Must-see attractions in Martinique

  • Grande Anse des Salines

    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…

  • Jardin de Balata

    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…

  • Plage Anse d'Arlet

    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…

  • Fort St-Louis

    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…

  • Anse l'Etang

    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…

  • Zoo de Martinique

    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…

  • Anse Mitan

    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…

  • France, Martinique (French West Indies), St Pierre, the ruins of the theater

    Theater Ruins

    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…

  • Musée de la Banane

    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…

  • Château Dubuc

    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…

  • Musée de la Pagerie

    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…

  • Bibliothèque Schoelcher

    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…

  • Rhumerie St James

    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…

  • Mémorial Cap 110

    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…

  • Distillerie JM

    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…

  • Anse Dufour

    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…

  • Distillerie Depaz

    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…

  • Domaine de l'Émeraude

    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…

  • Anse Noire

    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…

  • Rocher du Diamant

    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…

  • Plage des Surfeurs

    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…

  • Pointe Marin

    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…

  • Plage de La Brèche

    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…

  • Anse Michel

    Martinique

    The steady winds that buffet this part of the coast, together with the reef-sheltered lagoon, provide the perfect conditions for kitesurfing and…

  • Plage de Sinaï

    Martinique

    West of the harbor, this palm-and-cliff-backed beach has sand blacker than the darkest of chocolate that shelves gently into the warm sea.

  • Trois-Rivières Distillery

    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…

  • Statue of Empress Josephine

    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…

  • Maison de la Canne

    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…

  • L’Habitation Fond St-Jacques

    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…

  • La Savane

    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…

  • Plage du Diamant

    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…

  • Cathedral

    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…

  • Cathédrale St-Louis

    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…

  • Anse de Tartane

    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…

  • 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…

  • Plage La Française

    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…

  • Plage de Grande Anse

    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…

  • Church of St Thomas

    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…

  • Church of St Catherine

    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…

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