How to Get to the Caribbean and Which Departure Bases to Choose?

From the US, most Caribbean islands connect through Miami, Charlotte or San Juan. A handful — including Saint-Martin, Antigua, Barbados and Saint Lucia — have nonstop service from the East Coast, while Guadeloupe and Martinique typically require a connection or a transatlantic routing through Paris. Your gateway airport depends chiefly on the sailing vacation you have in mind: the Grenadines, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Islands each have their own entry point.

Some Caribbean islands can even be reached without flying at all. In this case, the boat becomes a means of transportation in its own right. Boarding at a well-connected base lets you reach the neighboring islands by sea. Every passage becomes a leg of the trip rather than a transfer.

Which airports serve the Caribbean?

Flights from North America

• Connections to the Lesser Antilles generally route through a US hub such as Miami or Charlotte, or through San Juan, Puerto Rico, which is the main gateway for the Virgin Islands.
• Saint Thomas (STT) is the practical entry point for a British Virgin Islands charter, with a taxi and ferry transfer on to Tortola.
• Time zones are easy: the islands run on Atlantic Standard Time, the same as US Eastern Time in summer and one hour ahead of it in winter.

Flights from Europe

• Air France, Air Caraïbes and Corsair operate the long-haul legs to Pointe-à-Pitre and Fort-de-France from Paris-Orly and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Allow around 8 hr 30 min in the air.
• Saint-Martin Juliana now has a year-round nonstop 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.
• Amsterdam has nonstop service to Saint-Martin, and London serves Antigua, Saint Lucia, Grenada and Barbados.

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 operations with immediate effect on April 27, 2026. Its routes have not been taken over as they stood. For service 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 segments 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 round trips a week depending on the season. Local service also runs from Guadeloupe to Les Saintes and Marie-Galante.

By charter yacht

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

Here's why most sailors choose this approach:

• One long-haul ticket per person instead of a long-haul flight followed by a regional segment that is often expensive and infrequent.
• A far wider choice of nonstop 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.
• A passage that counts as part of the trip rather than dead time in transit.
• No baggage transfer — you check in once, gear and all.

Two things to keep in mind: working down the island chain from Martinique means sailing downwind on the way out and sailing upwind on the return leg, so allow a minimum of two weeks. And every change of country means clearing customs.

What are the charter bases in the Caribbean?

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

Frequently asked questions

Do you need more than one flight to reach the Caribbean?

From most US cities, reaching the Caribbean requires a connection. Nonstop routes from the US serve Saint-Martin (SXM), Antigua (ANU), Barbados (BGI), Saint Lucia (UVF), Grenada (GND) and Saint Vincent (SVD) from Miami and East Coast hubs. From Europe, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint-Martin are nonstop from Paris, and Antigua, Saint Lucia, Grenada and Barbados are nonstop from London. For the remaining islands, boarding at one of those bases and sailing on is often simpler than adding another flight.

Which airport should you choose for sailing the Grenadines?

Fort-de-France (FDF), boarding at Le Marin. The Grenadines have no nonstop service from Europe, 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 airfare 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?

US citizens do not. The ESTA applies to travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries, and it becomes compulsory for them as soon as the flight routing includes a stop in the United States, San Juan and Saint Thomas included, which covers most connections to Tortola. The British Virgin Islands themselves are a British Overseas Territory and are not covered by it.

The ESTA, short for Electronic System for Travel Authorization, is an electronic travel authorization issued by US authorities in place of a visa. The essentials:

• Apply online directly with the US authorities, which 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 the passport expires if that comes first.
• A biometric or electronic passport is required.
• It authorizes boarding, not entry. Admission remains at the discretion of the immigration officer on arrival.

US citizens sailing to the British Virgin Islands still need a valid passport, and returning to the US Virgin Islands means clearing customs on both sides.

When is the best time to go?

The best time to sail the Caribbean is December through April, the dry season, when trade winds blow steadily at 15 to 25 knots.

• December through April: dry season (locally called 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 through October: wet season and quieter waters. Hurricane season runs across these same months, with the highest risk from August through 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.