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Fort-de-France Review
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Fort-de-France
- Category: Towns
- Location: Fort-de-France
Fodor's Review:
With its historic fort and superb location beneath the towering Pitons du Carbet on the Baie des Flamands, Martinique's capital -- home to about one-third of the island's 360,000 inhabitants -- should be a grand place. It isn't. But an ambitious redevelopment project, now under way, hopes to make it one of the most attractive cities in the Caribbean. The plan includes the renovation of the Savane Park, the construction of a spectacular waterfront promenade, and the Pointe Simon Business and Tourist Center, which will have a 200-room Marriott Hotel and a massive shopping center. Alas, the tourist office, formerly on the waterfront, has moved to temporary quarters in the suburb of Schoelcher, so it's not readily accessible to the carless.
The most pleasant districts of Fort-de-France -- Didier, Bellevue, and Schoelcher -- are up on the hillside, and you need a car (or a taxi) to reach them. But if you try to drive here, you may find yourself trapped in gridlock in the warren of narrow streets downtown. Parking is difficult, and it's best to try for one of the garages or -- as a second choice -- outdoor public parking areas. A taxi or ferry may be a better alternative.
There are some good shops with Parisian wares (at Parisian prices) and lively street markets that sell, among other things, human hair for wigs, though the latter is not cheap. Near the harbor is a marketplace where local crafts, souvenirs, and spices are sold. Town can be fun, and you probably should see it. But the heat, exhaust fumes, and litter tend to make exploring here a chore rather than a pleasure. At night the city feels dark and gloomy, with little street life except for the extravagantly dressed prostitutes who openly parade around after 10 PM. If you plan to go out, it's best to go with a group, and preferably Martinicans.
The heart of Fort-de-France is La Savane, a 12 1/2-acre park filled with trees, fountains, and benches. It's a popular gathering place and the scene of promenades, parades, and impromptu soccer matches. Along the east side are numerous snack wagons. Alas, it's no longer a desirable oasis, what with a lot of litter and other negatives often found in urban parks. A statue of Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc, leader of the island's first settlers, is unintentionally upstaged by Vital Dubray's vandalized -- now headless -- white Carrara marble statue of the empress Joséphine, Napoléon's first wife. Diagonally across from La Savane, you can catch the ferries for the 20-minute run across the bay to Pointe du Bout and the beaches at Anse-Mitan and Anse-à-l'Ane. It's relatively cheap as well as stress-free -- much safer, more pleasant, and faster than by car.
The most imposing historic site in La Savane (and in Fort-de-France) is Fort St-Louis, which runs along the east side of La Savane. It's open Monday through Saturday from 9 to 3, and admission is EUR 4.
The Bibliothèque Schoelcher is the wildly elaborate Romanesque public library. It 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 structure was built for the 1889 Paris Exposition, after which it was dismantled, shipped to Martinique, and reassembled piece by ornate piece.[. At rue de la Liberté, runs along west side of La Savane, and rue Perrinon. 0596/70-26-67. Free. Mon. 1-5:30, Tues.-Fri. 8:30-5:30, Sat. 8:30-noon
Le Musée Régional d'Histoire et d'Ethnographie is a learning experience that is best undertaken at the beginning of your vacation, so you can better understand the history, background, and people of the island. Housed in an elaborate former residence (circa 1888) with balconies and fretwork, it has everything from displays of the garish gold jewelry that prostitutes wore after emancipation to reconstructed rooms of a home of proper, middle-class Martinicans. There's even a display of creole headdresses with details of how they were tied to indicate if a woman was single, married, or otherwise occupied.[. 10 bd. Général de Gaulle. 0596/72-81-87. EUR 3. Mon. and Wed.-Fri. 8:30-5, Tues. 2-5, Sat. 8:30-noon
Rue Victor Schoelcher runs through the center of the capital's primary shopping district, a six-block area bounded by rue de la République, rue de la Liberté, rue Victor Severe, and rue Victor Hugo. Stores sell Paris fashions and French perfume, china, crystal, and liqueurs, as well as local handicrafts. The Romanesque St-Louis Cathedral (Rue Victor Schoelcher), with its lovely stained-glass windows, was built in 1878, the sixth church on this site (the others were destroyed by fires, hurricanes, and earthquakes).
The Galerie de Biologie et de Géologie at the Parc Floral et Culturel, in the northeastern corner of the city center, will acquaint you with the island's exotic flora. There's also an aquarium. The park contains the island's official cultural center, where there are sometimes free evening concerts. Pl. José-Marti, Sermac. 0596/71-66-25. Grounds free; aquarium EUR 5.60; gallery EUR 2. Park daily dawn-10 PM; aquarium daily 9-7; gallery Tues.-Fri. 9:30-12:30 and 3:30-5:30, Sat. 9-1 and 3-5.
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