Fort Louis

St-Martin & Sint Maarten


It's a short but steep climb up to what's left of this once mighty fort, completed in 1789 under St-Martin's then-governor Jean Sebastian de Durat to protect the settlement of Marigot and its harbor warehouses storing rum, salt, coffee and sugarcane from British and Dutch pirates. It’s been abandoned for centuries but English and French interpretive panels detail its history and the view alone is worth the effort.

From here you can see Marigot, Simpson Bay, Baie Nettlé and, on a clear day, as far as Anguilla. The cannons on the grounds are replicas.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby St-Martin & Sint Maarten attractions

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