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Saint Martin / Sint Maarten
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Photo by Dr. Thomas Liptak, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Best time to visit Saint Martin / Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten · The Caribbean

All twelve months scored on daily temperature, rainfall, humidity and holiday crowding.

The year in Saint Martin / Sint Maarten

Tap a month for its page

  1. Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in January: good
  2. Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in February: good, busy
  3. Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in March: good
  4. Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in April: sweet spot
  5. Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in May: sweet spot
  6. Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in June: sweet spot
  7. Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in July: sweet spot
  8. Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in August: sweet spot
  9. Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in September: good
  10. Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in October: good
  11. Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in November: good
  12. Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in December: good
  • Sweet spot
  • Good
  • OK
  • Avoid
  • Busy
Good for
Go in Apr–Aug — these months score within a whisker of each other; 28C max, 2 rainy days. Sep is the next best.

Dry season: Nov–Aug, 6 or fewer rainy days a month.

Things to do in Saint Martin / Sint Maarten

  • Maho Beach Beach on the Dutch side of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin
  • Pic Paradis Mountain in France
  • Fort Louis A French fort built in the 18th century overlooking Marigot on the French side.
  • St. Martin of Tours' Church, Sint Maarten Church in Sint Maarten, Netherlands
  • Cove Bay Costal bay in Saba, the Caribbean Netherlands
  • Mary Star of the Sea Church, Grand Case Church located in Saint-Martin, in France
  • Mary Star of the Sea Church Church in Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten, Kingdom of the Netherlands

Tours and tickets in Saint Martin / Sint Maarten

Each site opens on its own search: choose your dates there. A few open on their home page, where you type the place too. Links marked Ad pay us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you; most pay nothing, and what a site pays never decides whether it is listed or where. How we rank

Sights and their lines from Wikivoyage (Saint Martin), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata; in order of how often each one's Wikipedia article was read on phones in the last 12 months.

Month by month

No fare history for this route yet, so this ranking is climate and crowds only — the price column will fill in as the scanner collects.

MonthMax °CRain days HumiditySun h/day VerdictWhy
Jan 26° 1d 74% 10.8h good 26C max, 1 rainy day
Feb 26° 2d 74% 10.8h goodbusy busier than usual
Mar 26° 1d 74% 11.4h good 26C max, 1 rainy day
Apr 26° 3d 76% 11.7h sweet spot 26C max, 3 rainy days
May 27° 3d 78% 11.7h sweet spot 27C max, 3 rainy days
Jun 28° 2d 78% 11.9h sweet spot 28C max, 2 rainy days
Jul 28° 3d 79% 11.9h sweet spot 28C max, 3 rainy days
Aug 29° 4d 79% 11.5h sweet spot 29C max, 4 rainy days
Sep 29° 7d 78% 11.1h good 29C max, 7 rainy days
Oct 29° 7d 77% 10.6h good 29C max, 7 rainy days
Nov 28° 6d 76% 10.2h good 28C max, 6 rainy days
Dec 27° 2d 74% 10.4h good 27C max, 2 rainy days

Rain days are the days with at least 1 mm of rain, as a weather station counts them.

Weather read at Philipsburg, 7 km from the airport (SXM): ten years of ERA5 and ERA5-Land reanalysis, through Open-Meteo's open data.

A busy month is a crowded one, not a bad one — usually it is crowded because the weather is good. It is flagged rather than scored down, and crowds alone never make a month “avoid”: that is reserved for weather worth skipping.

How busy it gets

Busiest in February; quietest in May.

Then and now

Saint Martin / Sint Maarten's October days now average 28.5°C, 1.3°C warmer than in 1981–1990. 12 of 12 months are clearly warmer.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1981–9025.2°24.9°24.9°25.5°26.4°27.1°27.4°27.6°27.7°27.3°26.6°25.7°
2017–2626.1°25.8°25.9°26.2°27.1°27.9°28.3°28.6°28.8°28.5°27.8°26.9°
Change+1.0°+1.0°+0.9°+0.7°+0.7°+0.9°+0.9°+1.0°+1.2°+1.3°+1.1°+1.2°

The average daily high, month by month, for the nearest ERA5 grid cell. Bold is a clear change; grey is within the ordinary spread between years. Every destination, ranked.

Getting there

How far Saint Martin / Sint Maarten is, and what it costs, depends on where you set off from — the months above do not.

Before you go

Cost of livingmoderate — prices run about 76% of the United States' (World Bank, 2025)
CurrencyCaribbean guilder
LanguagesDutch, English
DrivingOn the right
Calling code+1721
Travel advice No advice against travel — UK Foreign Office, updated 2025-12-10
HealthUK Foreign Office health advice

Facts from Wikidata (CC0), the UK Foreign Office (Open Government Licence) and the World Bank, refreshed 2026-10-08. The advisory is written for British travellers; entry rules depend on your passport.

Being there

On arrival

  • Paying — The Dutch side's currency is the Caribbean guilder (XCG) and the French side's the euro, but US dollars are accepted on both sides and used most on the Dutch side. Cards are taken in many places but not all, so carry some cash for small businesses, buses and taxis. Card and ATM fraud may occur: use ATMs inside a bank or in public places, and cover the keypad.
  • UPI, for visitors from India — Not accepted for paying here; bring a card that works abroad.
  • Tipping — Some restaurants add about 15% to the bill as a service charge, which counts as the tip, so check the bill before tipping again.

Getting around Saint Martin / Sint Maarten

There is no bus from Princess Juliana airport (SXM): taxis wait outside, at fixed fares set by the government by zone and paid in cash (US dollars taken), for one or two people US$20 to Philipsburg and US$15 to Simpson Bay, with 25% more from 10pm to 6am and on public holidays. Public minibuses, with no timetable, run often between Philipsburg, Simpson Bay and Maho and serve most places on both sides of the island, for low fares paid in cash. By taxi, the Philipsburg cruise port and the Marigot ferry terminal, on the French side, are each about 20 to 30 minutes from the airport.

  • Apps — Maps: Google Maps, Apple Maps. There are no ride-hailing apps. Take a registered taxi, with TAXI on its number plate: taxis have no meters but fixed fares for standard routes, so agree the fare before setting off, as on the French side, where fares are negotiated.

There is an open border between the two sides of the island. However, ensure that you meet the visa requirements for each side of the island you wish to visit. More on Wikivoyage

From the Wikivoyage article on Saint Martin, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Help

  • Emergency — police and ambulance 911 · fire 919. The coastguard is on 913, and on the French side, Saint-Martin, dial 112 (or 15 for an ambulance, 17 for the police and 18 for fire).
    TravelCharika is not an emergency service: we cannot call for help or send anyone. Numbers can change; if one fails, ask someone local or your hotel.

Put together by hand from the sources listed, checked 8 October 2026. Apps, cards and rules change, so check before you rely on one.

Sources (13)

Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in pictures

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten (Dutch) the southern half of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin panoramio (7)
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MARELBU, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten (Dutch) the southern half of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin panoramio
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MARELBU, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What Saint Martin / Sint Maarten is like

Saint Martin is an island in the Caribbean that is split between the French collectivity of Saint-Martin and the Dutch country of Sint Maarten. Beauty abounds on the island, with bluffs overlooking pretty harbours, sandy-cliffed beaches and tranquil rocky coves where fish provide the beauty. More on Wikivoyage

Worth seeing
Simpson Bay Lagoon. The largest inland lagoon in the Caribbean, also known as The Great Pond, separated by the French-Dutch border. The waters of the lagoon feature a variety of underwater life and two small islands. More on Wikivoyage
Worth doing
Pic du Paradis, Route de Pic du Paradis from Friars Bay Beach. Pic du Paradis is the highest point on the island (1400 ft/427 m) with two viewing areas that provide great views. More on Wikivoyage
Getting in
General Entry Information: ED Card Since 2024, a St. Maarten Embarkation / Disembarkation card is requested to be filled in before arriving at Princess Juliana International Airport. More on Wikivoyage
Staying safe
Sun You can burn within a remarkably short time; use sunscreen or block frequently depending on how long you're exposed. More on Wikivoyage
Staying healthy
Pharmacies are denoted by a cross symbol, usually in neon, and there are hospitals with ambulance service on both sides of the island. Tap water comes from desalinization and is drinkable. More on Wikivoyage

From the Wikivoyage article on Saint Martin, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the full article has far more. The numbers above are measured; this is experience.

Around Saint Martin / Sint Maarten

Nearby

Kind of place

Saint Martin / Sint Maarten is in Sint Maarten, The Caribbean. Distances are great-circle, so a short one can still be a long way round.

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