Martinique Attractions and Things to Do

Martinique attractions include the capital city of Fort-De-France for its architecture and history; the statues and gardens of La Savane; and the former city of St. Pierre, where 30,000 residents were killed in 1902 by the volcanic eruption of Mont Pelee.


One of the top sightseeing attractions of Fort-de-France, the capital, is the Bibliothèque Schoelcher (Schoelcher Library). The Romanesque-Byzantine building was constructed more than 100 years ago for the Paris Exposition of 1889, after which it was dismantled and shipped to Martinique.

The library is named for Victor Schoelcher, a French abolitionist who helped end slavery on the island in 1848. The building is located by La Savane, the city's central park.


Mount Pelée is a renowned volcano and the highest peak on the island at 4,500 feet. The site is a National Biological Reserve with views of both the Atlantic ocean and the Caribbean sea on clear days. A summit trail is available for experienced hikers.


La Savane's Caribbean gardens have statues of Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc, the French nobleman who claimed the island for France in 1635, and another one of Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie, who was born in Trois Ilets across the bay and became Napoléon's Empress Joséphine.

Also nearby are the Cathedral of Saint-Louis, the Palais de Justice with a statue of Victor Schoelcher and the Musée Départemental with archaeological exhibits from early Martinique.


St-Pierre, located north on the Caribbean coast, was the "Paris of the West Indies" until 1902 when Mont Pelée Volcano erupted and destroyed the city. A museum located there provides details and displays about the disaster.

One-hour tours on weekdays and half-hour tours during weekends cost about $6 Euro for adults and $3 Euro for children. The fee includes train fare via the Cyparis Express and the tour.


Habitation Latouche was built in 1643 and is one of the oldest plantation estates of Martinique. The eruption of Mount Pelée  destroyed it in 1902, but many ruins remain. Jean Philippe Thoze, founder of the Balata Botanical Garden, has turned the grounds of Habitation Latouche into a garden where history and nature are intertwined.

The garden is located in Carbet, Paul Gauguin's favorite village on the Caribbean coast. Open from 10 am to 5 p.m.


Les Jardins de la Mer is an aquatic park where the island’s main ecosystems are presented. Visitors will learn about the six water biotopes: the river, the swamp, the laguna, the mangrove, the reef and the coral reef laguna through a combination of learning, interacting and exploring.

A picnic area and kayaking are available. The park is open from Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.


A medical certificate is required in order to go scuba diving. In general, initiation lessons are provided at hotel pools. Experienced divers only need to present their license. Suggested dive locations: shipwrecks off the coast of Saint-Pierre or the coral reefs off the Caribbean coast. Shipwrecks include thos sunk by the eruption of Mount Pelee in 1902.


Le Prêcheur offers the Anse Céron beach beneath the ruins of Habitation Céron. It also is the starting point of a six-hour hike that goes to Grand-Rivière on the Atlantic coast, at the northernmost point of the island.


Martinique attractions include numerous rum distilleries because of sugar cane that grows on the island. The rums have been awarded the prestigious French label "appellation d'origine contrôlée," previously reserved only for French cheeses and wines. Tours are available at many of the distilleries.


Popular beaches include Anse Dufour, Grande Anse d'Arlet, Plage des Salines and Le Diamant. Black sand beaches include Le Carbet and St Pierre. Because the island is a French overseas territory, topless sunbathing is legal and common.