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Discover St Barthelemy by Hire Car

St. Barthelemy is an island of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, about 21 square kilometres in size.

It is a so-called Collectivité d'outre-mer of France, i.e. a French overseas territory with internal autonomy.

This island was discovered by Columbus in 1493, but it was not until the French settled the island from the middle of the 17th century.

History and present of St Barthelemy

In 1785, the French crown sold the island to Sweden. However, in 1877 it was bought back by the young French Republic. The Swedes also founded the capital Gustavia (In reference to the Swedish King Gustav). Most of St. Barthelemy’s nearly 7,000 inhabitants live in and around Gustavia.

Today, St. Barthelemy is a popular destination for seaside vacationers and water sports enthusiasts from France and the United States. However, tourists from other Western European countries are also increasingly flocking to St. Barthelemy to enjoy the beautiful typical Caribbean beaches and clean Caribbean waters.

St. Barthelemy is relatively easy to get to, as the island has its own small airport.

Leisure activities on St. Barthelemy

But besides the bathing beaches and the nice bars and restaurants, St. Barthelemy is also a very interesting place culturally.

In many places on the island, various buildings and squares are a reminder of the almost 100 years of rule by the Swedes, who made St. Barthelemy a free trade zone.The island can be explored very comfortably with a hire car rented locally.