Guadeloupe

Getting around

For travelers visiting more than one city, a car rental is almost a necessity. The main tourist spots on the southern coast of Grande-Terre are navigable without a car, but for the most part a vehicle comes in handy. Many hotels can arrange airport pickup and car rental.

Boat

Ferries run between Grande-Terre and Terre-de-Haut, Marie-Galante and La Désirade. There are also ferries from Trois-Rivières on Basse-Terre to Terre-de-Haut.

Pointe-à-Pitre to Terre-de-Haut

A one-way trip takes about 50 minutes.

Brudey Frères (90-04-48; www.brudey-freres.fr) leaves Pointe-à-Pitre every day at 7:50am for Terre-de-Haut, departing Terre-de-Haut at 3:45pm (one way/round-trip €24/40).

L’Express des Îles (91-69-58; www.express-des-iles.com) leaves Pointe-à-Pitre for Terre-de-Haut at 8am Monday to Thursday, departing from Terre-de-Haut at 4:30pm (one way/round-trip €24/39).

Pointe-à-Pitre to Marie-Galante

A one-way trip takes about 40 minutes.

Brudey Frères (90-04-48; www.brudey-freres.fr) leaves Pointe-à-Pitre for Marie-Galante every day of the week two to three times per day starting at 7:45am (one way/round-trip €24/39).

L’Express des Îles (91-69-58; www.express-des-iles.com) goes to Marie-Galante every day, three times per day, starting at 8:15am (one way/round-trip €24/40). On Sundays there’s a 6:15pm departure from Grand Bourg – a nice way to spend a long day at the beach.

St-François to Terre-de-Haut

From St-François, Iguana (22-26-31) ferries to Terre-de-Haut leave on Monday and Thursday at 7:30am and depart Terre-de-Haut at 3:30pm (one way/round-trip €20/30). In good weather, a one-way trip takes an hour and 10 minutes.

St-François to Marie-Galante

The voyage takes 35 minutes each way.

Colibri (35-79-47; Port de Pêche) leaves St-François for Marie-Galante every day of the week two to three times per day starting at 7:45am (one way/round-trip €24/39).

From St-François, Iguana (22-26-31) has a ferry to St-Louis every day (in high season) starting at 7:30am and returning at 3:30pm (one way/round-trip €22/30).

St-François to La Désirade

A one-way voyage takes 25 minutes.

Colibri (35-79-47; Port de Pêche) boats leave from St-François every day, twice per day, starting at 8am with the return trip at 3:30pm (one way/round-trip €16/22).

Iguana (22-26-31) has a ferry to La Désirade every day at 4:45pm with an additional 8am service on weekends (one way/round-trip €16/22).

Ste-Anne to Terre-de-Haut

Iguana (22-26-31) leaves from Ste-Anne for Les Saintes every day at 7:30am, returning at 3:30pm (one way/round-trip €24/35). The trip takes about an hour.

Ste-Anne to Marie-Galante

In high season Iguana (22-26-31) usually has one or two midweek round-trips from Ste-Anne (one way/round-trip €23/38). Check the handwritten sign in front of the ticket kiosk at the western end of the Village Artisanal in Ste-Anne for the week’s schedule. The one-way crossing takes 30 minutes.

Ste-Anne to La Désirade

In high season, Iguana (22-26-31) usually has weekend service from Ste-Anne (one way/round-trip €23/38). Check the handwritten sign in front of the ticket kiosk at the western end of the Village Artisanal in Ste-Anne for the week’s schedule. The trip takes about 35 minutes one way.

Terre-de-Haut to Terre-de-Bas

A Brudey Frères boat makes the 10-minute trip between Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas (€6 round-trip) four to six times daily, depending on the season, between 8am and 4pm.

Trois-Rivières to Terre-de-Haut

A one-way journey only takes 20 minutes.

Brudey Frères (90-04-48; www.brudey-freres.fr) leaves Trois-Rivières for Terre-de-Haut every day, twice per day, at 8:45am, departing Terre-de-Haut at 4:30pm (one way/round-trip €16/22).

CTM Deher (92-06-39; www.ctmdeher.com; Bord de Mer 97114, Trois-Rivières) heads to Terre-de-Haut from Trois-Rivières every day, twice per day, at 9am, departing at 4:30pm (one way/round-trip €14/21).

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Car & motorcycle

Rental

Several car-rental companies have offices at the airport and in major resort areas. Some agents will let you rent a car near your hotel and drop it off free of charge at the airport, which can save a hefty taxi fare.

Companies generally drop their rates the longer you keep the car, with the weekly rate working out to be about 15% cheaper, overall, than the daily rate. Nearly all companies use an unlimited-kilometers rate.

Rates for small cars are advertised from around €35 per day, although the rates offered on a walk-in basis and availability of cars can vary greatly with the season. It’s a good idea to reserve ahead from December to May.

Car-rental companies:

Avis (21-13-49; www.avis.com)

Budget (21-13-49; www.budget.com)

Europcar (21-13-52; www.europcar.com)

Hertz (84-20-23; www.hertz.com)

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Bus & tram

Bus

Guadeloupe has a good public bus system that operates from about 5:30am to 6:30pm, with fairly frequent service on main routes. On Saturday afternoon service is much lighter, and there are almost no buses on Sunday.

Many bus routes start and end in Pointe-à-Pitre.

Destinations are written on the buses. Bus stops have blue signs picturing a bus; in less developed areas you can wave buses down along their routes.

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Local transport

Taxi

Taxis are plentiful but expensive. There are taxi stands at the airport in Pointe-à-Pitre.

Fares are 40% higher from 9pm to 7am nightly, as well as all day on Sunday and holidays. You can call for a taxi by dialing 82-00-00 or 83-99-99 in the Pointe-à-Pitre area.

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Air

Air Caraïbes (82-47-00; www.aircaraibes.com) has daily flights between Pointe-à-Pitre and Marie-Galante and Terre-de-Haut.

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Bicycle

Bicycles are an adventurous, somewhat strenuous way to see Terre-de-Haut and Marie-Galante. Rentals start at €10 per day.

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