Martinique
Martinique is one of the showcases of the French Caribbean. The capital, Fort de France, fully lives up to that description, celebrating every aspect of the island’s all-encompassing
French culture with style and panache.
For fans of French culture with Creole shading,
Martinique holds special appeal which is distinctly French in Character.
Wherever you stay, you’re likely to find croissant and baguettes to remind you that you’re in a corner of the Caribbean that is unmistakably French
Capital: Fort de France
Currency: Euro
Population: 382,000
Area: 425 square miles (1,100 square kilometres)
Language: French but Creole and English widely spoken
Economy: Tourism.
Religion: Mainly Roman Catholic
Government: Region and département of France
Telephone Codes: 596
Airport Departure Tax: US$20.00
Entry requirements: Australian and New Zealand passport holders do not require visas
Banking Hours: Banks are open Monday to Friday, 8am-12 noon and 2:30-4:30pm.
Shopping Hours: Shops open weekdays 8.30am-6pm, with a long break for lunch.
Electricity: 220 volts
Time Zone: 13 hours behind Sydney (EST)
Weather:
The mean temperature averages 79°F. Two regular, alternating wind currents (east and northeast) cool the atmosphere. These are the tradewinds. There is only about a 5° difference between summer and winter temperatures
Transportation:
Taxis are plentiful but expensive. Fares are not metered, so prices are mostly predetermined; however, they can still be negotiated. Traveling by bus is an alternate means of getting around the city limits inexpensively
History:
If not for Columbus' determination to find the Indian Ocean, he would not have come upon Martinique. In 1502, on his final voyage, he spied the 425-square-mile island he was to name after the patron saint of France. It was Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc, however, who defied the Caribs and established the first settlement in 1635. Except for three spells of British occupation, France has continuously ruled the island. In 1946, it became a department of France. Twenty-eight years later, it became a region.
When Martinique finds something that works, it embraces it. Perhaps that's why the St. Louis Cathedral in the capital of Fort-de-France was rebuilt to the same specifications six times on the same site. Or why the Schoelcher Library was taken apart following the Paris Exposition of 1889 and put back together piece by piece on-island. Or why reproductions of Gauguin's oils done here fill a namesake museum in Le Carbet.
A short ferry ride away from Fort-de-France, in the town of Trois Ilets, Marie Joseph Rose Tascher (a.k.a. Josephine), the future first love of Napoleon Bonaparte, was christened. Ruins of her childhood home can be found at La Pagerie.
What’s fashionable in Paris today is à la mode here very swiftly. Shops sell the latest goods from France. Art galleries, theatres and museums fortify French culture. Street names celebrate French military and literary heroes, while old men play boules in the dusty squares and crowds sit at the pavement cafés watching the Citroens and Renaults inching through the narrow streets.
If it weren’t for the tropical climate, it could almost be Paris – and in some ways it actually is. The city’s Schoelcher Library, a 19th century Romanesque-Byzantine masterpiece, was built in the French capital, dismantled and shipped to Martinique, where the entire building was re-assembled, down to the mosaics.
While the capital and other towns provide the comforts, elegance and sophistication of France, not least in Martinique’s 150 restaurants, other parts of this highly-developed and popular tourist destination offer visitors the classic Caribbean package.
There are flawless beaches – white sand on the south coast, black in the north; secluded coves for swimming and snorkelling; reefs; unspoiled fishing villages; hot springs, lush rainforests and woods; rugged peaks and gorges; and everywhere flowers and fruit – bougainvillaea, orchids, lilies, bananas, pineapples, papaya and coconut palms.
The island’s large harbour and its many marinas have made Martinique a major sailing centre in the southern Caribbean. The June Regatta is a four-day sailing festival attracting crews from throughout the Americas and Europe, while the five-day Tour des Yoles Rondes in August celebrates the traditional Caribbean sailing boats used by the island’s fishermen.
Other annual events adding to Martinique’s year-round joie de vivre include a round-the-island version of the Tour de France, an international half marathon, a rum festival and guitar and jazz festivals, which are held in alternate years.
While Martinique is a busy island, it does not have high-rise hotel strips. Instead, hotels are in keeping with the relaxed, low-key chic that characterises Martinique. There are tropical-style mid-range beach-side hotels and remote auberges in the woods.
