Philipsburg is the Dutch capital of Sint Maarten, a compact town laid out on a narrow sandspit between Great Bay and a salt pond. Front Street, running parallel to the beach, is the main commercial artery: duty-free shops, jewelry stores, and the occasional decent restaurant line both sides. It gets extremely busy when cruise ships are in port — up to five ships can dock simultaneously — and quieter and more pleasant on days when they're not.
The beach behind Front Street (the Boardwalk) has been developed with bars and restaurants but is reasonably pleasant for a swim. The Courthouse on the main square is a handsome 1793 colonial building. For a quieter afternoon, the back streets between Front Street and the salt pond have some well-preserved colonial wooden houses that give a sense of what Philipsburg looked like before the tourist economy took over. The Yoda Guy Movie Exhibit — a small museum devoted to the creature effects artist who built Yoda — is a genuine surprise on a duty-free shopping strip.