Gustavia

Gustavia is the harbour town of Saint-Barthélemy and carries a Swedish name because Sweden held the island for almost a century from 1784, running it as a free port. Red-roofed houses climb the slopes around a deep narrow anchorage that fills with yachts in the winter season, and the quay is lined with the jewellers and fashion houses that give the island its reputation. Three ruined forts, a wooden Anglican church and the Wall House museum survive from the Swedish town. Shell Beach lies a short walk south. The harbour is too small for ships to berth, so cruise passengers come ashore by tender.