Must-see attractions in French Antilles

  • Colombier, Saint Barthelemy

    Plage de Colombier

    St-Barthélemy

    This is the tropical paradise you've daydreamed about: a dazzling, secluded white-sand carpet lapped by turquoise waters and backed by undulating hills…

  • Snorkeler surveys coral reef, Guadeloupe, French West Indies, Caribbean Sea

    Réserve Cousteau

    Basse-Terre Island

    Jacques Cousteau brought Pigeon Island to international attention by declaring it to be one of the world’s top dive areas, and the waters surrounding the…

  • Remote and private Gouverneur Beach on the French Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy (St Barts.).

    Plage de Gouverneur

    St-Barthélemy

    Cradled by high cliffs and untouched nature, Gouverneur is a gorgeous, broad, secluded sandy beach fringing a U-shaped bay. It’s splendid for sunbathing…

  • Mémorial ACTe

    Pointe-à-Pitre

    Top billing in the French Antilles goes to this huge museum of slavery, opened by President Hollande in 2015. Housed in a spectacular silver-latticework…

  • Îlet Pinel

    St-Martin & Sint Maarten

    This petite offshore islet is fab for a sun-soaked afternoon. Refreshingly undeveloped (it’s part of the Reserve Naturelle Saint Martin or St-Martin…

  • 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…

  • Loterie Farm

    St-Martin & Sint Maarten

    Loterie Farm is the brainchild of former actor Bill 'BJ' Welch who left the Hollywood rat race to turn a former plantation into a private nature reserve…

  • Maison du Cacao

    Basse-Terre Island

    One of Basse-Terre's most enjoyable attractions, the Maison du Cacao is for anyone who loves their chocolate. Presentations in English take place at 10am,…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Zoo de Guadeloupe

    Basse-Terre Island

    One of Guadeloupe's must-sees, this excellent zoo, high in the mountains of Basse-Terre, combines animal enclosures with a jungle adventure. Follow the…

  • Grande Anse

    Deshaies

    This superb golden-sand beach with no hotel development in sight is just 2km north of Deshaies. This is one of Basse-Terre's longest and prettiest…

  • Plage de la Caravelle

    Grande-Terre

    This headland of white sand about 2km west of Ste-Anne's center is one of Guadeloupe's very finest beaches – it's the Caribbean you probably came to see…

  • Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin

    Basse-Terre Island

    This Unesco Biosphere Reserve just off the coast of Basse-Terre makes for an enjoyable day trip. A chain of coral islets sitting atop a 25km-long coral…

  • Baie de Pompierre

    Terre-de-Haut

    The horseshoe-shaped Baie de Pompierre is perhaps Terre-de-Haut's loveliest beach: a reef-protected golden strand with a splendid setting. There are even…

  • Plage de Saline

    St-Barthélemy

    Secluded Plage de Saline is the most photogenic and serene of all St-Barth's beaches. Bookended by rocky hillside, this sweep of golden sand is ideal for…

  • Baie Longue

    St-Martin & Sint Maarten

    Baie Longue embraces two splendid miles of white sand and rocky outcrops, making it a prime spot for long strolls and meditative sunsets. The impossibly…

  • 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…

  • Anse Maurice

    Grande-Terre

    The nearly empty, quite remote beach of Anse Maurice is accessed via a small road with concrete tracks. The water is clear and very shallow until you walk…

  • Anse à Cointe

    Terre-de-Haut

    Two kilometers southwest of Bourg des Saintes is Anse à Cointe, a good beach for combining swimming and snorkeling. The snorkeling is best on the north…

  • 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 St-John Perse

    Pointe-à-Pitre

    This three-level municipal museum occupies an outstanding example of 19th-century colonial architecture and is dedicated to renowned poet and Nobel…

  • Yoda Guy Movie Exhibit

    St-Martin & Sint Maarten

    This 1st-floor museum is the brainchild of makeup artist Nick Maley, whose role in creating Yoda of Star Wars fame garnered him the nickname 'That Yoda…

  • La Soufrière

    Basse-Terre Island

    Active volcano La Soufrière (1467m) looms above Basse-Terre's southern half. For an adventurous 1¾-hour hike to the sulfurous, moonscape-like summit, a…

  • 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…

  • Edgar Clerc Archaeological Museum

    Grande-Terre

    This relatively small but informative museum has a fascinating display of archaeological finds made on Guadeloupe and elsewhere in the Caribbean. Much of…

  • Petites Cayes

    St-Martin & Sint Maarten

    One of the island’s top hidden beaches, Petites Cayes is accessible via the Sentier des Froussards (Froussards Trail), a narrow, steep and rocky trail…

  • 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…

  • Chutes du Carbet

    Basse-Terre Island

    Unless it’s overcast, the drive up to the Chutes du Carbet lookout gives a view of two magnificent waterfalls plunging down a sheer mountain face. From…

  • Parc National de la Guadeloupe

    Basse-Terre Island

    Guadeloupe's only national park is an absolute stunner, covering much of the interior of Basse-Terre and including such sights as the Chutes du Carbet…

  • Fort Louis

    St-Martin & Sint Maarten

    It's a short but steep climb up to what's left of this once mighty fort, completed in 1789 under St-Martin's then-governor Jean Sebastian de Durat to…

  • Friar's Bay Beach

    St-Martin & Sint Maarten

    Pretty and protected, this west-facing cove has two beach bars, chic Friar's Bay Beach Café and funky Kali’s Beach Bar, which hosts famous full-moon…

  • Plage de Clugny

    Deshaies

    Between Grande Anse and Ste-Rose, at the northern tip of Basse-Terre, this dazzling stretch of golden sand is lapped by jade waters that just beg to be…

  • St Bartholomew's Anglican Church

    St-Barthélemy

    Completed in 1855 from French bricks and limestone, local stone and Sint Eustatius volcanic black rock, white-painted St Bartholomew's has an open-sided…

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