🏝 Tourism
La Martinique
Martinique is truly a land of tradition and culture.
🇲🇶 Lesser Antilles · French Overseas Department
Martinique
An island in the Lesser Antilles, north of Trinidad and Tobago in the southern Caribbean Sea — a vibrant blend of French and West Indian culture, famous for Mount Pelée, rhum agricole and the beaches around Fort-de-France.
1,128 km² French overseas department
Fort-de-France capital
+596 calling code
Get to know it
Where France Meets the West Indies
Martinique is part of the Lesser Antilles, located in the Windward Islands in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of Saint Lucia. Its culture reflects a mix of French and West Indian influences, most visible in its largest town and capital, Fort-de-France, home to La Savane — a garden adjoining narrow alley shops and bistros. View map →
Martinique is home to Mount Pelée, the birthplace of Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais, and rhum agricole distilled from fresh sugarcane juice under its own protected Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée. Read the full fact sheet →
Martinique at a Glance
Nationality: French · Size: 1,128 km² (436 sq mi) · birthplace of rhum agricole and Empress Joséphine
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🌱 Sustainability
Tortues Marines Martinique
Tortues Marines Martinique Marine turtles Martinique. Become involved in the protection of sea turtles and support them in their activities. The associations are looking for people who are alert on the subject of sea turtles, who have the time and desire to get involved during events (animations, beach cleanings, awareness stands, etc.).
Devenez Accompagnateur. Le rôle est de s'investir auprès de votre association locale et de les accompagner dans leurs activités. Les associations recherchent des personnes alertes sur le sujet des tortues marines, ayant le temps et l'envie de s'impliquer lors d'ésvènements (animations, nettoyages de plages, tenues de stands de sensibilisation, etc).
★ Cool factor: Protecting the coolest sea animal Visit site
📍 Martinique
Coolest Carib
Coolest Carib promotes Caribbean Islands and their tourist services. Advertisers who benefit the most from our services include car rentals, catamaran tours, kitesurfing schools, water-sports rentals, scuba diving centers, beach resorts, hotels, restaurants, scooter rentals, boating excursions etc. The website is mostly viewed by Caribbean travelers and tourists. For more information about our rates and exposure scope view our advertising page.
★ Cool factor: We place your advertisement on 50+ Caribbean websites Visit site
📍 Martinique
La Pause Cocktail Restaurant
La Pause Bar est situé au coeur du Village Créole, près de la fontaine, installé sous un une grande voile blanche. Vous pourrez écouter une musique d'ambiance tout en dégustant des tapas ou des brochettes. Ils cuisinent à la plancha et ont une belle carte de cocktails. Une petite pause agréable. Où il fait bon terminer sa journée.
La Pause Cocktail Bar Restaurant is situated in the heart of Village Creole close to the fountain under a huge white sail for shade and rain. You can listen to ambient music while nibbling on tapas or a full meal. A great place to end your day and share a cocktail with friends.
★ Cool factor: Restaurant and Cocktail Bar Visit site
📍 Martinique
La Martinique
Martinique is truly a land of tradition and culture, with a rich history of crafts and literature by renowned authors and famous poets, music and dance, lifestyle and gastronomy. Its multi-ethnic population stems from the cultural mixing of the island's successive inhabitants: Amerindians, Europeans, Africans, Indians, Levantines and Asians.
★ Cool factor: Never-Ending Summer Visit site
💻 Website Solutions
gandor.tv
gandor.tv specializes in creating, maintaining, hosting and promoting websites in the Caribbean. They are known for their customer service, maintenance packages, fast response, e-commerce, booking systems and social media magic and creation of advertisments.
★ Cool factor: They create, maintain, host and promote websites. Visit site
🏄 Water Sports
Baz Notik
Baz Notik is located at Hotel Carayou in La Pointe du Bout, Les Trois-Ilets. This water sports center offers water sports rentals and lessons of a big variety like kitesurf, windsurf and wakeboard. The location is amazing. You can either launch from site and go upwind (if you're at that level), or they take you out (up-wind) by boat and you kite back at your leisure. If you're in Martinique by cruise ship take the 20 minute ferry to Pointe du Bout, which is also a hidden gem, a petit village with many bistros and boutiques.
★ Cool factor: It's windy most of the time on location. Visit siteNo businesses in this category yet.
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Beyond the beaches
5 Fun Facts About Martinique
The stories behind the postcard — a few things worth knowing before you go.
1
French Overseas Department
Martinique is an overseas department of France, fully integrated into the French state — the island uses the Euro as its currency, and its official language is French.
2
Mount Pelée
Martinique is home to Mount Pelée, an active volcano that famously erupted in 1902, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre — one of the deadliest volcanic disasters of the 20th century.
3
Birthplace of Empress Joséphine
Martinique is the birthplace of Joséphine de Beauharnais, who became the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress of the French, born in Les Trois-Îlets.
4
Blend of Cultures
Martinique's culture is a vibrant blend of French and Caribbean influences, evident in its cuisine, music and festivals — traditional Creole dishes like colombo and accras are especially popular.
5
Rhum Agricole
Martinique is famous for rhum agricole, made from fresh sugarcane juice rather than molasses — protected by its own Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, like French wines and cheeses.
Don't miss
Top 10 Things to Do
Ranked by locals — the Martinique essentials.
- 1Visit Fort-de-France
- 2Kitesurf at La Pointe du Bout
- 3Mont Pelée
- 4Musée de la Pagerie
- 5Les Salines Beach (see beaches below)
- 6Catamaran tours
- 7La Savane des Esclaves park
- 8Balata Gardens (Le Jardin de Balata)
- 9Saint-Louis Cathedral
- 10Saint-Pierre
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National anthem
“La Marseillaise”
The serious facts
Martinique Fact Sheet
Nationality
French.
Capital
Fort-de-France.
Size
1,128 km² (436 sq mi).
Population
~355,500 as of a 1 January 2025 INSEE estimate — down from the legacy page's older figure of 386,486, one of the steepest population declines of any French region.
Languages
French. Antillean Creole is widely spoken alongside it.
Currency
Euro (EUR).
Government
An overseas department and single territorial collectivity of France (Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique, merged from separate departmental and regional councils in 2015). Prefect: Étienne Desplanques. President of the Executive Council: Serge Letchimy, in office since 2 July 2021.
Time zone
Atlantic Standard Time (AST, UTC-4) year-round — no daylight saving.
Drives on the
Right.
Calling code
+596.
Coordinates
14°38′N 61°01′W.
Banks
Banque Française Commerciale, Banque des Antilles Française, BNP Martinique, Banque Nationale de Paris Martinique, Caisse d'Epargne, Crédit Martiniquais.
Agriculture & export
Sugarcane, bananas, coffee, pineapple, eggplants, avocados, yams, citrus fruit, cassava, sweet potatoes and exotic flowers.
Religion
Roman Catholic ~90%, Hindu ~5%, and 5% other religions.
Geography
North: mountainous, with Mont Pelée (an active volcano) and the Pitons du Carbet — two of five extinct volcanoes now covered in rainforest, reaching 1,196 m (3,924 ft). Volcanic ash has created gray and black sand beaches in the north, in contrast to the white sands of Les Salines in the south. South: easier to travel, with most of the island's beaches and tourist traffic.
Brief History
Martinique is an overseas department of France, fully integrated into the French state — the island uses the Euro as its currency, and French is its official language. It is home to Mont Pelée, an active volcano that famously erupted in 1902, destroying the town of Saint-Pierre in one of the deadliest volcanic disasters of the 20th century.
Martinique is the birthplace of Joséphine de Beauharnais, who became the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress of the French — she was born in Les Trois-Îlets, a town on the island. Martinique's culture is a vibrant blend of French and Caribbean influences, evident in its cuisine, music and festivals, with traditional Creole dishes like colombo and accras especially popular.
Today, as an overseas department and single territorial collectivity of France under Prefect Étienne Desplanques and President Serge Letchimy, Martinique's economy leans on tourism, agriculture and its rhum agricole industry — protected by its own Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, like French wines and cheeses.
Pick your pace
Martinique Beaches
🏖 Les Salines
The island's most famous beach, near Sainte-Anne in the south — soft white sand, calm turquoise water and coconut palms, regularly ranked among the Caribbean's best.
🏖 Pointe du Bout
A resort-lined stretch near Les Trois-Îlets — calm water, water sports operators and a marina, a short ferry ride from Fort-de-France.
🏖 Le Diamant
A long stretch of sand facing the offshore rock of Rocher du Diamant — popular with both sunbathers and surfers depending on the swell.
🏖 Sainte-Luce
A quiet fishing-village beach on the south coast, with calm, clear water and a laid-back local feel.
🏖 Sainte-Anne
A charming south-coast village beach, close to Les Salines, with restaurants and shops just steps from the sand.
From a local
Caribbean Tip of the Day
Girls with long hair remember to pack a hair band or head scarf when you go out day/night. Some islands are more windy than others. It can be a pain in the neck - literally!
Tips by Liz Strauss, an experienced traveler and piano entertainer. www.lizpiano.com · Disclosure
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