Saint Barthélemy

Did you know?

• ✨An overseas collectivity of France in the Caribbean, known for luxury tourism, secluded beaches, and Swedish history.
• 🏳️What does its flag mean? As an overseas collectivity of France, the official flag is the French Tricolor. Its local coat-of-arms flag on a white field bears three gold fleur-de-lis (French sovereignty), a red Maltese Cross and three gold Swedish crowns honoring the 93 years St. Barts was ruled by Sweden (1784–1878), and a pelican crest symbolizing local marine fauna.
• 🇸🇪Swedish heritage: The capital city, Gustavia, was named after King Gustav III of Sweden, and street signs in the town are still displayed in both French and Swedish.
• ✈️Thrilling airport landing: Gustaf III Airport features one of the most famous short runways in the world, requiring pilots to make a steep descent directly over a public hilltop road.
• 🏖️No high-rise hotels: Local building laws strictly forbid any structures from being built taller than a palm tree, preserving the island's low-density architecture.