Overview

Hype:

Fort Amsterdam is a historic fort on the island of Saint Martin, near the Sint Maarten town of Philipsburg. The triangular colonial stone fort was built by the Dutch in 1631 as defense for their colonial outpost and seaport at Sint Maarten. Located near Great Bay and Little Bay, it was captured by the Spanish only two years after it was built. The Spaniards occupied it as a military outpost supported by San Juan, Puerto Rico until the end of the long Eighty Years War in 1648. Today, the fort is small and in a decaying state of repair but still worth visiting and commands a great view of the harbor. There are several rusting 19th century cannons in place, and several informational maps and signs illustrating the development of the fort and its history.

Time:

Fees: None

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Features:

Military
Architecture
Ocean

Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Amsterdam_(Sint_Maarten)

Maps

Closest City or Region: Sint Maarten

Coordinates: 18.014674, -63.059695

Interactive Guide Map

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March 31, 2024 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Madilyn Dye,

Story

We landed in Sint Maarten. After deporting, we took a water taxi to the downtown area and walked up and down Front Street and did some souvenir shopping. Then we hiked up the hill to see the old fort, which was much smaller and run down than the ones in Puerto Rico. It got pretty warm, almost 86°. Much warmer than we were used to in Utah. We went back to the boat around 3:00.