So you’re planning a trip to beautiful Martinique? Here is a list of places that you should definitely see! Read our articles about this beautiful island and get prepared for your trip.
Martinique is the third biggest island of Lesser Antilles (after Guadaloupe and Trinidad). The island is approximately 70 km long and 30 km wide. Martinique is not big at all, you can visit a majority of the island during one week. If you have more time – better for you! You can “get lost” and wander around this beautiful island.
The main disadvantage of this part of the world is, that the sun goes down around 6 p.m. (After sunset you may be a good desert for mosquitos)! The day time is relatively short, so you should spend some time planning your stay.
Martinique offers many many beautiful beaches and wild nature, but doesn’t have many historical sights to see. Here you can see which places were in our one-week itinerary and are worth visiting!
The North
Rhum J.M.
- Free Entrance!
- Adress: Distillerie J.M, Rhumerie de Fonds Préville – Macouba
If you travel to the Caribbean you should definitely try some rhum! Destillery Rhum J.M is located in a beautiful area near volcano Montagne Pelée. You can go there on a self-guided tour – Advice: Better travel with someone who can speak french – there is not a single word in english :D. The end is the best part of the tour (for us- people that don’t speak french) – Rhum tasting for free! The staff was very very kind to us and we really recommend this place 🙂 You can buy there a bottle of traditional rhum for a very good price.
Montagne Pelée – “Sleeping volcano”
Montagne Pelée is the highest mountain on Martinique. It is a sleeping volcano that is located in the north of the island – well, it is so big that you cannot miss it on the way. The last devastating eruption was in 1902. Former capital Saint Pierre was completely burned down and 30 000 people lost their lives.
Now in 21. century this volcano is asleep and under constant control. You can actually go on a hike that leads to the top of the mountain. It takes around 4 hours and we heard that it is difficult. We didn’t have time to go there because of our travel partners. You can park your car near the start of this hike. There is a quite cheap restaurant with a beautiful view.
The “Middle part “
Jardin de Balata
- Admission fee – 14 EUR (No student discount)
- Adress: Route de Balata, Fort-de-France 97234
Well, none of us is a passionate gardener or something like this. BUT! This place is really incredible and we think, that you should definitely add it to your list. The whole visit took us around 2 hours (but if you have time, you can spend more). Beautiful flowers, trees and views 🙂 Enjoy it!
Balata Cathedral (Sacre-Coeur de Balata)
If you go to Jardin de Balata you cannot miss Balata Cathedral on your way. This cathedral has a very special vibe and the architecture is really interesting. Plus you can enjoy a beautiful view of Fort de France.
Cascade Didier – in the “heart of jungle”
Are you ready for an unforgettable adventure??! Didier waterfalls are literally located in the heart of jungle. We had a few problems with finding the right way. Most of the local people had hiking shoes and clothes.. well, we had flip-flops and were dressed for a beach day (and we managed to hike there!) From the “parking lot” (let’s call it like this) you have to cross a bridge, climb a steep hill and the most challenging part – go through a around 200 metres long tunnel (with no light and creepy sounds). Then walk around 15 minutes through the jungle climb up few steps and enjoy a good swim under a small waterfall. This place was definitely worth it! If you have right shoes and hiking clothes, you can continue further to see the bigger waterfall.
Fort de France – The capital
We unfortunately picked the worst day for visiting the capital – SUNDAY. And suddenly a city with 80 000 inhabitants looked like a ghost town. There is a nice church and few interesting buildings. If you want to see Drogon from Game of Thrones, visit parking near the fortress.
The South
Le Diamant
Le Diamant is a small city located on the south coast of Martinique and named after a rock formation/little island that you can see on the photo below. You can enjoy views of this small island from several places like – Le Diamand Beach or Cap 110.
Cap 110 – Slavery Monument
- Free entrance!
- Adress: Plage de l’Anse Caffard, 97223 Diamant
When I saw this picture on instagram couple months ago I thought that this is a cool place to see! But it actually has a sad history. This was created in 1998 by a local artist. It commemorates a very sad event from 1830. That year a terrible accident happend – a boat with 300 slaves crashed into Diamond mountain and everyone died.
Les Anses d’Arlet – A colorful little town
This place is a must see! Les Anses d’Arlet is located near beach Grande Anse d’Arlet and has really cute colorful houses and a beautiful church. If you walk to the end of the wooden pier you can enjoy a beautiful view of the city and cristal clear water.
Savanne des Petrifications
This is a two hours long hike near the most beutiful beach on the island – Les Salines! We were a bit unlucky during our visit (there was a hurricane before we came) and the path was under water. I am sure we could walk through it, but we didn’t want to risk with backpacks full of stuff.
Presqu’île de la Caravelle – Chateau Dubuc
- Admission fee: 4 EUR
- Adress: Tartane, La Trinite 97220, Martinik
This place is very beautiful and not touristy at all – it is located on the Caravelle Peninsula. You can visit ruins of a castle Dubuc from 18th century and read obout it’s interesting history (no spoilers). Again it is a self-guided tour, but this time you can enjoy it in english.
Is there any other place that you would recommend as a “must see” ? Comment below 🙂
Martinique – European paradise in the Caribbean
Last Updated on March 1, 2021 by Míša
