Anguilla Ferry from St. Maarten

The Anguilla Ferry

The ferry does not leave from the airport. That single misunderstanding costs people their crossing more than anything else.

The mistake everyone makes

The Anguilla ferry does not leave from the airport, and it does not leave from Philipsburg.

The public ferry leaves from Marigot, on the French side, about 30 minutes from SXM and longer if the Simpson Bay bridge is open.

Private charters leave from points around Simpson Bay, 10 to 15 minutes from the airport, and are considerably quicker and more expensive.

If you have a flight and a ferry on the same day, the connection is the tight part of the journey. Tell us which service you booked, because the two departure points are half an hour apart and turning up at the wrong one is not recoverable.

The crossing

Twenty to twenty-five minutes from Marigot to Blowing Point. Short, and choppy when there is swell running.

There is immigration on both ends and it is slow when a full boat unloads. Allow thirty minutes at the terminal rather than fifteen, and bring your passport — Anguilla is a separate country and the formalities are real.

There are departure and arrival fees at both ends, paid at the terminal, generally in cash.

Why go

The beaches. Anguilla's are better than St. Maarten's, and it is not particularly close. Long, quiet, pale-sand beaches with far less development and far fewer people.

It is a flatter, drier, quieter island with excellent food and very little to do beyond eat and swim, which is precisely the point of it.

As a day trip

It works well. Morning crossing, a beach, a long lunch, back in the late afternoon.

Two things to plan for. The last sailing is earlier than people expect and the schedule thins in the evening — miss it and you are staying the night. And getting from Blowing Point to a beach is a taxi on the other side; Anguilla is bigger than it looks and the best beaches are not walkable from the ferry.

Coming back

The return leg is the one people underestimate. You land at Marigot in the early evening, tired, after a day in the sun, and start looking for a taxi.

We will be there. Give us the return sailing when you book. Ferries also run late fairly often, and a booked driver waits where a rank does not.

See ferry transfers.

The alternative

St. Barths is the other day trip by sea from here, and it is a different proposition — a harbour town and shopping rather than beaches. See St. Barths.

Questions people actually ask

Where does the Anguilla ferry leave from?

The public ferry leaves from Marigot on the French side, about 30 minutes from the airport. Private charters operate from points around Simpson Bay, much closer to the airport. Which you have booked decides where you need to be.

How long is the crossing?

Around 20 to 25 minutes on the public ferry from Marigot to Blowing Point. The charters are comparable. It is a short crossing but it can be choppy when there is swell.

Do I need my passport?

Yes. Anguilla is a separate jurisdiction with real immigration on both ends — quite unlike crossing between the French and Dutch sides of St. Maarten, where there is no formality at all.

Can I do Anguilla as a day trip?

Yes, and it is one of the best days available from here. Leave in the morning, come back late afternoon. The beaches are genuinely better than St. Maarten's, which is the reason to go.

Is there a departure tax?

Yes, there are departure and arrival fees on both sides, paid at the terminals. They are modest but they are cash, and they are not included in a ferry ticket bought online.