Saint Barthélemy: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Saint Barthélemy feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 20 written places.
French Riviera polish on a tiny Caribbean rock; discreet, dressed-down chic rules.
✓ Considered polite
- Open every interaction with Bonjour - the island is emphatically French
- Book restaurants ahead in season - tables at the famous spots vanish weeks out
- Dress casual-chic for dinner - barefoot luxury still means a collared shirt
- Reserve a small car early - the island's tiny rental fleet sells out in high season
✗ Better avoided
- Tip on top of everything - service is included, a little extra cash is plenty
- Wear beachwear in Gustavia's shops and restaurants - cover up off the sand
- Point cameras at well-known faces - discretion is the island's unwritten code
- Skip the au revoir - leaving a shop silently is as rude as entering without a greeting
Worth knowing
- Euros are official but US dollars are accepted nearly everywhere
- Many shops close for a long lunch and much of Sunday
- Quite a few restaurants shut entirely for September and October
- Prices run well above mainland France - almost everything is imported
Plugs and voltage: not in Wikipedia's «Mains electricity by country» table - shown as for France, whose grid it uses; check locally.
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Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.