsburg are also abundantly available and cost $10 USD for one or two persons. For prices of all other destinations you would like to visit by taxi, see the national taxi tariff list.
If you prefer not to walk from the St Maarten cruise port to town, you can also take a ferry. Ferries take cruise passengers to either the Philipsburg Marina, Captain Hodge Pier or Walter Plantz Square jetties.
The Philipsburg Marina marks the beginning of town, as locals love to call Philipsburg informally. It also marks the start of the boardwalk. The boardwalk is approximately a mile and a half long so within walking distance range for most. The boardwalk, as well as parallel running Front Street, is dotted with restaurants and things to do. Go where the locals go, and have a bite at acclaimed Asian fusion restaurant “Aziana’s“ whilst watching the ships roll in in the harbor!
The Hodge Pier is on AC Wathey Square, the middle of Philipsburg. This can be considered the main city square and used to be the epicenter of the St Maarten Salt Trade. The square houses both the St Maarten flag icon of the Courthouse as well as the St Maarten parliament building. Great places to lunch here are Big Bastards, chic Ocean Lounge, Dutch Blond Beach Bar and Seaview Hotel.
When taking the ferry to Walter Plantz’. Enjoy some Dutch and Caribbean bites at the Pier with a great view over the beach. Walter Plantz’ Square offers a plethora of bars and restaurants for those looking to get off of Philipsburg’s beaten track. From vegetarian specialties to Dutch bitterballen and haring, this square amidst the historical Downstreet area is there for everyone. Walter Plantz square marks the end of the Philipsburg boardwalk. The square is also a great base to explore some Philipsburg murals.
See below map of the Philipsburg St Maarten cruise port with the walking route from the cruise port to Philipsburg, the three ferry jetties, landmarks and the Emmaplein bus station. It is made so you can save it to your cell phone whilst walking.
One day cruise visits give plenty of opportunity to enjoy our unique key strengths like our famed culinary offer, excursions on land and sailing and water excursions. St Maarten / St Martin may be well known as a binational and vibrant destination, with 37 square miles it is also very compact. That makes virtually any of our activities on offer within your reach during a one day stop. See below our tips for a great St Maarten shore excursions inside and departing from Philipsburg, on the beach, to get to Maho Beach for adventurous people and foodies. Contact your excursions provider how to reach your excursion easiest and where it starts.
If you are done walking and looking for shore excursions but wishing to remain close to the ship, here are some suggestions what to do in Philipsburg St Maarten on a cruise.
Philipsburg offers exciting adventures for young and old.
If you are not sure what to do in the St Maarten cruise port, consider to do a day of shopping. Bargain hunting is a very popular option in this port of call that made the Philipsburg St Maarten cruise port receive awards from CruiseCritic and Porthole Magazine is its reputation as Caribbean shopping mecca. It has been listed as one of the top St Maarten cruise port things to do.
St Maartens shopping reputation is partially because of its tax free status, leading to the presence of famed jeweler houses like Ballerina Jewelers, Joes Jewelers, Dazzling gems, Oro Diamanté and Diamonds International all situated near the court house. Some of these have visitors returning every year; many choose St Maarten as a cruise port to select a unique jewel for wedding, birthday or valentines occasions.
Additional fun shopping places are Le Dutch, serving Dutch delicacies and the Boolchands store, providing consumer electronics to cruise visitors for half a century. Amasterdam bar sells St Maarten Delft Blue pottery souvenirs as only location on island. Finalize your shopping spree at gelateria Lucianos that serves home made St Maarten ice cream.
St. Maarten allegedly holds the world record of restaurants per square mile. As culinary capital of the Caribbean, experiencing a sumptuous lunch is one of the best things to do In St. Maarten Cruise Port. As with the islands beaches, all St. Maarten restaurants are within reach within half an hour. Depending on your preferred cuisine, we have created a dedicated page for enjoying St. Maarten cuisines during your cruise visit.
St Maarten cruise excursions are not limited to the Philipsburg area. St Maarten / St Martin may be well known as a binational and vibrant destination, with 37 square miles it is also very compact. That makes virtually all shore excursions within your reach during a one day stop. Many St Maarten cruise excursions have easy connections or pick-up services from the cruise port and cater to have you back on the ship on time. Contact your excursions provider how to reach your excursion easiest and where it starts.
Some of the best St Maarten cruise excursions reviews go to the active adventures on offer.
> Rainforest Adventure Park offers the steepest zipline in the world, the Flying Dutchman. If that is too much for you, just take the Soualiga Sky Explorer chairlift and enjoy the view of five different Caribbean islands Anguilla, Saba, Statia, St. Barths, St. Kitts and Nevis as well as French side St. Martin. You can also purchase a full “Big 4” park access package.
> Just as adventurous are the active tours by Tri-Sport. These offer amongst others biking excursions like the “Two Countries One E-bike” excursion from the cruise port at St. Maarten and the Gem of St. Maarten e-bike tour.
> Then there is horseback riding near cruise port St. Maarten. Seaside Nature Park offers one of the best appraised St Maarten excursions for kids with a horseback ride along the seaside.
If you have not seen the sea enough and you are looking to do a boat tour when visiting St. Maarten by cruise ship, consider the Sand Dollar Half Day Trip that passes by the Maho Beach landings and reaches Creole Rock. If you want a “boat tour” all by yourself, a Kayak Lagoon Tour in Simpson bay might be a solution. Clearly, anyone going on the water needs a bathing suit and sunscreen.
Next to Philipsburg’s St. Maarten Heritage Museum and Fort Amsterdam opposite the cruise port, there is more to be learnt about St. Maarten history out there. Rainforest Adventure Park boasts the Emilio Wilson Museum, telling both about the site, slavery past and St. Maarten history in general. The Philipsburg Jocelyn Arndell Festival Village is worth a visit as grounds for major St. Maarten events. Free Amuseum Naturalis provides great information on island history, architecture and nature.
Cruise Ships dock in Philipsburg, Dutch side St. Maarten. Amongst the most popular French Side shore excursions for cruise visitors are having lunch in Grand Case and water sporting in Orient Bay.
St Maarten taxi rates from the cruise port to Orient Bay Beach average between $20 and $25 for one or two persons. This should go down if your group consists of more persons. It serves to agree on rates with the driver before you leave as this pertains an international ride and is not included in the national St. Maarten taxi fares system.
Are you transferring to or from the Cruise Port to Princess Juliana Airport ( SXM )? Taxis available at the cruise port can take you there; the same applies when coming from the airport. Take into account a 20 to 30 minute travel time. Buses depart to and from the airport from Emmaplein, a ten minute walk from the port.
With every itinerary, make sure you get back on the ship timely. Depending on business in the port, traffic can be a factor to keep an eye on. Please see this overview of arrival and departure times of cruise ships in the Philipsburg port of call. Read our cruise blog about the latest developments on our islands, and our activities blog to see what things to do!
Cruise ships coming in already have a breathtaking view over Philipsburg’s Great Bay Beach. Great Bay Beach is the nearest beach to the St Maarten cruise port and stretches all along Philipsburg. It has many beach clubs, bars and restaurants for cruise visitors like Big Bastards, Ocean Lounge, Seaview, The Pier and St. Rose Beach Bar. Big Bastards, Seaview and Ocean Lounge offer St Maarten cruise day passes including chairs and umbrella. Seaview also offers the unique opportunity of renting a Cabana for the day.
St Maarten is the only country in the world with a beachside capital. Like Philipsburg itself, Great Bay Beach is only a five to ten minute walk from the cruise port. No other cruise port along your itinerary will provide a beach so close, so you might as well want to grasp this opportunity! The distance between the St Maarten cruise port and Great Bay Beach is one mile or 1.5 kilometers, making it the closest beach for cruise ship visitors.
Behind Fort Amsterdam is Little Bay Beach. This gorgeous beach is the second nearest beach to the Philipsburg St Maarten cruise port. This beach is more tranquil than Great Bay Beach and is a famous location for snorkeling and spotting brown pelicans. Its Aqua Mania location offers Divi water fun & beach packages, snorkeling tours to the under sxm statue park, jetskis (wave runners) and other water fun options. Divi Little Bay Resort offers day passes including water and pool amenities. Little Bay Beach can not be reached by bus, but either by walking 40 minutes from the St Maarten cruise port or a 10 minute taxi ride.
With 87 square kilometers, St Maarten / St Martin is a compact island. That means that all island beaches are within day trip range and relatively near cruise port St Maarten either by tour, bus or taxi. See below specific information how to get to famous Maho Beach and Orient Bay Beach.
You can get from the Philipsburg St. Maarten cruise porto Maho Beach by island tour (make sure this stop is included in the itinerary), by taxi or bus. Minivan Buses from Emmaplein close to the cruise port to Maho Beach leave every ten to twenty minutes and take averagely 30 minutes to reach the beach. Emmaplein is a five to ten minutes walk from the cruise pier, at the start of Front Street. Ask the Bus driver when you reach Maho Beach, but you have probably spotted & Princess Juliana International Airport; well before. The St. Maarten airport terminal is slightly closer than Maho Beach with 11.5 kilometers from the cruise port. The St. Maarten taxi tariffs are set at a taxi cost from the St. Maarten cruise port to Maho Beach at $25 per person for one or two people and $9 when you are with three or five.
All ships dock in the AC Wathey Cruise Port in Philipsburg. The port is in the Point Blanche area right outside the capital.
As the Marigot cruise port lacks depth, only some very small cruise vessels enter once in a while via the French side St. Martin cruise port. French side or St. Martin cruise excursions can however also be done from the Philipsburg cruise port.
The deep waters of Great Bay allow cruise ships and mega yachts to dock close to Philipsburg. Walking to downtown Philipsburg from the St Maarten cruise terminal takes ten minutes.
The large Philipsburg St. Maarten cruise port has piers that can cater to six cruise ships at a time, including the largest in the world of the Genesis class. All major cruise liners in the world visit the St Maarten Cruise port dock, like Royal Caribbean Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Disney, MSC, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian, Windstar and many more. Whereas most of these cruises leave from Florida, various do homeporting from St Maarten and allow for a combination of exploring the region and a hotel stay resorts to visit St Maarten / St Martin. Many resorts are near to the cruise port.
Cruise ships visit the Philipsburg St. Maarten cruise port almost every day, with some more in the beginning in the week. In the weekend, homeporting cruise ships can be seen in the cruise port.
