How do you get to the Caribbean, and where are the main departure bases?

Antigua, Saint Lucia, Grenada and Barbados are served non-stop from London, while Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint-Martin are reached on a direct flight from Paris. The remaining Caribbean islands usually call for a connection. Your gateway airport depends chiefly on your intended route: the Grenadines, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Islands each have their own entry point.

Some islands in the Antilles chain can even be reached without flying at all. Here the boat is the means of transport in its own right. On a bareboat charter, boarding at a well-connected base lets you reach the neighbouring islands by sea. Every passage becomes a leg of the cruise rather than a transfer.

Which airports serve the Antilles?

Flights from the UK

• London offers non-stop services to Antigua, Saint Lucia, Grenada and Barbados, which makes these islands the most straightforward starting points from Britain.
• For Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint-Martin, the usual routing is via Paris. Air France, Air Caraïbes and Corsair operate the long-haul legs from Paris-Orly and Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
• Saint-Martin Juliana now has a year-round direct service from Paris, in place since summer 2026. Air France flies from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Air Caraïbes from Paris-Orly, with up to two weekly rotations.
• Allow around 8 hr 30 min in the air from Paris to Guadeloupe and Martinique, slightly longer to Saint-Martin.
• Jet lag is mild: four hours behind the UK in winter, five in summer.

Flights from other European hubs

• Amsterdam has direct services to Saint-Martin.
• From Germany, Spain or Italy, travellers generally route through Paris, Amsterdam, London or Madrid.
• For the British Virgin Islands, the connection is usually made in San Juan (Puerto Rico), Saint Thomas or Antigua.

How do you travel between the islands?

By air

• Air Caraïbes runs the regional network from its Pointe-à-Pitre hub, with daily rotations to Martinique and Saint-Martin.
• Winair serves the northern end of the chain: Saba, Sint Eustatius, Anguilla and Saint Barthélemy.
• Air Inter Îles links Saint Barthélemy, Marie-Galante, Guadeloupe and Sint Maarten.
• Please note: Air Antilles was placed into liquidation and ceased trading with immediate effect on 27 April 2026. Its routes have not been taken over as they stood. For services between Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint-Martin, turn to Air Caraïbes. For the northern islands, Winair. For Saint Barthélemy and Marie-Galante, Air Inter Îles. Capacity has tightened, so book these sectors early.

By ferry

FRS Express des Îles operates the international route linking Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique and Saint Lucia.

Departures are from the Bergevin ferry terminal in Pointe-à-Pitre and from the inter-island terminal in Fort-de-France. Frequency ranges from three to seven return crossings a week depending on the season. Local services also run from Guadeloupe to Les Saintes and Marie-Galante.

By charter yacht

This is the option most people choose for islands with thin air links. Rather than paying for another sector to reach Saint Vincent or Dominica, you board at a base served by a direct flight and cover the rest of the journey under sail.

Advantages of boarding at a base with direct flights

• One long-haul ticket per person instead of a long-haul flight followed by a regional sector that is often expensive and infrequent.
• A far wider choice of direct flights into Fort-de-France, Pointe-à-Pitre and Saint-Martin than into Argyle or the smaller southern islands.
• Better equipped bases, with a broader fleet to choose from and yards on site.
• The passage becomes part of the cruise rather than dead time in transit.
• No intermediate baggage transfer, which spares you a second check-in with bulky sailing or diving kit.

Two caveats are worth keeping in mind: working down the island chain from Martinique means sailing downwind on the way out and beating back (sailing upwind) on the way home, so allow a minimum of two weeks. And every change of country means clearing customs.

What are the charter bases in the Antilles?

The Antilles divide into five sailing areas, each with its own arrival airport and its own bases. Most Caribbean sailing holidays start from one of them, and this is where the bulk of the available fleet lies, whether you are looking at catamaran hire in the Caribbean or yacht hire in the Caribbean.

Which base suits your length of stay?

• One week: Guadeloupe is the best fit, with Les Saintes, Marie-Galante and La Désirade all within short hops.
• One week as well: the British Virgin Islands, where the distances between anchorages are very short and the water is sheltered.
• Ten days minimum: the Grenadines, so you can enjoy Bequia, Mustique, Union Island and the Tobago Cays without racing the clock.
• One to two weeks: Martinique combined with Saint Lucia, with a windward passage between the two islands.
• Short trip or first charter: the Northern Islands, with Anguilla and Saint Barthélemy a short sail from Saint-Martin.

Which base suits your crew?

• First time sailing: British Virgin Islands or Guadeloupe.
• Demanding sailing and long tacks: Grenadines, Martinique down to Saint Lucia.
• Family cruising: Guadeloupe, for its sheltered anchorages and short legs.
• Simplest paperwork: stay within French waters, meaning Guadeloupe, Martinique and the French side of Saint-Martin.

Quick answers

Do you need more than one flight to reach the Antilles from Europe?

No for Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint-Martin, which are served by direct flights from Paris, and no for Antigua, Saint Lucia, Grenada and Barbados, served non-stop from London. Yes for the remaining islands, unless you board at one of those bases and reach your destination by sea.

Which airport should you choose for sailing the Grenadines?

Fort-de-France (FDF), boarding at Le Marin. The Grenadines have no direct service from Paris, and the usual approach is to work down the chain through Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent, allowing at least two weeks. This is the cheapest option on airfares and the most rewarding under sail. Argyle (SVD) on Saint Vincent remains an option for boarding at the northern end of the archipelago, but it means connecting through Barbados or Saint Lucia.

How long is the ferry crossing between Guadeloupe and Martinique?

4 hr 45 min, with a stop in Dominica. The service is run by FRS Express des Îles between the Bergevin ferry terminal in Pointe-à-Pitre and the inter-island terminal in Fort-de-France.

Can you board on one island and disembark on another?

Some operators offer one-way itineraries between two bases for a supplement. It remains the exception and must be confirmed at the time of booking.

Do you need an ESTA for a charter in the British Virgin Islands?

No ESTA is required for the British Virgin Islands themselves, which are a British Overseas Territory. However, if your routing includes a stop in the United States, San Juan and Saint Thomas included, an ESTA is compulsory. That covers most connections to Tortola.

The ESTA, short for Electronic System for Travel Authorization, is an electronic travel authorisation issued by the US authorities. It waives the visa requirement for nationals of countries in the Visa Waiver Programme, the United Kingdom among them. The essentials:

• Applying online directly with the US authorities takes a few minutes. Many intermediary sites charge well above the official fee.
• The answer is usually immediate, but allow up to 72 hours before departure.
• Valid for two years, or until your passport expires if that comes first.
• A biometric or electronic passport is required.
• It authorises boarding, not entry. Admission remains at the discretion of the immigration officer on arrival.

When is the best time to go?

The best time to charter a yacht in the Caribbean is between December and April, during the dry season, when trade winds blow steadily at 15 to 25 knots.

• December to April: dry season, known locally as the carême, with trade winds settled at 15 to 25 knots and sustained spells up to 30 knots at the height of the season. The best sailing conditions of the year.
• May and November: shoulder season, a fair compromise between weather and crowds.
• June to October: wet season, quieter waters, but peak hurricane risk in September and October.

Which currency should you take?

• Euro in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy and the French side of Saint-Martin.
• US dollar in the Virgin Islands and Sint Maarten.
• East Caribbean dollar in the independent states along the chain.