St Barthélemy / Special Interests / Culture & Heritage

There is no mistaking the chic Gallic ambience of St Barths. It is a getaway for stars and the winter home to millionaires. It is the most fashionable island in the Caribbean, yet it owes very little to the Caribbean when it comes to culture. It is expensive and exclusive, but it has immense style and atmosphere. The food is excellent, life is stylish, the island is safe and the shopping is the best in the Caribbean.

Unlike its neighbours, St Barths was never developed for sugar plantations as its terrain was unsuitable, which meant it had no sugar industry wealth to fall back on. It was originally settled by Amerindians, who called the island Ouanalao, and they determinedly fought off European settlers until the mid-1600s when a group of French farmers established themselves. However, unusually among the Caribbean islands, St Barths came under Swedish rule for nearly a century after it was leased by its French leaders. There are few reminders now, apart from its capital Gustavia, named after the Swedish King Gustav III which has a handful of buildings from that period, and a few Swedish street names.

Nowadays the atmosphere is overwhelmingly French from France rather than French Caribbean. St Barths has almost no Créole aspect. The islanders, the Barthéleminois, are predominantly white - with around 4,200 of the 8,700 population descendants of the original Norman and Breton settlers.