36 Best Sights in Martinique

Get a glimpse into Martinique's colonial past at this estate and rum distillery, the site of a former sugar cane plantation. Visitors are given a multilingual audio headset, which explains tour highlights. Signage further describes the rum-making process and other aspects of plantation life. The Palm Grove, with an avenue of palms and park benches, is a delightful place to reflect; the contemporary sculpture is fascinating. It was all built with the wealth generated by its rum distillery, and its 18th-century splendor has been lovingly preserved. The plantation's Creole house illustrates the adaption to life in the tropics up through the 20th century. An early French typewriter, a crank-up telephone, and decades-old photos of the Cléments and Hayots (béké families), are juxtaposed with modern Afro-Caribbean art. The newest building houses an art gallery that showcases contemporary, Caribbean art, and sculpture. Enjoy the free tastings at the bar of the retail shop. Consider the Canne Bleu, Grappe Blanche, or one of the aged rums, some bottled as early as 1952.

Children get a discount. Also, allow 1½–2 hours to see everything. The ticket office closes at 5.

J. M. offers the most innovative and contemporary exhibits in addition to tastings. Long considered to be among the top echelon of Martinique rums, it does not have the same name recognition as some of the other popular labels, like Clément, for example. That is partly because J. M.'s best rhum vieux is considerably more expensive than your average bottle. The 10-year-old vintages (44.8 proof) truly rival France’s fine cognacs, and a tasting is among the complimentary offerings that are available. Displays allow you to inhale the various aromas of the products, from vanilla and orange to almonds and exotic fruits. Some of the visuals are very high-tech. It is said that J. M. rum is made special by the pure mountain water of Macouba, where the outstanding rain forest is among the only sightseeing options.

Plan to couple a visit to this destination distillery with one to Carbet and St. Pierre, then the Depaz Distillery, in time to take lunch at their fine restaurant. Then proceed to J. M. It is best to either have a designated driver, or hire an English-speaking driver for a half or full day.

Offshore from Le François, les fonds blancs baths draw snorkelers to the privately owned Ilets de l'Impératrice. The islands received that name because, according to legend, this is where Empress Joséphine Bonaparte came to bathe in the shallow basins, known as les fonds blancs because of their white-sand bottoms. Group boat tours leave from the harbor and include lunch and drinks and one can even buy a package that includes an overnight stay on the remote and romantic Îlet Oscar. Prices vary. You can also haggle with a fisherman to take you out for a while on his boat. There's a fine bay 6 miles (10 km) farther along the coast where you can swim and go kayaking. The town itself is rather lackluster but authentic, and you'll find a number of different shops, a gas station, and supermarkets.

This wildly elaborate Romanesque public library was named after Victor Schoelcher, who led the fight to free the slaves in the French West Indies in the 19th century. The eye-popping, historic structure was built for the 1889 Paris Exposition, after which it was dismantled, shipped to Martinique, and reassembled piece by piece.

The island's longest beach has a splendid view of Diamond Rock, but the Atlantic waters are rough, with lots of wave action—it's not known as a surfers' beach, though. Diamant is often deserted, especially midweek, which is more reason to be careful if you do go swimming. The sand is black here, and it is an experience to snorkel above it. Happily, it's a great place for picnicking and beachcombing; there are shade trees aplenty, and parking is abundant and free. The hospitable, family-run Diamant Les Bains hotel is a good lunch spot; if you eat lunch there, the management may let you wash off in the pool overlooking the beach. From Les Trois-Îlets, go in the direction of Rivière Salée, taking the secondary road to the east, toward Le Diamant. A coastal route, it leads to the beach. Amenities: food and drink; parking. Best for: solitude; snorkeling; walking.

A short drive south of Ste-Anne brings you to a mile-long (1½-km-long) cove lined with soft white sand and coconut palms. The beach is awash with families and children during holidays and on weekends, but quiet during the week. The far end—away from the makeshift souvenir shops—is most appealing. The calm waters are safe for swimming, even for the kids. You can snorkel, but it's not that memorable. Food vendors roam the sand, and there are also pizza stands and simple seafood restaurants. From Le Marin, take the coastal road toward Ste-Anne. You will see signs for Les Salines. If you see the sign for Pointe du Marin, you have gone too far. Amenities: food and drink; parking; showers; toilets. Best for: partiers; swimming; walking.

A good day trip from nearby St-Pierre, this 17th-century village surrounded by pineapple fields and filled with flowers is the jumping-off point for several sights. The Saut Babin, a 40-foot waterfall, is a half-hour walk from Ajoupa-Bouillon. The Gorges de la Falaise is a river gorge where you can swim.

On the southern Caribbean coast, this is one of the island's best long stretches of white sand. The public beach has picnic tables, restrooms, seagrape trees (which offer some shade), and crowds on weekends, when you'll also usually find plenty of food vendors. During the week, the beach is much less busy. The water is calm, with just enough wave action to remind you that it's the sea. There are no beach-chair rentals. From Fort-de-France, exit to the right before you get to the town of Ste-Luce. You first see signs for the Karibea Hotels and then one for Corps de Garde, which is on the right. At the stop sign take a left. Amenities: food and drink; toilets. Best for: partiers; swimming; walking.

This patch of sand is on the wild side of the Presqu'île du Caravelle. Ungroomed and in a fairly natural state, it's what the French call a sauvage beach. The only people you are likely to see are brave surfers who ride the high waves or some local families. Bliss, the surf school here, has re-opened and has taught many kids. Résidence Oceane, mainly for surfers, looks down on all of this action; it doesn't have a restaurant, but you can get a drink. Amenities: parking; toilets (at surf school); water sports. Best for: partiers; surfing; walking.

On the route to this village on the Atlantic coast at the island's northern end—the wild side of Martinique—you pass many banana and pineapple plantations. Just south of Basse-Pointe is a Hindu temple, which was built by descendants of the East Indians who settled in this area in the 19th century. The view of Mont Pelée from the temple is memorable. Basse-Pointe is a short drive from Macouba and is best experienced as a day excursion.

A 20-minute drive from Le Carbet, Bellefontaine is a colorful fishing village with pastel houses on the hillsides and beautifully painted gommiers (fishing boats) bobbing in the water. Look for the restaurant built in the shape of a boat.

This volcanic mound, 1 mile (1½ km) offshore from the small, friendly village of Le Diamant, is one of the island's best diving spots. In 1804, during the squabbles over possession of the island between the French and the English, the latter commandeered the rock, armed it with cannons, and proceeded to use it as a strategic battery. The British held the rock for nearly a year and a half, attacking any French ships that came along. The French got wind that the British were getting cabin fever on their isolated island and arranged for barrels of rum to float up on the rock. The French easily overpowered the inebriated sailors, ending one of the most curious engagements in naval history.

At the eastern tip of the Presqu'île de Caravelle are the ruins of this castle, once the home of the Dubuc de Rivery family, who owned the peninsula in the 18th century. Constructed in the middle of a sugar plantation in the 1700s, the Dubuc castle had an exceptional location and ocean view. It was the castle that slavery built, as its solitary position enabled the Dubuc family to devote its efforts to an intense traffic of enslaved people with the English Antilles. You can park your car right after the turnoff for Résidence Oceane and walk the dirt road to the ruins. The castle still has a skeleton of stone walls, but it is mostly rubble. Hikers go for the dramatic ocean views, raw nature, and birdlife, but for others, it might not be worth the price of admission. It now has a map and interactive self-guide and sometimes an in-person guide, but mainly it is all in French so English visitors are not as satisfied. Also, you can buy a light picnic and ice cream and there are tables.

A few miles north of Ste-Luce, this tropical rain forest is ideal for a short hike. Look for the interesting group of Carib rock drawings.

Fort St-Louis (pronounced lou-EE) is an imposing stone fortress that has guarded the island’s principal port city since the 17th century. Originally carved out from a rocky promontory jutting out into the Bay of Fort-de-France, Fort St-Louis towers nearly 200 feet over the city at its highest point, affording visitors panoramic views of the surrounding seaside urban landscape. A view-experience and photo op, with a spyglass, one could see any threatening warships coming for miles in advance. Guided tours are available in English, French, Spanish, and Italian. Walking shoes are recommended. Visitors must first check-in at the Office of Tourism, on 29 rue Victor Hugo.

Gustatory and olfactory delights await at this bio rum distillery, one of few where the sugarcane is still cut by hand. La "belle Aline," the shiny copper alembic, steals the show. To discover more in-depth, you can even participate in the rum production (available upon reservation).

Martinique was a brief stop in Paul Gauguin's wanderings, but a decisive moment in the evolution of his art. He arrived from Panama in 1887 with friend and fellow painter Charles Laval and, having pawned his watch at the docks, rented a wooden shack on a hill above Carbet. Dazzled by the tropical colors and vegetation, Gauguin developed a style, his Martinique period, that directly anticipated his Tahitian paintings. Also remembered here is the writer Lafcadio Hearn. In his endearing book Two Years in the West Indies he provides the most extensive description of the island before St-Pierre was buried in ash and lava. A major renovation created unique white cottages that house an interactive multimedia exhibit. The front gallery features some of Gauguin's original works. Throughout are exhibits detailing his life on Martinique. Space has also been set aside for temporary exhibitions for Martinican and Caribbean artists like a recent one for Carnival masks. In addition there are painting classes. The entryway displays a large, wooden sculpture by the island’s well-known artist, Hector Charpentier.

Down a dirt road, in the countryside outside the tourist zone, stands La Savane des Esclaves, a re-created "free" village of former enslaved people (circa 1800). This labor of love was created by Gilbert Larose, who has a fascination with his ancestors who were "Nèg'Marrons," enslaved people who fled the plantations to live free, off the land. The Antan Lontan Village, the name Larose gave his settlement, reveals much about this major element in Martinique's history and culture, with food tastings and artisan demonstrations. His gardens of fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs are cultivated in the traditional manner. Shows utilizing the various groups of Martinican folkloric dancers are held several times a year, both by day and by night. On Saturday from 9 to noon, there are often more elaborate tastings, demonstrations, and traditional dance lessons. Allow an hour and 15 minutes for the guided tour in French. There is some signage in English.

A stone building that held the kitchen of the estate where Joséphine grew up houses the Musée de la Pagerie. It contains an assortment of memorabilia pertaining to her life and rather unfortunate loves, including a marriage certificate and a love letter written straight from the heart by Napoléon in 1796. The main house blew down in the hurricane of 1766, when she was three, and the family lived for years above the sugarcane factory—a hot, smelly, and fly-ridden existence. At 16 she was wed (an arranged marriage because her father was a gambling man in need of money) to Alexandre de Beauharnais. After he was assassinated during the Revolution, she married Napoléon and substantially improved her station in life. This museum is not a must-do in Martinique, but if you have some time and are in Trois-Îlets it offers an interesting bit of island history about a girl who made good.

Museum hours sometimes change, so be sure to call in advance.

This museum explores Martinique's diverse fauna and flora. Ten thousand species can be discovered, from the different types of mangroves to reptiles. Père Pinchon was a natural science professor and a priest who moved to Martinique in 1945 and dedicated his life to researching and listing all the existing species on the island.

A hidden treasure with an unassuming entrance just down the street from the Hotel L'Impératrice, this multistory archaeological museum houses some 2,000 Indigenous artifacts. English-speaking guides are sometimes available. Kids take to this museum, "digging" the early peashooters, poison darts, hammocks that took a year to make, and the shaman's headdress. Also fascinating is the jewelry fashioned from natural materials, boar tusks, and bird feathers. A good time to sample this dose of prehistory is on a typically hot city day, for the air-conditioning is frigid.

The producers of one of the best rums on the island, Neisson is a small, family-run operation. Its rum is distilled from pure sugarcane juice rather than molasses. The distillery is open for tours and tastings, and the shop sells rhum extra-vieux (vintage rum) that truly rivals cognac. Neisson is one of the distilleries that consistently brings home the gold (and the silver) from rum competitions in France. A passion for history and tradition characterizes the distillery, as does the design of its bottles. Proud of its independence, at a time when most distilleries are absorbed by large groups, the distillery is now run by the daughter and grandson of Hildevert Pamphille Neisson, who founded the distillery in 1931.

On the site of an ancient hospital, the Parc Floral Aimé Césaire is in the northeastern corner of the city center. After restorations parts of the park have reopened, as has the Grand Carbet theater. The park contains the island's official cultural center, where there are events that include beauty pageants and free evening concerts, especially during the International Festival or on memorial days. The live music is often jazz, classical music, and opera.

This beachy tourist area has a marina and several resort hotels, among them the deluxe Hotel Bakoua and the Hôtel La Pagerie. The ferry to Fort-de-France leaves from here. The Village Creole complex with its "residences" for tourists, its cluster of boutiques, ice-cream parlors, and rental-car agencies, forms the hub from which various restaurants and hotels radiate. It's a pretty quiet place in the low season. The beach at Anse-Mitan, which is a little west of Pointe du Bout proper, is one of the best on the island. There are also several small restaurants and inexpensive guesthouses there.

Stretching north from Ste-Anne, this is a good windsurfing and waterskiing spot. It's also a popular family beach, with restaurants, campsites, and clean facilities available for a small fee. Club Med is on the northern edge, and you can purchase a day pass. From Le Marin, take the coastal road to Ste-Anne. Make a right before town, toward Domaine de Belfond. You can see signs for Pointe du Marin. Amenities: food and drink; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking; windsurfing.

Much of the Caravelle Peninsula, which juts 8 miles (13 km) into the Atlantic Ocean, is under the protection of the Regional Nature Reserve and offers places for trekking, swimming, and sailing. This is also the site of Anse-Spoutourne, an open-air sports and leisure center operated by the reserve. The town of Tartane has a popular surfing beach with brisk Atlantic breezes.

Macouba is the starting point for a spectacular drive, the 6-mile (10-km) Route to Grand' Rivière on the northernmost point. This is Martinique at its greenest: groves of giant bamboo, cliffs hung with curtains of vines, and human-size tree ferns that seem to grow as you watch them. Literally at the end of the road is Grand' Rivière, a colorful, sprawling fishing village at the foot of high cliffs. The Syndicat d'Initiative Riverain, the local tourism office in Macouba, can arrange hiking and boating excursions.

Pronounced shell-share, this upscale suburb of Fort-de-France is home to the University of the French West Indies and Guyana, as well as Martinique's largest convention center, Palais de Congres de Madiana. Schoelcher was named after abolitionist Victor Schoelcher, who is credited with ending slavery on the island.

The Musée du Rhum, operated by the St. James Rum Distillery, is housed in a graceful, galleried Creole house. Interestingly, the distillery was founded in 1765 in Ste-Pierre by a priest who was also an alchemist. It was relocated to Ste-Marie after the 1902 eruption of Mont Pelée. Guided tours can take in the plantation and the displays of the tools of the trade, the art gallery, and include a visit and tasting at the distillery. You can opt to take a little red train tour for €5 that traverses the cane fields and runs between here and the nearby banana museum, while a guide narrates; it runs on many Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Saturday afternoons. Just be aware the detailed commentary is in French.

The museum and distillery are closed during the cane harvest, and weekend hours sometimes change; tours may not happen during December. It's a good idea to call ahead.

On the route to this village on the Atlantic coast at the island's northern end you pass many banana and pineapple plantations. Just south of Basse-Pointe is a Hindu temple, which was built by descendants of the East Indians who settled in this area in the 19th century. The view of Mont Pelée from the temple is memorable.