It's a tiny package with a lot to offer, including a beautiful landscape of volcanic hills and deep bays, though it can get overrun with tourists on weekends and in the height of the season.
Many islanders still rely on fishing as a mainstay.
You can often find them mending nets along the waterfront and see their colorful locally made boats, called saintoises , lining the shore. Consequently, the population is largely comprised of 'blue eyes' who still trace their roots to the early seafaring Norman and Breton colonists. Home to most of the island's residents, Bourg des Saintes is a picturesque village with a decidedly Norman accent. Its narrow streets are lined with whitewashed red-roofed houses with shuttered windows and yards of flowering hibiscus. It's a bustling place at ferry times, quiet at others, and always fun to kick around in.