What to See in Windwardside, Netherlands: Free Audio Guide

Windwardside is the largest village on the Caribbean island of Saba, a special municipality of the Netherlands, known for its traditional architecture, lush volcanic surroundings, and quiet charm. Visitors come to explore its historic churches, museums, and the trail to Mount Scenery, the highest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Windwardside with 11 narrated places to enhance your self‑guided walk.

Windwardside is part of the Netherlands; you can also find information about other Dutch destinations such as Utrecht, Groningen, Giethoorn, Amersfoort, and Vlieland.

Explore Windwardside’s highlights

The Bottom (district)

The Bottom is Saba’s capital, nestled in the bowl of an ancient volcanic crater about 220 meters above the ocean. Founded in 1632 by colonists from Zeeland, it was originally called Botte, an old Dutch word for basin or bowl. Over time, English‑speaking sailors, pirates, and enslaved Africans outnumbered the first Dutch settlers, and the name evolved into The Bottom. Today the area houses the Governor’s residence (rebuilt in 1970), a former 19th‑century guesthouse now operating as a hotel, a police station, a medical center, and the Major Osman Ralph Simmons Museum, which displays everyday objects collected by the policeman it honors. Three churches anchor the streets: the Anglican Christ Church, built in 1777 and the island’s oldest surviving building; the Roman Catholic Sacred Heart Church, established in 1877; and a third congregation mentioned in the source.

Mount Scenery (natural feature)

Mount Scenery rises 870 meters above the Caribbean Sea and is the highest point in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands. This dormant stratovolcano features a lava dome at its summit; although classified as dormant, it remains potentially active, with the last eruption around 1640 and an earlier major eruption at least five thousand years ago. The trail to the summit starts in Windwardside and climbs 1,064 steps through secondary rainforest, mahogany stands, and a mystical cloud forest that is often shrouded in mist. Since 2010, when Saba became a special municipality of the Netherlands, Mount Scenery has also been the highest point in the Netherlands proper.

Kingdom Hall (church)

Located in Windwardside, the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses is a modest building that serves as the meeting place and spiritual center for the local Jehovah’s Witness community on Saba.

Christ Church (church)

In The Bottom, Christ Church is the island’s Anglican parish. It provides a quiet place of worship for the Anglican community in the heart of Saba’s tiny capital.

Dutch Museum of Saba (museum)

Tucked away in Windwardside, the Dutch Museum of Saba is the island’s main museum, presenting exhibits that reflect Saba’s history and culture within the Caribbean Netherlands.

Heilige Drievuldigheidskerk (church)

Known locally as the Heilige Drievuldigheidskerk, this Holy Trinity Church in Windwardside is an Anglican congregation that follows the Protestant tradition and serves the local community.

Holy Rosary Church (church)

Situated in the village of Zions Hill, the Holy Rosary Church—also called the Queen of the Holy Rosary Church—is a modest but meaningful Roman Catholic parish dedicated to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, standing at the center of a small hillside community on Saba.

Sacred Heart Church (church)

One of just three Catholic churches on the entire island, Sacred Heart Church in The Bottom traces its parish origins to 1877, although the building itself was not formally dedicated until March 19 1935, a ceremony led by Father Norbertus Groen.

St. Paul’s Conversion Church (church)

Completed in 1860, St. Paul’s Conversion Church was the first Catholic church erected on Saba, marking the beginning of a permanent Catholic presence in Windwardside. It is dedicated to the apostle Paul and his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus; two further Catholic churches—Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary—were later added.

Wesleyan Holiness Church (church)

Also found in The Bottom, the Wesleyan Holiness Church is a modest but meaningful landmark belonging to the Wesleyan Methodist tradition of Protestantism, serving the local community in the heart of Saba’s capital.

Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport (other)

Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport is the sole air gateway to Saba. Its runway measures just 400 meters (about 1 300 feet), making it the shortest commercial runway in the world. Only small aircraft such as the Twin Otter and helicopters are permitted to land, and the approach is dramatically framed by sheer cliffs on one side and steep volcanic walls on the other. Widely regarded as one of the most challenging landings in aviation, each touchdown requires special permission from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure. Despite its size, the airport operates daily flights, with Winair providing multiple services a day to neighboring islands; the hop to Princess Juliana International Airport on Sint Maarten takes roughly twelve minutes.

Explore Windwardside with Neywo

Neywo provides one walking tour that covers 5.76 kilometers and takes about 117 minutes, featuring seven narrated stops: Wesleyan Holiness Church, Sacred Heart Church, Christ Church, St. Paul’s Conversion Church, Heilige Drievuldigheidskerk, Mount Scenery, and Holy Rosary Church. As you walk, the app plays each story automatically when you reach the location, allowing you to go at your own pace without a group or a fixed schedule. Download Neywo to enjoy this free audio guide and discover Windwardside’s stories as you explore.