Best St. Maarten shore excursions
The top-rated independent excursion in St. Maarten is "St.Maarten: Top Ten Highlights on a Full-Circle Island Tour" (4.3★ from 711 reviews, from $62). The biggest saving against the ship is beach break / beach club: $58 per person less than NCL. Prices and ratings checked November 2026.
Ranked from real traveller ratings: each tour's star rating weighted by how many reviews it has, so a 4.9 with 3,000 reviews beats a 5.0 with 25. Only tours we matched to a tour type in St. Maarten are included.
Top-rated independent excursions
Best value against the ship
| Tour type | Line | Ship | Independent | Saving for 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beach break / beach club | NCL | $128 | $70 | $233 |
| City / island tour | NCL | $108 | $57 | $203 |
| Zipline | Carnival | $145 | $114 | $124 |
| Catamaran / sail & snorkel | NCL | $163 | $144 | $75 |
| Beach break / beach club | Carnival | $80 | $70 | $40 |
| City / island tour | Carnival | $62 | $57 | $19 |
Where the ship is cheaper
- Catamaran / sail & snorkel on Carnival: $93 on the ship vs $144 independent.
Without a tour: near the pier
- Philipsburg Great Bay beach: ~15 min walk (723 m).
- Maho Beach: ~20 min by road (8.1 km).
- Marigot: ~20 min by road (7.0 km).
A water taxi and a 10-minute walk both reach Philipsburg's beach. Maho Beach is about 25 minutes by taxi in normal traffic.
Questions
What is the best excursion in St. Maarten?
On ratings, "St.Maarten: Top Ten Highlights on a Full-Circle Island Tour" leads with 4.3 stars from 711 reviews. On value, beach break / beach club saves the most against the ship ($58 per person).
What is the cheapest well-rated excursion in St. Maarten?
"Simpson Bay: Lambada Sunset Cruise of Sint Maarten" from $45 per person (4.7★, 201 reviews).
What can you do in St. Maarten without booking an excursion?
Within about 20 minutes of the pier: Philipsburg Great Bay beach (~15 min walk), Maho Beach (~20 min by road), Marigot (~20 min by road).
All St. Maarten prices and pier guide · Carnival in St. Maarten · NCL in St. Maarten