Fort-de-France
The hulking fortress that gave the city its name lies on the far side of La Savane and dates from 1640, although most of what stands today is the result…
Must-see attractions in Martinique
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Martinique
This gorgeous stretch of dark-golden sand in front of Anse d'Arlet Bourg is backed by the village's 18th-century church and is one of the loveliest places…
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Martinique
Just 10km north of Fort-de-France, this mature botanical garden in a rainforest setting is one of Martinique’s top attractions and will please anyone with…
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Martinique
A perfect arc of white sand, Grande Anse des Salines is the Caribbean you came to see. Palm trees lean over the ribbon of beach that shelves ever so…
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Martinique
This palm-fringed beach with coarse golden sand and lots of shade is one of Martinique’s most appealing strands. It's not altogether suitable for swimming…
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Martinique
The ruins of this 17th-century estate are set almost at the end of the peninsula and are a haunting and atmospheric sight. The story goes that the master…
Martinique
St-Pierre’s most impressive ruins are those of the town's 18th-century theater. While most of it was destroyed in the 1902 eruption of Mont Pelée, enough…
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Martinique
An 'a-peel-ing' attraction near Ste-Marie, this museum is dedicated to all things banana and documents the journey of the world's favourite fruit from…
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Martinique
This former sugar estate was the birthplace of Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie, the future Empress Josephine of France. A picturesque stone…
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Fort-de-France
Fort-de-France’s most visible landmark, the Bibliothèque Schoelcher is an elaborate, colorful building with a Byzantine dome and an interesting ornate…
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Martinique
This museum is set in a beautiful colonial home on the site of St James plantation’s working distillery. Some of the signage is in English, and the…
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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…
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Centre de Découverte des Sciences de la Terre
Martinique
Just 1.5km north of town, the earth-science museum looks like a big white box set atop some columns. It hosts a permanent exhibit on Mont Pelée and…
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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…
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Martinique
One of northern Martinique's biggest attractions, this zoo–botanical garden–historical site almost gives you three for the price of one. Amid the ruins of…
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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…
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Fort-de-France
The Palais de Justice, a neoclassical courthouse built in 1906, is two blocks northeast of the cathedral and can only be viewed from the outside. The…
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Martinique
This haunting memorial on a grassy headland overlooking the sea is made up of 15 formless Easter Island–esque figures in stone, heads hung in mourning. It…
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Martinique
This well-known distillery nestled in a valley south of the Basse Pointe–Macouba road has a great visitor experience in the shape of a self-guided tour…
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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…
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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…
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Martinique
Approximately halfway between Anse Mitan and Grande Anse, a secondary road peels off the D7 and plunges (literally) straight to Anse Dufour 2km below. You…
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Martinique
Learn how rum is made at this interesting operation perched on a hillside amid sugarcane fields on St-Pierre's northern outskirts. Self-guided tours, with…
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Martinique
The main beach in Trois-Îlets is a gorgeous stretch of white sand that shelves gradually into a turquoise sea. The views are of Fort-de-France and the…
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Martinique
This wonderful natural reserve has been curated with exhibits and labeling to allow visitors to get the most out of its many trails, making it a slice of…
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Martinique
If you're after an intimate, secluded strip of sand, head to lovely Anse Noire, which is reached by taking the side road to Anse Dufour and continuing…
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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…
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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…
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Martinique
This extraordinary-looking 176m-high pointed volcanic islet, just under a mile offshore from Le Diamant, is a very popular dive site, with interesting…
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Martinique
This is where most surfers in Martinique are heading, a fantastic spot with great waves crashing onto a golden shore. There's nothing here other than lots…
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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…
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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…
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Martinique
Ste-Anne's most popular swimming beach is the long, lovely strand that stretches along the peninsula 800m north of the town center. It's backed by…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Martinique
On the eastern outskirts of Tartane, this crescent of sand edged by manchineel trees is a stunning beach to sun yourself on, the view out to sea entirely…
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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…
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Martinique
The steady winds that buffet this part of the coast, together with the reef-sheltered lagoon, provide the perfect conditions for kitesurfing and…
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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…
