Marigot St. Martin Guide

Marigot: The French Capital

Go on a market morning. On a quiet afternoon it is a pleasant town with not much happening.

What it is

The capital of the French side, on a bay facing Anguilla, with a harbour, a waterfront market, boutiques in the streets behind, and the ruins of Fort Louis on the hill above.

It is quieter and smaller-scale than Philipsburg, and considerably more pleasant to walk around. The shopping is French rather than duty-free — clothes, food, wine, and things you cannot get on the Dutch side.

The market

The reason to time your visit.

The waterfront market is much bigger on its main mornings — produce, spices, crafts and fabric spread along the harbour — and on those days it is genuinely one of the better mornings available on this island.

On an ordinary afternoon it is a few stalls and you will wonder what the fuss was. Ask us which day you are looking at; we will know.

Fort Louis

Above the town, reached by steps from behind the market. The fort itself is a ruin — a few walls and some cannon — and it takes ten minutes to look at.

The view is the point: Marigot bay below, the Simpson Bay lagoon behind, and Anguilla across the water on a clear day. It is the best view in town and it is free.

It is a real climb in the heat, and the steps are uneven in places. Worth it in the morning or late afternoon; less so at midday in sandals.

Eating

Considerably better than Philipsburg. The harbour and the streets behind it have very good French food — proper restaurants, bakeries, and cafés where lunch takes an hour and a half because that is how long lunch takes.

For dinner, Grand Case is twenty minutes further and is the better choice. For lunch, Marigot is excellent and much closer to everything else.

Practical things

The French side closes for lunch more than visitors expect. Some shops shut properly in the early afternoon and reopen later.

Parking on a market morning is genuinely difficult. It is the main argument for being dropped off.

Euros are official, dollars are accepted. Cards work almost everywhere.

There is no border formality getting here — no post, no checkpoint, no stamp. A sign at the roadside. See Dutch side or French side.

Getting there

Thirty minutes from the airport, 30 from the cruise port, 20 from Grand Case. The Simpson Bay bridge is on the route from the Dutch side and can add fifteen or twenty minutes.

The best day pairs Marigot in the morning with Grand Case for lunch. From a ship, see cruise port to Marigot.

The ferry to Anguilla

The public ferry to Anguilla leaves from Marigot, not from the airport — which catches people out regularly. See the Anguilla ferry.

Questions people actually ask

When is the Marigot market?

The waterfront market is substantially larger on its main mornings than the rest of the week. On those days it is one of the best mornings on the island; on a quiet afternoon it is a handful of stalls. Worth checking before you plan a day around it.

Do they take dollars in Marigot?

Almost everywhere, though the euro is the official currency and you will occasionally do slightly better paying in euros. Cards are widely accepted.

Is Fort Louis worth the climb?

If the weather is reasonable, yes — the view over the bay, the lagoon and across to Anguilla is the best in town. It is a proper set of steps in the heat and the surface is uneven, so not in sandals on a thirty-degree afternoon.

Marigot or Philipsburg?

Different towns. Marigot is French, quieter, prettier, with better food and boutique shopping. Philipsburg is duty-free jewellery and electronics with a beach boardwalk. If you only do one and you want a town to wander, Marigot.