Grande-Terre
This beach in the small town of the same name has golden sand and is backed by palm trees. It's rarely too crowded and is one of the loveliest beaches in…
Must-see attractions in French Antilles
Terre-de-Haut
Two kilometers southwest of Bourg des Saintes is Anse à Cointe, a good beach for combining swimming and snorkeling. The snorkeling is best on the north…
Martinique
West of the harbor, this palm-and-cliff-backed beach has sand blacker than the darkest of chocolate that shelves gently into the warm sea.
Terre-de-Haut
South of Grande Anse and about 2km from town is Anse Rodrigue, a nice beach on a protected cove that usually has good swimming conditions.
Pointe-à-Pitre
This three-level municipal museum occupies an outstanding example of 19th-century colonial architecture and is dedicated to renowned poet and Nobel…
Martinique
Martinique’s oldest and best-known rum producer actually provides the worst visitor experience of all the island's distilleries. Unless you join a guided…
St Bartholomew's Anglican Church
St-Barthélemy
Completed in 1855 from French bricks and limestone, local stone and Sint Eustatius volcanic black rock, white-painted St Bartholomew's has an open-sided…
Fort-de-France
This statue of Empress Josephine holding a locket with a portrait of Napoléon in it stands in La Savane. In the 1990s the head was lopped off and red…
Martinique
This slightly aging museum occupies the site of a sugar refinery and rum distillery, and tells the sad story of the slave trade and the sugar business…
Martinique
Some 2km from Ste-Marie is l’Habitation Fond St-Jacques, the site of an old Dominican monastery and sugar plantation dating from 1660. One of the early…
Fort-de-France
This rectangular park at the heart of Fort-de-France was created when a mangrove swamp was drained after the city became the capital. As well as a…
Grande-Terre
‘Hell's Gate’ is actually a long, narrow lagoon that could be mistaken for a river. Its banks are a nice place for a picnic lunch on a drive around the…
St-Barthélemy
Built in 1787 by the Swedish as one of three forts to protect the harbor, this site today has the remains of a vaguely bottle-shaped lighthouse along with…
Basse-Terre Island
Those who want to understand how the ambrosia called rum starts in the sugarcane fields and ends on their palate should head to this museum, which has…
Terre-de-Haut
Baie du Marigot is a pleasant little bay with a calm, protected beach about 1km north of Bourg des Saintes. It’s fairly close to Fort Napoléon, so most…
St-Barthélemy
An imposing stone building from the Swedish period at the tip of the peninsula houses a modest collection of oil lamps, period furniture, farming tools,…
Parc Archéologique des Roches Gravées
Basse-Terre Island
This prehistoric site features rocks carved with petroglyphs of human, animal and abstract form. Some of the rocks were found on the site; others were…
Martinique
This beautiful stretch of white sand extends for 2km to the west of Le Diamant. Swimming is not recommended, as the waves can be very strong, but it's a…
Martinique
St-Pierre's old cathedral was reduced to a stump in the Mont Pelée eruption of 1902 and never regained its former glory, despite a 1920s rebuild. It is…
St-Martin & Sint Maarten
A gently curving bay with polished shell-like grains of golden sand, Baie aux Prunes is popular for swimming and snorkeling when it's calm, and for…
Terre-de-Haut
Easily one of Terre-de-Haut's best beaches, long, sandy Grande Anse unfortunately has rough water conditions, and swimming is not allowed. The north side…
St-Barthélemy
Not suitable for swimming due to hefty currents, Toiny enjoys a stellar reputation among surfers thanks to its exposed reef break and fairly consistent…
Fort-de-France
With its neo-Byzantine style, flying buttresses and 57m steeple, the newly renovated and eye-pleasingly symmetrical Cathédrale St-Louis is one of Fort-de…
Martinique
Fronting the village of Tartane, this long strand of soft beige sand has lots of fishing shacks, a fish market and colorful gommier (gum-tree) boats. It…
Musée Volcanologique et Historique
Martinique
This small but very interesting museum, founded in 1932 by American adventurer and volcanologist Frank Perret, gives a glimpse of the devastating 1902…
Fort-de-France
This tiny but clean beach in front of the Fort St-Louis is a popular place to cool off right in the middle of Fort-de-France. Nearby is a playground…
Terre-de-Haut
A winding cement road leads to the summit of Le Chameau, which at 309m is Terre-de-Haut's highest point. From Bourg des Saintes it’s a moderately…
Martinique
This long, narrow stretch of golden sand is nice to look at but not so nice to lie on (due to fishing boats and lack of privacy). There are often…
Martinique
Le Diamant's ancient-looking church actually dates from the early 19th century. (The church it replaced had been destroyed twice in hurricanes.) It's…
St-Barthélemy
A diverse array of objects ranging from oil lamps, old nautical equipment and model ships to 18th‑century British smoking pipes and the island’s first…
Grande-Terre
St-François' boldest piece of architecture is its perfectly circular art-deco farmers market slap bang in the middle of town. Packed with fruit and veg in…
Pointe-à-Pitre
This popular market on the seafront in front of Place de la Victoire is Pointe-à-Pitre's main fruit-and-vegetable market. It's full of characters and you…
Martinique
Martinique's most northerly church, this building dominates the village's pretty centre. Inside you'll find some huge crystal chandeliers, a blue-painted…
Grande-Terre
In the center of St-François, Guadeloupe's biggest marina is the playground of the Caribbean yacht-owning classes. The only other reason to come here is…
Fort-de-France
This bustling market where local farmers hawk fruits and vegetables runs along the western side of the Parc Culturel Aimé Césaire and spills into the…
Guadeloupe
Between Grand-Bourg and Capesterre, this historic distillery offers free self-guided tours of its age-old operation and a fully stocked gift shop selling…
Musée d'Archéologie Précolombienne et de Préhistoire de la Martinique
Fort-de-France
For displays of Native American Carib artefacts, including stone tools, ritual objects and pottery, head to this small but lovingly looked-after…
Fort-de-France
At the far end of Blvd du Général de Gaulle, this colorful and atmospheric place is best visited in the morning for the day’s fresh catch.
Terre-de-Haut
The Pain de Sucre (Sugarloaf) is an imposing 53m-high basalt peninsula. You’ll find good snorkeling and a sandy beach here.
Grande-Terre
Between Pointe-à-Pitre and Gosier, this marina has excellent facilities and a large number of restaurants, bars and cafes.
