Home > Philipsburg > St Maarten Shore Excursion: Island Sightseeing with Shopping
USD $45.00
St Maarten Shore Excursion: Island Sightseeing with Shopping
Philipsburg, Netherlands Antilles
This tour is all about St. Maarten's history, sightseeing, and shopping. There is no better way to experience this beautiful Island than on this 4-5 hour tour. Visit both the Dutch and French sides of the island, passing through several towns including Philipsburg, Indigo bay, Simpson Bay, Cole Bay Hill and the French capital Marigot. Enjoy shopping at the mall and flea market, sightseeing, walking around, snacking, and lunch. There is no swimming involved on this tour. You will head back to the ship at the end of this wonderful day.
Pass through Philipsburg and up to Divi Little Bay Hill where great views of Philipsburg can be seen. Your next stop will be overlooking Indigo Bay, Cole Bay and Simpson Bay. Then continue on to a 30-minute photo stop at Maho (Sunset) beach which ends where the runway of St. Maarten’s International Airport begins and where some of the largest commercial aircraft come in to land.
Continue on to Marigot for some local shopping and while there you may visit the West Indies Shopping Mall, the Local Creole Restaurants and don't forget, those fabulous French pastries at Sarafina’s. Next on to Harbor View Point overlooking Orient Beach, then cross through the border line to head back to Philipsburg where the talk of the town is shopping for approximately one hour. Finally with a wonderful day on the Island behind you, head back to the ship with lots of memories, shopping, laughter and plans on the next trip back to the island.
Our tour guide Paul was great! A local who had first hand knowledge of the devastation from the recent Hurricanes that hit the island. Heartbreaking to see and hear of what they have gone through. He was very informative though. Great tour.
Review by: kimhtex, June 2017
Great tour of St. Maarten. Exactly as advertised. Perfect for seeing the whole island in a short period of time. Plenty of time for souvenier shopping and having something to eat. Would absolutely recommend it.
Review by: Karan Chris P, April 2017
Paul, our guide, was very accommodating. He showed us many interesting areas around the island.
Review by: Karan Chris P, April 2017
Paul, our guide, was very accommodating. He showed us many interesting areas around the island.
Review by: Susan M, March 2017
Great guide and tour. Were able to go to both sides. Would rather have more time at Maho beach and less time in Marigot or Philipsburg. Maho beach was the most fun. Ate lobster in Marigot and was ok but nothing special at Rosemary's. Would take a pass on that.
Review by: kathygraham, March 2017
Wish I had taken a ship tour. Our guide Paul was bias against the French, something he should have kept to himself. We were told shipping at the ship was much better and cheaper than other the French section of the Island. Trouble is, he didn't get us back to the ship area in enough time to shop. We had to rush to make our all aboard time. _br/_ One couple on the group of 6 was constantly late after stops. Had it been impressed on them to be on time, we may have had more free time at the dock shopping. _br/_ Before departing for the tour, Paul was told to have us back by 2 pm. all aboard was 2:30 We got back at 2:20. In total, 4 of us sat in the van for 20 minutes waiting for 2 other travelers who couldn't have cared less as their ship all aboard wasn't till 5 pm.
Review by: Juliane H, February 2017
The tour was exactly as described. There were only 4 of us and the driver Roland gave us an experience we will never forget. We learned the history of the two nations and more. We loved the planes over Mahoney beach, the pastries at Sarahfinas apple tart is a must! Bring cash they don't take cards. and shopping in Philipsburg. Roland walked us a short distance into the heart of the town and gave us a time to meet back. We explored Philipsburg stopping at the Guavaberry Emporium where we sampled and bought this local liquor. We really got the flavor of this beautiful island thanx to this tour. We highly recommend this!
Review by: Ronald L, January 2017
Tour was good but not great. Driver/guide was OK.
Review by: Cathy T, January 2017
The information from Viator was the tour would begin 30 minutes after my cruise ship docked, not a specific time. We docked early and was able to get off ship early. When we arrived at meeting place the tour had already left because everyone else had arrived on a different ship an hour earlier. We were taken to join up with the tour. Coordinating tours with ships would have been nice. The tour guide/driver was nice but he did not speak loud enough for those of us in back of van to hear. He did not use a microphone. He also did not say much except point out trees. We did see the whole island. I don't think I would book with Viator again.
Review by: Sherri W, January 2017
I wish the van that had been used had been in better shape. The driver/guide was honked and passed by MANY cars and several of them yelled at us as they passed - that did not make me feel comfortable. The people doing the tour were very nice and pleasant. Our guide was in training , and will do better once she's more experienced. We expected a full tour of both sides and that is what we got.
Review by: Anne B, December 2016
Our driver Ronald was great. Saw the Dutch and French sides of the island. He showed us some amazing views. The stop where we got to feed iguanas was unexpected but a great experience. Loved our time at Orient Beach. It was what we imagined a Caribbean beach to be. The bar had swings for seats. Didn't realise we had to pay to sit on the sun lounges on the beach this is common in the Caribbean and found the local traders on the beach a little pushy. They offered foot massages, hair beading and souvenirs. Not very cheap either. Stopped for lunch at a restaurant that was quite slow and left us 10 minutes to look through the large market. Bit disappointing. Ronald was great but we were a little late back to the ship as he was a bit laid back and drove a little slower then we would have liked. Apart from the lack of shopping time, the tour showed off this beautiful island.
Review by: Rachele A M, December 2016
My ship came in later than the rest of the ships so the Diederick and his wife took my husband and myself on a private tour. We had such a great time. They showed us everything on the island. This is highly recommended.
Review by: Steven A, December 2016
Diederick SXM Tours did a great job of showing us both the Dutch and French sides of St Martin. Our driver Roland Lake took good care of us and made sure we had a full island experience.
Review by: John S, December 2016
This was a very informative tour. Rained on the French side but cleared on the Dutch side. Driver was interested in our safety and was courteous. Planes over Mahoney bay were incredible. Well worth the money.
Review by: Jessie C, November 2016
We had a tour with tour guide Paul and he was very knowledgeable about the whole history of the island and he took us to local points of interest that gave a really good overview of the entire island. We were able to shop and eat among the locals which we really enjoyed. We would highly recommend this tour._br/_ J. Cooper
Review by: Erica B, September 2016
St. Maarten was our first port of call. We booked this trip because of the excellent value and all that it had to feature--- by far and wide better than any selection on our trip! When we arrived the manager was there to greet us. After waiting just a few short minutes, our driver Duce arrived. My friend and I were the only two to book this excursion... we had the day and the van to ourselves! Duce was very knowledgeable about the areas and the history. He took us to all the landmarks promised and then some! He was an awesome sport taking the camera and snapping pictures. Memories we will treasure. Since it was just the two of us, we were able to direct how much time we wanted in each spot. For us, less on beaches and more time shopping. Duce took us to the approved shopping area, where he guided us to all the shops we had wanted to go. This was an awesome tour, given by an even awesomer gentleman. This was a hard act to follow trip excursion wise. If you are on the fence about this tour- DO IT! You won't regret it. Kudos to Viator for putting such an incredible, fun filled, history rich trip together and kuddos to the best tour guide Duce for making our first trip St. Maarten memorable.
Review by: Kelly G, July 2016
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and recommend this tour! Would have liked a little more time in Marigot and not as much at Maho Beach. We got to see both sides of the island and still had plenty of time to make it to the cruise ship. Deuce was a great guide.
Review by: Maev O, June 2016
We visited St. Maarten in May as part of a cruise tour was excellent. Our driver Paul was so well informed His knowledge of the island was very impressive. The scenery was beautiful and the market we went to was fun. I would recommend this tour especially if Paul was the guide.
Review by: mauimooners, May 2016
Great tour of Saint Maarten. Douce was our tour guide. He made our day in Saint Maarten very fun and informative. He knows a lot about the island and where to take people for a special day of touring. He is also a safe driver important to a mom when loading her kids into a tour van. It was easy to meet up right off the cruise ship close to the ship pier. Thank you!!
Review by: Ava C, May 2016
Awesome time! Views were breathtaking. Best tour guide ever...Paul. Paul was amazing, taking us to the most beautiful spots. We saw all the French side and the Dutch side. We toured the entire island. Thanks for a wonderful day! Jeff and Ava
Review by: Peter R, April 2016
This was the first time in 3 visits to St. Maarten that we actually had some real time to enjoy stops,. including Marigot. Our tour guide/driver was excellent.
Review by: Mar, April 2016
Fantastic tour of the island. Would definitely recommend this tour to my friends and family. Very informative. The tour guide knew his stuff and was funny as well. I would not hesitate to take this tour again. Thank you Viator.
Review by: Amanda D, April 2016
DEUCE YOU ROCK - Had the best experience on this tour that lasted over 6 hours. visited both sides of St Martin. Learned a lot, enjoyed the yummy food. DE UCE literally did all the work, wouldn't let us open the van door even. He was a pleasure to hang around. Thank you Deuce and we haven't forgotten to get you a Tim Duncan jersey! Hugs- Amanda and Jonathan from San Antonio-
Review by: bluetornado, April 2016
Diederick was our tour guide and he was wonderful. We toured both sides of the island and learned a lot about both sides. Diederick is a local who is very knowledgeable and showed us many wonderful places. We learned about the cuisine, foliage, history and much more. As two older women, we felt very safe and would definitely contact Diederick again if we find ourselves back in St. Maarten. We saw much more than the tours the cruise ship offered in a comfortable van.
Review by: Nigel H, February 2016
This was the best tour of our holiday. We were taken around the Island by Paul who was really informative and helpful. He tailored the tour specifically for us and our friends . Paul was a real character and great to talk with. We saw most of the island both Dutch and French , visited a hill fort and my friend achieved his aim of snorkelling in the Caribbean Sea! Go with this and ask for Paul!! Nigel and Sandra
Review by: 1957Sweet, January 2016
Excellent...the knowledge that they let you know as well as stopping in areas of interest and places to take beautiful pictures!
Review by: John P, December 2015
Our excursion was the Best tour we ever had. Deuce was our driver and tour guide. He had exceptional knowledge of St. Maarten history. He was accommodating to our questions and what we wanted to see. Deuce was courteous and made sure we were comfortable and safe getting in and out of the vehicle. When in St. Maarten take his tour. I will look to Viator to book all of my tours from now on!
Review by: Vanessa C, November 2015
This tour was good, had some great sights and you had time to browse the different places to shop. Recommemded, because you can see all the sights in a few hours, so if you're time poor like we were it's a good tour.
Review by: Maureen W, October 2015
Very happy to recommend this tour. Diederick from SXM tours was our driver, we met him as per the trip instructions in the EDC car park at the port - but you need to go left to the tour buses when you reach the car park to find the buses and drivers as they're away from where all the other tours meet their passengers. We had a fun and informative trip around both sides of the Island - have to say I prefer the Dutch side lol. We went to the beach and watched the planes come in over our heads, and visited several other places of historical interest with time to shop too. We found the trip to be very good value for money and had a great time with Diederick.
Review by: John B, August 2015
This was a great tour. There was only four total, us and the other couple we were travelling with, so it was like a private tour. Deuce was very informative and willing to accommodate our times spent at various stops. We only wish the stores were open on the French side on Sunday. Keep this in mind when booking. Dutch side was open and operating as normal.
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