Martinique

Quick Facts

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Capital

Fort-de-France

Population

426,000

Government

Overseas Department of France

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant)

Languages

French, Creole patois

Calling Code

+596

Nationality

Contributors

• Utrecht (71%)
  from http://utrecht.travellerspoint.com
• Peter (27%)
  from My Shout

as well as dr.pepper (2%)

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Introduction

East meets west in Martinique, where French sovereignty since the 17th century has helped form the island's Creole culture. What has emerged is a unique French styling of Creole tradition. Early 20th century Parisian-style architecture, a dominance of sophisticated French fashion, and French patriotic pride intersect with the sounds of Afro-Caribbean dance, zouk and the flavours of Creole cuisine.

This fascinating culture is laid out against a backdrop of graceful Caribbean beauty. The elegant Parisian-tinted capital, Fort-de-Fance is nestled comfortably between the Baie des Flamands and the volcanic peaks of the Pitons du Carbet. Further inland, lush unspoilt rainforests make for excellent hiking opportunities.

Brief History

Geography

Regions

Martinique consists of four arondissements

• Arrondissement of Fort-de-France is the most populous and home to the capital Fort-de-France
• Arrondissement of Le Marin
• Arrondissement of La Trinité
• Arrondissement of Saint-Pierre

Cities

• Fort-de-France, the capital
• Saint-Pierre
• La Trinite

Sights and Activities

La Savane

La Savane is an urban park in Fort-de-France. The large central park boasts grassy lawns, tall trees, bamboo and plenty of space to relax and enjoy the views. The harborside of La Savane has souvenir stalls, a newsstand and statues dedicated to early settlers and fallen soldiers. At the northern edge you can find a statue of the Empress Josephine holding a locket with a portrait of Napoleon. The park is the main focus of the action during Carnival and other major events in the capital.

Les Ombrages

Les Ombrages is a beautiful botanical garden. It is located at the site of what once was a rum distillery. It makes for a great break to stop here for a while and wander around the well maintained gardens. There is also the option of taking a trail where you will pass bamboo, tall trees with buttressed roots, torch gingers and the ruins of an old mill. It's a very pleasant and lush jungle walk which doesn't take to long and you can refresh with some fresh juices sold here afterwards.

Other sights and activities

• Musée de la Pagerie - former sugar estate, dedicated to the Empress Josephine
• Macouba - former tobacco town with great views across the sea and mountains
• Balata - another fine town with a church built to remember the people who died in WWI and a garden with thousands of tropical plants

Events and Festivals

Weather

Martinique has a hot and humid tropical climate with average daytime temperatures between 28 and 30 degrees Celcius and average nights around 23 degrees Celcius. 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 weatherwise. Unfortunately prices rise sharply during this period and the months of November and May still have good weather. So budgetwise these latter months may be a good option as well.

Getting there

Plane

Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport (FDF) is located near the capital Fort-de-France. Take Air has flights from Guadeloupe, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Antigua, among a few others. Air France has direct flighs from Paris. Several other airlines in the Caribbean region all have fligts, connecting most islands with Martinique.

Boat

• Martinique - Dominica vv

L'Express des Iles has 3 weekly services between Dominica and Martinique at 10.15am Wednesdays and Fridays and 12.15pm on Sundays, travelling between the capitals Roseau and Fort-de-France. From Martinique they leave on Mondays at 1pm and Saturdays at 11.30 am. It takes about 1,5 hours in both directions. Brudey Freres (french only) has services as well between the two islands.

• Martinique - Saint Lucia vv

Soufriere, St Lucia

© All Rights Reserved TigerPilot

Wednesdays and Fridays at 1.30pm and Sundays at 3.30pm, L'Express des Iles travels from Fort-de-France to Castries on Saint Lucia. In the opposite direction, ferries leave 5 times a week. Both crossings take about 80 minutes. Brudey Freres (french only) has services as well between the two islands on Fridays and Sundays only.

• Martiniuqe - Guadeloupe 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.

Getting Around

By Plane

You might be able to charter helicopters with Air Martinique, but it's expensive.

By Car

There are many international and local car rental agencies at the airport and Fort-de-France. An International Driving Permit is recommended, but a national driving licence is enought. You need to be 21 and have at least one year of driving experience. Driving is on the right and roads are generally in a very good condition. Bikes and motorcycles are also for rent.

By Bus

Many minibuses ( taxi collectifs) depart at frequent intervals from Pointe Simon in Fort-de-France to almost anywhere on the island and provide a good and inexpensive way of getting around between the main towns on the island, especially to Saint Pierre. There are less services on Sundays.
Taxis are plentiful as well, especially in and around Fort-de-France, but not much of an option if you want to cover large distances.

By Boat

Several companies offer ferry services between Fort-de-France and several resort areas. Somatours Vedettes runs a ferry to Pointe du Bout taking about 20 minutes and leaving every hour or so. Vedettes Madinina travels there as well. Matinik Cruise Line goes to the village of Trois-Ilets every 75 minutes or so.

Red Tape

Money

See also: Money Matters

As an overseas department of France, Martinique 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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