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Philipsburg is the
capital of the Dutch
Sint Maarten island and
located on the southern
Caribbean side of this
two nation island. The
town occupies a narrow
strip of land between
Great Bay and Great Salt
Pond lagoon. Philipsburg
is the main cruise ship
dock on the island and
the entry point for most
visitors to both St
Maarten and it's
neighbour St Martin. |
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The town is actually
very attractive; if you
think most Caribbean
towns are a 'bit of a
dump', then think again!
Two narrow roads sweep
around Great Bay; Front
Street and Back Street.
Front Street in
particular is attractive
and lined with duty free
shops, mostly selling
jewellery. Front Street
opens out down many
alleys on to the long
white sandy beach and
has a boardwalk running
more than half it's
length linking up with
Bobby's Marina at the
eastern end of town. To
the west end there are
still some examples of
original Creole houses
which have not been
redeveloped. |
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Front
Street is filled with
duty free jewellery
stores |
The
Courthouse in
Philipsburg |
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The town, which has a
population of only
1,400, was founded in
1763 by John Philips who
was a Scotsman and a
captain in the Dutch
Navy. The best known
landmark is the
Courthouse which was
built in 1793; however
it was not always the
island's Courthouse and
has varied uses over the
years. It was built as
the home of John Philips
and has been a post
office, jail and fire
station in the past. |
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Visitors by cruise ship
can take a water taxi
from the cruise terminal
(around $6 return) to
the town pier in the
centre of Philipsburg.
Directly behind the pier
is Wathey Square which
leads to the Courthouse
and the Front Street
shopping area. Although
the official currency is
the Netherlands Antilles
Guilder, US dollars are
widely accepted in all
stores. |
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Wathey
Square |
Great Bay Beach |
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Interactive
Satellite Image
Use the "+" or
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The
St Maarten
authorities have
invested heavily in
Philipsburg in recent
years with a new cruise
terminal, a lot of
landscaping work around
the town and the removal
of cars from the Front
Street area. The result
is a very pleasant
Caribbean town to visit
and it's quite
impossible to get lost
in Philipsburg. |
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Travel, holiday, vacation and
cruise
guide to Sint Maarten and the Caribbean. All text and images are Copyright
Paradise Islands
org 2009 |
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Explore St Maarten
and St Martin |
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Airport Maho Beach |
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Things To Do |
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Cruise Port Guide |
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