Philipsburg

Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side of Sint Maarten, is a lively, colourful town squeezed onto a narrow sandy strip between the sweeping Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond. Its heart is Front Street, a bustling thoroughfare lined with colourful Dutch-Caribbean colonial buildings housing duty-free shops, jewellers, restaurants and bars, backed by a pleasant beachfront boardwalk along the bay. The remains of the seventeenth-century Fort Amsterdam guard the harbour, and a small museum tells the island's history. A major cruise port, Philipsburg buzzes with shopping and energy, especially on ship days, and offers an easy, colourful taste of the island.

What you actually see

• Front Street - the colourful shopping thoroughfare.
• The boardwalk and Great Bay - the beachfront promenade.
• Fort Amsterdam - the historic fort guarding the harbour.
• The duty-free shopping - the jewellers and duty-free shops.

When to go

December to April, the dry season, for the best weather; the town is busiest and its shops liveliest when cruise ships are in port, so an earlier or later visit is calmer. The Front Street shopping, boardwalk and Great Bay beach are easily explored on foot in a few hours.

Honest expectations

Philipsburg is a busy cruise port heavily geared to duty-free shopping, so its centre can be crowded and commercial on ship days, and its appeal is its colourful bustle, shopping and beachfront rather than tranquillity or major sights; the island was rebuilt after 2017's Hurricane Irma and its tourism scene is fully back, though a few scars remain. As a lively, colourful Dutch-Caribbean capital with its shopping street, boardwalk beach and historic fort, though, Philipsburg is an easy and characterful hub of the Dutch side.

Nearby

Maho Beach, the island's beaches and the French side are close by.