Visiting the French West Indies: Martinique & Guadeloupe

Trip to Dominica and the French West Indies


Selfie with the Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul Church in Guadeloupe

A few weeks ago, Mike and I were on a trip again and this time, we explored three small islands in the Caribbean. First, we flew from Paris to Fort de France in Martinique where we stayed for two nights. From there, we took the ferry from Saint-Pierre to Roseau, Dominica where we were hosted by our travel partner in their lovely lodge for five nights. From Roseau, we took the ferry to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe and stayed there for three nights before flying back to Paris. Both Martinique and Guadeloupe are overseas regions of France so it was like traveling within Europe as no passport control was required. Obviously, they speak French although English was also spoken in restaurants and hotels. In Dominica, we met Norun, owner of the beautiful Hibiscus Valley Inn. While there, we did different tours including a visit to the Cabrits National Park and Kalinago Center among others, and did one of the coolest water activities I've known, river tubing 😊 We definitely had fun during this trip and hopefully we would be back again to explore more of the Caribbean islands in the future 😉



Review: Air France Lounge Hall 3, Paris Orly Airport (ORY)
Visiting the French West Indies: Martinique & Guadeloupe
Top Attractions in Dominica
Review: Air France Lounge, Pointe-à-Pitre Airport (PTP)
Review: Air France Lounge Terminal 2F Gate 50, Paris (CDG)
Review: Air France Lounge Terminal 2F Gate 30, Paris (CDG)

Since Air France flies direct both to Martinique and Guadeloupe from Paris, we thought it was just right to include these two islands in our trip to Dominica. In Martinique, we were able to tour the city and see the essentials in a whole day as it is not really that big. The ferry to Dominica departed from Saint-Pierre (on the day we left) so we were also able to have a few hours there and see a few attractions as well. During our stay in Guadeloupe, we took a public bus from Gosier (where our hotel was located) to Pointe-à-Pitre and was able to explore the city even though the weather was not on our side as it was raining every now and then. In case you will be traveling to these two islands in the future, here are some travel tips as per their city guide:

Martinique

Saint-Louis Fort

The Prefecture Office

Schoelcher Library: Make sure you go inside the library as it is really interesting to see all the old books, bookshelves, etc.

The Savannah Park

Saint-Louis Cathedral

Aime Cesaire Theater

City Hall

Calvaire Chapel

Covered Market

Gueydon Fountain

Fish Market

Seaside Promenade

La Francaise Beach (with the Saint-Louis Fort in the background)

Ferry Station

These police cars are very French 😉

La Cathedrale Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Port

La Place Bertin

Le Marché Couvert

Taking the ferry to Dominica

Enjoying one of the many rhumbased punches of the island 😉

Guadeloupe

Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul Church

Statue of Vélo

The Place de la Victoire

Schoelcher Museum

Peynier Street: This is one of the oldest streets of Pointe-à-Pitre with lots of beautiful Creole houses.

The Fountain Couturier

The Market Square

Governor Frébault's Monument located in the Place de la Victoire

The Old Presbytery

The Old City Hall

Guadeloupe Tourist Office

Memorial ACTe

House of Forier

Enjoying the beach

Enjoying the local punches


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