St. Barts: Towns and Bays

Gustavia Located on the central western (Caribbean) coast, this picture-postcard harbor capital with its high-end shops and restaurants, is easily explored on foot; tiny Shell Beach, near town, is a favorite for sunsets.

Corossol This out of the way hamlet is filled with brightly hued wooden Creole cazes, seemingly unchanged in decades, and older women sitting in weathered doorways braiding lovely lantana straw handicrafts(you can haggle here, unlike in the shops). Locals still speak in Norman, Breton, or Poitou French dialects.

Colombier Northwest of Gustavia, this tiny, idyllic village brimming with bougainvillea and hibiscus can be reached by a vertiginous, steep road. The lookouts and promenades here are swooningly romantic; several little beaches are accessible only by hiking and are often patrolled solely by peacocks and mules.

St-Jean This is the closest thing to a resort town on St. Barts, thanks to its fabulous shops, fine restaurants, beach bars, and watersports concessions. Essentially just two parallel streets chock-a-block with mini-malls and eateries, it’s nonetheless an ideal spot to hunker down for beach access and activity.

Lorient The site of the first French settlement is another picture-perfect village, with two magnificent cemeteries, a 19th-century Catholic church, an adorable post office, and a reconstructed 17th-century Norman manor. The nearby beach is popular with locals and surfers.

Pointe Milou This prestigious point seduces with panoramic vistas and sumptuous villas. Unfortunately, there is no beach.

Grand Cul-de-Sac Another tourist playground, this area boasts broad swaths of beach surrounding a shallow, protected bay that is coveted by windsurfers. Several restaurants and hotels line the sand.

Valley of Grand Fond Near the rugged coast of Anse de Toiny, this impressive valley is home to locals who live in tile-roofed homes on stone-fenced farms.