Philipsburg is the capital of Dutch side St Maarten. It has won many accolades for its quality as Caribbean shopping mecca. The beach alongside its full length, Great Bay Beach, ranks amongst the most famous Caribbean beaches in the world.
In addition, the capital holds many monuments referring to culture and history of the island. Many landmarks are related to the salt economy in which the town played an important role.
Nowadays, next to a bustling capital, Philipsburg is a popular day trip for visitors from all over the world. These stay both in hotels in and around the city, or come for a one day St. Maarten cruise visit. Amongst cruise visitors, St Maarten has been voted many times as best appreciated port of the Caribbean.
If you are coming with your own car or rental from other parts of the island, keep in mind Philipsburg is an old town with narrow streets. Especially when cruise ships are in, it is recommended to park on dedicated parking spots.
Philipsburgs Emmaplein is the start and end for all St Maarten minivan bus lines, with the Maho line running along the St Maarten Airport. If you come by bus from the French side, you can either change lines in Marigot or in French Quarter.
When you arrive by cruise, Philipsburg is within walking distance (approximately ten minutes). You can also choose to take the ferries to town, or a taxi.
Philipsburg is also a central hub for ferries from and to to surrounding islands. Boats to Saba, Statia, St. Kitts and St Barths arrive and depart in Bobby’s Marina.
The city has an easy road grid to understand. The narrow stretch of sand it is built on runs for miles in between of Great Bay Beach and the Great Salt Pond. Philipsburg has three main parallel streets, famous for its combination of shopping, dining and the presence everywhere of Great Bay Beach, one of the largest St Maarten beaches and the only one in the world home to a capital. Along the beach runs the boardwalk, parallel to the boardwalk you find Front Street, Backstreet and the Pondfill respectively.
This mile of food and entertainment fun all the way from the Philipsburg Marina to scenic Walter Plantz square. Amongst others, you find well known beach clubs Big Bastards, Ocean Lounge, Seaview, St. Rose Arcade and The Pier along this stretch. All provide great cocktails, beach chairs and food – often in a package. They provide great bases to explore Great Bay Beach and the town.
If you are either a local, or a curious tourist visiting the Philipsburg Boardwalk, check out the live Philipsburg Boardwalk webcam! In conjunction with our partners of ShowMe Caribbean, Blue Bitch Bar and Taloula Mango’s , we show you a great 24 / 7 overview of the vibrant Boardwalk and Great Bay Beach where many tourists will come in every day!
Front Street is St Maarten’s shopping haven. It is instrumental to St Maarten’s many awards as a Caribbean shopping mecca. From clothing stores to jewelry to consumer electronics, the street has multiple stores that frequent St. Maarten visitors use for their special purchases – as do cruise visitors that have been here before.
Front Street has many famed jewelry houses, with a loyal following of customers from around the world. For various visitors that know the island, they postpone buying their necklaces, rings and watches until they reach Philipsburg. Around the courthouse, you find Ballerina’s, Diamonds International, Joe’s Jewelry, Oro Diamante and Majesty Jewelers. Towards the cruise port and the Emmaplein bus station, you will see Ama and Dazzling Gems.
There is many more stores to discover in Philipsburg. Boolchands has been assisting generations of St Maarten visitors with duty-free consumer electronics. Le Dutch is a great store for high-end, Dutch inspired souvenirs. If you want to get a feel of how cigars are made, visit La Casa Del Habano on picturesque Wathey square. The Amsterdam Cheese & Liquor Store has state of the art wines and cheese for sale as great souvenir from the island. While on a shopping spree, do not forget to pop by “Luciano’s” for home made island gelato.
Back Street is a street where many islanders go for daily errands and shopping. A cornucopia of clothing stores presents itself. It runs parallel to exclusive Front Street over its full length and allows for a great combination for bargain hunters to alternate between.
As it is part of the old town of Philipsburg, Back Street also contains monuments reminding of the past. Amongst others the Augusta Illidge or Brick Building and the French Caribbean style building along its road are amongst the oldest buildings of the city.
Old street is a small but well known St Maarten shopping street, connecting Philipsburg’s main shopping streets Front Street and Back Street in a perpendicular way near St. Rose Arcade. An old car in the middle of its shops and eateries is a famous and colorful St Maarten image (and selfie opportunity!).
Every Caribbean getaway has its hidden treasures. The Down Street area is a historical, quiet part of Philipsburg. Down Street with its authentic old wooden houses and quaint streets can be a great diversion from the lively east end of Philipsburg.
As a tribute to historic ways of building on St. Maarten, it has colorful Walter Plantz square on its seafront – an open air museum on its own merit. Its wooden houses built in traditional, colorful style give a great idea of times gone by. Walter Plantz’ square also offers bars and restaurants like the Pier for those looking to get off of Philipsburgs beaten track. The square can be easily found, as it marks the end of the Philipsburg boardwalk.
Pondfill or WJ Nisbeth Road is Philipsburg’s main traffic artery, in between of the capital and the Great Salt Pond that is of great importance in St Maarten’s history. It derives its name from the fact that the road was built during the last century on land gained from the salt pond. Along and surrounding this road you find entities like the St Maarten government, the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS), general electricity and water company GEBE and the St Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA).
The Pondfill is the only road on the entire island that has traffic lights (even though its official name here is Long Wall Road). Its landmark statues are Salt Pickers Monument and the Freedom Fighter monument (towards Oyster Pond and the AC Wathey Cruise Terminal).
Apart from a great parking spot to explore the town, the Philipsburg or Bobby’s Marina area in between of the cruise port and town has great spots to spend part of your Philipsburg day. In this Island Hopping hub Marina, you find restaurant Aziana – also open during lunch time. At Dock Maarten, popular local bar Grumpy’s and the Rusty Parrot Pirate Exhibition are worth a visit.
As a bustling seaside town, there is a great many ways how to spend your time in Philipsburg. Here are some types of activities to choose from, and suggestions for great excursions in and nearby “town”.
For visitors interested in St. Maarten history, Philipsburg is an almost obligatory part of your itinerary. It hosts a variety of
Caribbean history and heritage sites:
Visit the remnants of Fort Amsterdam, once overlooking the important salt trade to the town, now “safeguarding” the arrivals of cruise ships in the Philipsburg port. The Fort overlooks Philipsburg from its west end, on a peninsula. It can be freely visited via the entrance of Divi Little Bay Resort.
The Courthouse is not just a symbol in the St. Maarten Flag, but also a popular photo opportunity.
Right across on Wathey Square you find the Captain Hodge Pier, reminding of the times that most important shipping was done from this area. It has a monument remembering many victims of the then Netherlands Antilles in the second world war.
The small but lovely Heritage Museum has a souvenir store of locally made arts and crafts and historic maps of the island.
Visit the Underwater SXM snorkeling and scuba diving park, right behind Fort Amsterdam. Over 300 underwater sculptures depicting St Maarten history form a great way to get to know the island, its habits like carnival and last but not least – its underwater life!
Over the years, artists have created a large amount of Wall Paintings in the alleys of Philipsburg. The many murals tell stories of the past, nature and culture. Various tours offer a comprehensive overview of these pieces of art by local creatives.
Trisport offers Historical Philipsburg Bike Tours that provide insights into the towns past in an active manner.
Philipsburg is one of the very few national capitals in the world located on a beach. When coming from the cruise ship, it is prone to be the port of call closest to a beach on your itinerary. A good reason to make Philipsburgs Great Bay Beach your home for either a full or half day!
The boardwalk has many beach clubs to choose from, many having day passes and special packages on offer.
At SeaView, you can rent out a private Cabana with your own amenities and the only pool along the boardwalk.
For those looking for a more quiet beach, Little Bay is right behind Fort Amsterdam. You can also take day passes here that include beach chairs and water toys for kids.
If you are more of a thrillseeker on the beach, consider taking one of the Wave Runner Jetskis out on Little Bay!
For those who want to explore the seas around St Maarten during a Philipsburg day trip, you can! Many sailing adventures, catamaran tours and motorboat excursions depart from here. The waters of Philipsburg are surrounded with reefs at relatively shallow depth, shipwrecks and underwater nature reserves, allowing for great diving trips too.
Join a boat tour from next to the cruise port, and take a deep dive with Dive St. Maarten.
Take a sailing excursion from Bobby’s Marina with Eagle Tours like the Tropical Time tour: A 6-hour adventure including snorkeling, sailing, and relaxation.
Book a trip with motorship Santino to tour the island, dropping you also at uninhabited islands and beaches surrounding St Maarten & St Martin.
Deep-sea fishing trips also depart from the Philipsburg marina for those who like to organize their own catch of the day.
Sunset cruise packages from Philipsburg can also be embarked on, to see the amazing Caribbean sunset.
St. Maarten ranks high amongst kid-friendly island vacations. Its short distance to the cruise port makes port of call Philipsburg also one of the best cruise destinations for families. Some recommendations for family fun in Philipsburg, St. Maarten:
Take a pirate history tour at the Rusty Parrot! Enjoy the true history of the era of buccaneers during a unique visual experience.
Go and visit the Yoda Guy Movie Exhibit. It might not per se depict Caribbean history, but that of original inhabitants of a galaxy far far away, as one of the original Star Wars creatives moved to St. Maarten. It’s a small non-profit museum with a lot of movie (Starwars) history packed inside. Fun for parents too.
Especially smaller kids love cooling off in the fountains at Walter Plantz square.
Along the boardwalk, you find multiple playgrounds
Like all exotic beach destinations, Philipsburg has a great variety of hotels to choose from who want to make this Caribbean retreat their base of departure to explore the island. See for more information on SHTA member hotels Alicia’s Inn, Belair Beach Hotel, Divi Little Bay, Holland House Beach Hotel, Horizon View, L’ Esperance, Pasanggrahan Boutique Hotel and SeaView Hotel.
Whereas evenings in Philipsburg are quieter than the days, many restaurants remain open for hotel guests around the Walter Plantz, Philipsburg marina and Holland House area of the boardwalk.
Where to find Philipsburg on St Maarten / St Martin
Find the Philipsburg area on the map below!
Philipsburg was named after its first Commander John Philip(s), a Scotsman born in 1691 in Arbroth. As of 1721, he lived and worked as a merchant on several Caribbean islands until he settled down on Sint Maarten where he bought a plantation “Industry” in Cul-de-Sac and became a planter growing and cultivating sugar cane – an industry heavily dependent on slavery. He was appointed Commander of Dutch Sint Maarten by the West India Company in 1735, a position he held until 1746.
During his tenure, Fort Amsterdam was the seat of government. As the population increased, the need for a larger town became obvious and the sand ridge between the Great Bay and the salt pond was chosen in 1733. The new town named after Philip(s) was divided in Front street and Back Street with many alleys connecting both streets, the salt pond and the bay. Advantages of the new settlement were the short distances between the pond and the bay, making transportation of the reaped salt to the waiting schooners in the Great Bay more efficient while still close enough to Fort Amsterdam to be protected from enemies.
At first glance a bustling and urban area, beach paradise Philipsburg has many valuable nature locations within walking distance. For example:
Philipsburg is home to three of the five internationally designated Important Bird Areas on St. Maarten: Fort Amsterdam, the Fresh Pond and the Great Salt Pond. A fourth one, the Little Bay Pond area, can be reached by foot from Philipsburg as well.
The national bird, the Brown Pelican, can be easily found at the Fort Amsterdam area. It nests along the rocks, and continuously hunts for fish in the waters of Little Bay and Great Bay.
A brand new bird spectator platform is created near the Emancipation Statue Roundabout to enable visitors and residents to explore the many bird species in the Great Salt Pond. It also has signs explaining about the area.
Close to the cruise port, there is the Natural Pool Area, one of the best hiking trails near the ocean. Guided Tours are available to assist you in finding the way along the rugged Atlantic coast.
Rainforest Adventures Park at the outskirts of Philipsburg has a viewpoint over the green hills of the island, the surrounding islands, a museum and the steepest zipline in the world.
For veggies around the world visiting this Caribbean retreat, Ital Shack is a must. This “Ital” restaurant was visited by Bourdain and was voted 4th best restaurant of the Caribbean by USA Today readers. Why? Because everything is cultivated on the spot with the highest respect for nature.
The “Jamboree” of the Caribbean Multihull Challenge in February
Most events of the St Maarten Carnival in the Jocelyn Arndell Carnival Village
Historic scenes and remembrance of Emancipation Day
Buss Di Chains
New Year’s eve fireworks and celebrations
Sunny vacation spot Philipsburg is the bustling capital of country St Maarten, seat of government, home to many shops and businesses and confined on its south side by majestic Great Bay Beach. This means parking in lively Philipsburg during daytime can be challenging if you do not know where to go. Especially when on a day trip, we recommend to park
At the parking lots along Pondfill Road / WJ Nisbeth Road. This boulevard stretching along the full length of the inner city allows for many parking spaces between its north side and the Great Salt Pond. As Philipsburg is two miles long but narrow barely half a mile, you are always close to its famed shopping streets Front Street, Back Street, the Boardwalk and Great Bay Beach.
A paid parking lot is available at centrally located Clem Labega Square, in between of the Saltpickers Monument and the landmark Courthouse.
When enjoying a celebrated St Maarten sunset or exploring its many evening venues, you might want to keep the car even closer by to make your trip back from the boardwalk to the hotel even more comfortable after a cocktail (or two). Both its west end Walter Plantz Square and east end (Bobby’s Marina and Dock Maarten) have paid and guarded parking spaces.
As with any bustling capital in the world, we recommend not to leave valuable items in the car when exploring our magnificent “Town“.
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