Guadeloupe

Quick Facts

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Capital

Basse-Terre

Government

Overseas Department of France

Nationality

Guadeloupean

Population

447 000 ^[1]

Languages

French, Creole patois

Religions

Christianity (Catholic), Hinduism and paganism

Currency

Euro (EUR) €

Calling Code

+590

Time Zone

UTC-4

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Introduction

Guadeloupe's queen of the forest

© All Rights Reserved cpcoelho

Named 'The Island of Beautiful Waters' by the Carib Indians who inhabited it at the time of its discovery, Guadeloupe's 'beautiful waters' are now the island's major attraction for overseas visitors. Whether you want to relax on the beach, enjoy a swim in the warm Caribbean, or test your surfing skills on one of the island's first-rate surfing spots, you should basically count on spending most of your time in, on, or next to the water. Of course, a hiking excursion to the summit of La Soufrière, Guadeloupe's active volcano, is a must. And Guadeloupe's interesting mix of cultures (the people are a hybrid of French, African and East Indian) makes for a varied and unique people group. But nothing beats the Caribbean attraction.

Brief History

Geography

Regions/Arrondissements

Guadeloupe consists of 2 arondissements. It had a third one, the Arrondissement of Saint-Martin-Saint-Barthélemy, until they officially detached from Guadeloupe in February 2007.

• Arrondissement of Basse-Terre
• Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre

Cities/Towns

• Basse-Terre - the capital
• Baie-Mahault
• Le Gosier
• Le Moule
• Les Abymes
• Petit-Bourg
• Pointe-à-Pitre
• Sainte-Anne

Sights and Activities

Le Moule

Le Moule once was an early French capital of Guadeloupe. Besides that, it was an important Native American settlement before the colonial period. It is one of the most authentic provincial towns on Guadeloupe and has a bustling main street, fish market and a scenic harbor. There have been archaeological excavations in the region and Guadeloupe's archaeological museum, on the outskirts of town, is well worth a visit.

The town square has several historic buildings, including the town hall and a Neoclassical Catholic church. Along the river are some ruins from an old customs building and a fortress dating back to the French colonial times. Nearby is tranquil beach with reef-protected waters at L'Autre Bord, about one kilometer out of town. Baie du Moule, on the west side of town is equally popular, mainly with kayakers and surfers.

Reserve Cousteau

Jacques Cousteau made Pigeon Island world famous several decades ago by declaring it to be one of the world's top dive sites. The waters surrounding the island are now protected as the Reserve Cousteau. The place is an underwater paradise teeming with fish and coral reefs to explore. Naturally, snorkelling and diving are the main activities here but the island itself is just as nice to relax a bit and enjoy the sun.

Beaches

Guadeloupe has some fine beaches. Although some like St. Anne are very touristy and packed with people on most days, there are some more secluded areas the further you go from the main towns and tourist spots. Grande Anse is one of the most beautiful beaches of the island with white sands, palm trees and turquoise waters.

Waterfalls

Guadeloupe has some fine examples of refreshing waterfalls, which makes for a welcome relief after a bus ride or drive by car. Some of them are just near the road while others are set deep in the hilly jungle and require some more strenuous walking. Either way, having been to Guadeloupe without seeing any waterfall is a shame and almost impossible!

Other sights and activities

• St François - for views to the islands west of the main island of Guadeloupe
• Musée St-John Perse - Point-a-Pitre
• Outer islands - reachable by ferry and some of them much quieter

Events and Festivals

Weather

Guadeloupe has a hot and humid tropical climate with average daytime temperatures throughout the year of 30 °C and average nights around 23 °C. Most rain falls between June and October with a change of hurricanes from August onwards. Therefore, the drier (and slightly cooler) December to April period is the best time to visit weather wise. Unfortunately prices rise sharply during this period and the months of November and May still have good weather. So budget wise these latter months may be a good option as well.

Getting There

By Plane

Air Caraibes is the major airline of the French Caribbean and Guadeloupe is its main base. Among the other French islands, it has direct flights to Cayenne in French Guiana and to Paris in France. Other destinations include Stockholm, Copenhagen, Havana and Panama City. Air Antilles serves Saint Lucia and several French islands.

By Boat

• Guadeloupe - Dominica vv

L'Express des Iles operates 3 weekly services between the islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe. They leave Roseau, the capital of Dominica on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 3pm (Sat. 1pm) and take about 2.5 hours. In the opposite direction, they leave the capital Point-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe at Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 8am (Sundays 10am) and take under 2 hours. Brudey Freres (french only) has services as well between the two islands on Mondays only (one in low season, two in high season).

• Guadeloupe - Martinique vv

Brudey Freres (french only) has services between Point-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe and Fort-de-France, Martinique five times weekly (Monday, Wednesday-Sunday) during low season, but six more during high season and school holidays. All ferries except the ones on Mondays stop in Dominica en route (see above) to Martinique, the other way around they don't stop on Fridays. L'Express des Iles has services as well.

• Guadeloupe - Saint Lucia vv

Brudey Freres (french only) has one sailing a week during off season and 2 to 3 sailings a week during high season (December-April) between Point-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe and Castries on the island of Saint Lucia. Most sailings are on Fridays and Sundays. L'Express des Iles has services as well.

Getting Around

By Plane

From Point-a-Pitre internatioanl airport there are domestic services to La Désirade, Terre-de-Haut and Marie-Galante with a number of airlines, including Air Caraibes and Air Guadeloupe.

By Car

Renting a car is very good way to cover both Basse Terre and Grande Terre and there are numerous agencies in the airport and the capital, both local as well as international. Prices are reasonable, especially if you are with 2 or more people sharing costs. Traffic drives on the right. and the roads in Guadeloupe are of good quality. A national driver's licence is enough.

By Bus

Guadeloupe has an efficient, reliable and cheap bus system with several lines running frequently all days, except Sundays. Most major towns and cities are connected by road from Point-a-Pitre and many other places on both Grande Terre as well as Basse Terre. There are also buses on Marie-Galante every day except Sunday.
Taxis are available in and around Point-a-Pitre and the airport but are expensive.

By Boat

Brudey Freres (french only) and L'Express des Iles have daily services between the main island of Guadeloupe and several other islands. To the Iles des les Saintes, there are daily connections leaving Point-a-Pitre (Grande-Terre) for Terre de Haut at 8am. In the opposite direction they leave Terre de Haut at 4pm.
There are two crossings daily (one in the morning and one in the late afternoon) as well between Terre de Haut and Trois Rivières (Basse-Terre) and between Terre de Bas and Trois Rivières.
From Terre de Haut you can take another local ferry to Terre de Bas as well.

Other connections include the ferry from Point-a-Pitre to Grand Bourg on the island of Marie Galante, which travels 3 times on weekdays, one of which is via Saint Louis. During weekends, especially on Sundays, there are less services.
Trois Rivières and Marie Galante are connected by ferries as well.

There are also daily regular ferries to Grande Anse on the island of La Desirade, east of Grande-Terre with Le Colibri. You can contact them at

From Sainte Anne and/or Saint Louis in the west of Grande Terre you can take ferries to most of the above mentioned places, like La Desirade, Marie Galante and Iles del les Saintes. To add, there are also ferries to Petite Terre between Grand Terre and La Desirade, that make brief stops here.

You can find detailed maps, schedules, prices and information about companies at this website

Red Tape

Money

See also: Money Matters

As an Overseas Department of France, Guadeloupe has adopted the Euro (ISO code: EUR, symbol: €) as its official currency. One Euro is divided into 100 cents, which is sometimes referred to as eurocents, especially when distinguishing them with the US cents.

Euro banknotes come in denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500. The highest three denominations are rarely used in everyday transactions. All Euro banknotes have a common design for each denomination on both sides throughout the Eurozone.

The Euro coins are 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, €1 and €2. Some countries in the Eurozone have law which requires cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest 5 cents. All Euro coins have a common design on the denomination (value) side, while the opposite side may have a different image from one country to another. Although the image side may be different, all Euro coins remain legal tender throughout the Eurozone.

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