Martinique

Getting around

If time is of essence, renting a car is the most reliable form of transportation in Martinique. Most hotels can arrange airport pickup and car rental.

Boat

A couple of regular vedettes (ferries) between Martinique’s main resort areas and Fort-de-France provide a nice alternative to dealing with heavy bus and car traffic – they also allow you to avoid the hassles of city parking and are quicker to boot.

Somatours Vedettes (73-05-53) runs a ferry between Fort-de-France and Pointe du Bout. It’s quite a pleasant way to cross and takes only 20 minutes. The boat runs daily from 6:30am to 5:15pm, every hour or so, and costs €3/6 one way/round trip.

Vedettes Madinina (63-06-46; www.vedettesmadinia.com) runs a boat to Pointe du Bout daily from 6:20am to 6:30pm, every hour or so every day and costs €2.50/5 one way/round trip.

Matinik Cruise Line (76-73-45) runs a ferry about every 75 minutes between Fort-de-France and the town dock in the village of Trois-Îlets. The first boat departs Trois-Îlets at 6:10am and the last leaves Trois-Îlets for Fort-de-France at 5:45pm (€4/7 one way/return, 15 minutes). There are no boats on Sunday. Supposedly there is a service to Ste-Anne (via Anse d’Arlet) but that couldn’t be confirmed.

It’s best to buy a one-way ticket only as sometimes your ride home might unexpectedly quit early that day.

There are also countless sailing tours and charters operating around the island. For the latest information, check with the local tourist office or at your hotel.

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Car & motorcycle

Rental

There are numerous car-rental agencies at the airport and in Fort-de-France. You’ll find the best rates on their websites, and local firms are generally cheaper than international agencies. Beware companies that list their address as ‘Cruise Terminal’ but are in fact near La Savane in the center of Fort-de-France.

An unlimited mileage rate is generally preferable to a lower rate that adds a charge per kilometer, particularly if you plan on touring the island.

You must be at least 21 years of age to rent a car, and some companies add a surcharge for drivers under the age of 25.

Car-rental companies at the airport:

Avis (42-11-00; www.avis.com)

Budget (42-04-04; www.budget-antilles.com)

Carib Rentacar (51-15-15; ­www.rentacar-caraibes.com/martinique/index.asp)

Europcar (42-42-42; www.europcar.mq)

Hertz (42-16-90; www.hertz.com)

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Bus & tram

Bus

Although there are some larger public buses, most buses are minivans, marked ‘TC’ (for taxis collectifs) on top. Destinations are marked on the vans, sometimes on the side doors and sometimes on a small sign stuck in the front window. Traveling by bus is best for shorter distances and for visitors with a lot of extra time in their itinerary.

Bus stops are marked arrêt de bus or have signs showing a picture of a bus. Fort-de-France’s busy main terminal is at Pointe Simon, on the west side of the harbor. Buses from Fort-de-France to St-Pierre leave frequently Monday to Saturday, but less frequently on Sunday (€3.20, 45 minutes). Other bus fares from Fort-de-France are to Trois-Îlets (€2.40), Diamant (€5.70), Ste-Anne (€9.80) and Grand-Rivière (€5.70). For buses to the gardens of Balata, and Morne Rouge, head to the cemetery south of the Parc Floral in Fort-de-France; they leave about every 30 minutes during the day, Monday to Saturday.

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Local transport

Taxi

The taxi fare from the airport is approximately €20 to Fort-de-France, €60 to Ste-Anne and €355 to Pointe du Bout or Anse Mitan. A 40% surcharge is added onto all fares between 8pm and 6am and all day on Sunday and holidays. To book a cab, call 24-hour taxi (63-63-62, 63-10-10).

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