Guadeloupe: Getting there & around

France has the best air connection with Guadeloupe - several local and international carriers fly directly between Paris and Point-à-Pitre. Canadian and American travelers can fly directly on Air France or Air Canada; those taking other carriers must connect at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Several carriers fly between Guadeloupe and other Caribbean islands: Air Caraïbes, the national airline, flies to Caribbean islands including Martinique, St Barths, St Lucia and St Martin. Antigua-based LIAT and Air Antilles Express also connect Guadeloupe with other parts of the Caribbean. There's no departure tax. Guadeloupe Pole Caraïbes Airport is 6km (4mi) north of Pointe-à-Pitre. There are car rental agencies and a taxi stand at the airport. An airport bus runs about twice an hour to Pointe-à-Pitre on weekdays.

There are a couple of ways to get to/from Guadeloupe by boat. L'Express des îles runs modern catamarans between Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica and St Lucia. Brudey Frères runs a daily catamaran service from Guadeloupe to Martinique and Dominica, plus a weekly service to St Lucia. Cruise ships dock at Pointe-à-Pitre.

Guadeloupe has a good public bus system that operates from early morning to early evening, with fairly frequent services on main routes. On Sunday, service is much lighter and there are no buses on most secondary routes. Taxis are plentiful but expensive. There are taxi stands at the airport, in Pointe-à-Pitre and in Basse-Terre. Larger hotels commonly have taxis assigned to them and the drivers wait in the lobby.

Renting a car is a good way to get around Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre. Several agencies have offices at the airport and in major resort areas. Drive on the right; your home driver's license is valid. Renting a motorcycle can be fun on Terre-de-Haut and Marie-Galante as the roads are not busy. For a slower pace on Marie-Galante or La Désirade, try renting a scooter or a bicycle. There are buses on Marie-Galante every day but Sunday.

Visiting the various islands is easiest by ferry. There's service between Pointe-à-Pitre and Les Saintes, Saint-François, Trois-Rivières and Marie-Galante. There are also ferry routes between Saint-François and Marie-Galante and La Désirade. Flying between the islands is faster but not necessarily more convenient. Air Caraïbes has daily flights between Pointe-à-Pitre and Marie-Galante, La Désirade and Terre-de-Haut.