Martinique Favorites

Mt Pelée seen from Obs. Volcanologique...

by XenoHumph

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Mt Pelée seen from Obs. Volcanologique...
by XenoHumph
Road at Anse Céron, northern Martinique
by XenoHumph
the market of Fort de France
by sabinasta
Favorites
by chaistarr
Favorites
by aramas

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

What's to see and do in Martinique?

by XenoHumph

.- Beaches of course! the most famous one is Grande Anse des Salines in the South. But there are many others, less crowded. From the ones I have visited, I recommend the following: * South: Anse Trabaud (access during hike of Savane des Pétrifications); at St Anne, Anse Meunier and beaches of St Anne. * Southwest: Anse Noire, Anse Dufour, beach of Anse d'Arlet. * Southeast: Petite & Grande Anse Macabou, Anse Grosse Roche. * West: beach of Tartane, beaches of the islets of François and Robert. * North: Anse Couleuvre, Anse Céron.- Water sports: boat trips, sailing, snorkeling, diving (reefs, sunken ships), parasailing, fishing, kayaking- Hiking: wonderful hikes all over the island. Do not miss Presqu'île de la Caravelle, Savane des Pétrifications , Trace des Caps, trails of Montagne Pelée, trails of Pitons du Carbet, Trace des Anses du Nord.- Great drives: do not miss route des Anses,...

What guidebook to buy?

by XenoHumph

.It seems that if you do not speak French, you may have a hard time to find a recent guide on Martinique exclusively. The only one in English I could find on Amazon was from Ulysses and dates back to 2001! I still suggest you should try to get it (get a cheap used copy), because without a guide you are going to miss a lot of wonderful sights. There are more recent guides in English but there are on several islands of the Caribbean, not only Martinique.In French I used the Michelin - Voyager Pratique, and the Guide du Routard, on Martinique, both updated for 2010. They are very well done. I bought the only Martinique map there is, from IGN (Institut Géographique National). Everything can be bought on amazon.fr. Note that when we rented a car, Hertz gave us a free Martinique map that was better than my IGN one, with brighter colors, more readable.Once you get there, get the free Martinique...

Palms again!

by sabinasta

If you go to Martinique, don' t miss Fort de France and it's market, and go absolutely on the southern part of the island, because you won't find anything nice, not even beaches, going north.Nice place to visit is Village Creole at Trois Ilets.

The coolest thing about...

by BuickMackane

The coolest thing about Martinique is that it is the birthplace of the Empress Josephine. You can visit La Pagerie where she was born and see all sorts of beautiful portraits of her. I didn't know much about Josephine until I visited La Pagerie, but afterward I became fascinated with her and to this day I read every biography I can find about Josephine. She's become my favorite historical figure, and it all began in Martinique! My happiest memory is the day I sent a message in a bottle off the end of the dock at Club Med. The bottle floated about 10 miles to the famous Diamond Rock, where it was discovered by a member of the French Gendarmerie who had been stationed in Martinique with his family. How often does somebody actually find a bottle, anyway, and how often do you actually get to meet them someday and have them be your tour guides? It was amazing!!

travelqueen7's General Tip

by travelqueen7

Martinique is warm and welcoming country. It is an overseas department of France so they do speak French. I found few spoke fluent English, but as long as you try to communicate they are very accomodating in helping you get what you are asking for.

Look out for the old guys with...

by mrjade

Look out for the old guys with bunches of palm leaves - It is worth hanging around to see them make you things. One guy made a really cool hat (which we still have) in about 2 minutes. He didn't seem too bothered about being paid (sign of a true artist!)- but we paid him anyway (I think he knew we would!).

The primary reason for someone...

by Nomad_2001

The primary reason for someone to go to Martinique (unless they happen to be there by virtue of a cruise itinerary) is to RELAX and enjoy the more peaceful island lifestyle. You MUST spend time on the beach and in the water. There are so many beautiful beaches here, even topless beaches. (While officially only topless, if one is so inclined, I doubt that there would be much objection to complete nude bathing as long as you are not in view of the many tour buses that scatter across the island with cruise ship passengers, many of whom are older people with more conservative views). I particularly enjoyed a beautiful evening glowing with the luminesce of a full moon with a beautiful companion on a more secluded, peaceful beach.

Go to the Internet Cafe in...

by markymark

Go to the Internet Cafe in Fort de France called Le Web Cyber Cafe, 4 Rue Blénac ( bizness.cgit.com/LeWeb/ )Young guys from the military stations nearby come here to email and drink. Theyre really sociable, and I spent a lot of time chatting to them. In return for my efforts I got bitten on the neck by one, another wanted to come with me, and another gave me the cutest wink ever! ;o)

Where else in the world can...

by aramas

Where else in the world can you swim in the sea in the middle of winter ?Guys we had every day 24-27 degrees (C) and the water was around 25-27 too. Go also to Sainte Anne (on the South) it's a very nice village and you can also vist the Club Med resorts (see pictures below). The warm water, the beautifull beaches. Our sunset cruise with a big catamaran...

When visiting Fort-de-France...

by Koleno

When visiting Fort-de-France take time to walk through the streets and shop at the local shops. The two tourist sites to see are St. Louis Cathedral and the Fort. The view from the Fort over looking Fort-de-France.