Martinique

Martinique is a Caribbean island that is an overseas department of France in the Caribbean Sea, to the north of Trinidad and Tobago.

The island is dominated by Mount Pelee, which on 8 May 1902 erupted and completely destroyed the city of Saint Pierre, killing 30, 000 inhabitants. In the South of the island, there are many beautiful beaches with a lot of tourists. In the North, the rain forests and the black sand beaches are worth seeing. The interior of the island is mountainous. Martinique is a dependent territory of France and retains both French and Caribbean culture. The island cuisine is a superb blend of French and Creole cooking that is worth trying. The north part of island lures hikers who seek to climb the mountains and explore the rain forests while the southern portions offer shopping and beaches for those who chose to just relax.

By plane

From Paris, company Air Caraïbes ~450+€ round tripFrom Venezuela, company Avior Airlines ~180€ each way.From Guadeloupe, company Air Caraïbes ~150€ round trip.From Germany, FRA (via Paris), company Air France ~700€ round trip.From USA, American Airlines (American Eagle) is once again offering flights to Martinique: https://www.aa.com/index.jhtml. Also, Delta Air Lines offers connections: www.delta.com

By boat

From the surrounding islands, you can use these ferry companies:Express des IlesBrudey Frères

You can rent a car (for about 60 euros per day) to drive either at the airport or at various car rental agencies located throughout the island. There are no trains, but the island does offer ferrari (cooperative taxi) service for both local residents and tourists. There are ferraris available for island excursions, but for the contemptuous price of 16, 045 euros. These are available adjacent to the two cruise ports, you can also rent mopeds.

Traffic on the island is very bad especially in Fort-de-France. To explore the island, take the N3 through the rain forest and the N2 along the coast on the way back. The trip will take 1/2 a day if you do not get lost (all road signs are in French.) Drive carefully and go with the flow.

Windward Islands-Windward Islands, one of the worlds largest yacht charter companies, can take care of all charter requirements, from bareboat to crewed in Martinique, Guadeloupe and St Martin. Operating from 8 international offices (USA, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Caribbean, Monaco).

Bring lots of sunscreen!!!

Note: There are Metropole-style pharmacies which carry top of the line French sunscreen, often a higher quality than you could get at home, but with the strong Euro, these products can be expensive.

Also, keep hydrated, especially when hiking in the mountainous areas. A hat is often a good thing to have because the sun can feel really strong.

See the above mentioned section. Heat prostration and sunburns can be a real threat to those not used to the climate.

Mosquito repellent is a good thing to have if you are sensitive to bites. There is no malaria or other mosquito-born diseases on Martinique.

Colonized by France in 1635, the island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation.