38 Best Sights in Martinique

This beachy tourist area has a marina and several resort hotels, among them the deluxe Hotel Bakoua and the Hôtel La Pagerie. The ferry to Fort-de-France leaves from here. The Village Creole complex with its "residences" for tourists, its cluster of boutiques, ice-cream parlors, and rental-car agencies, forms the hub from which various restaurants and hotels radiate. It's a pretty quiet place in the low season. The beach at Anse-Mitan, which is a little west of Pointe du Bout proper, is one of the best on the island. There are also several small restaurants and inexpensive guesthouses there.

Stretching north from Ste-Anne, this is a good windsurfing and waterskiing spot. It's also a popular family beach, with restaurants, campsites, and clean facilities available for a small fee. Club Med is on the northern edge, and you can purchase a day pass. From Le Marin, take the coastal road to Ste-Anne. Make a right before town, toward Domaine de Belfond. You can see signs for Pointe du Marin. Amenities: food and drink; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking; windsurfing.

Much of the Caravelle Peninsula, which juts 8 miles (13 km) into the Atlantic Ocean, is under the protection of the Regional Nature Reserve and offers places for trekking, swimming, and sailing. This is also the site of Anse-Spoutourne, an open-air sports and leisure center operated by the reserve. The town of Tartane has a popular surfing beach with brisk Atlantic breezes.

Macouba is the starting point for a spectacular drive, the 6-mile (10-km) Route to Grand' Rivière on the northernmost point. This is Martinique at its greenest: groves of giant bamboo, cliffs hung with curtains of vines, and human-size tree ferns that seem to grow as you watch them. Literally at the end of the road is Grand' Rivière, a colorful, sprawling fishing village at the foot of high cliffs. The Syndicat d'Initiative Riverain, the local tourism office in Macouba, can arrange hiking and boating excursions.

Pronounced shell-share, this upscale suburb of Fort-de-France is home to the University of the French West Indies and Guyana, as well as Martinique's largest convention center, Palais de Congres de Madiana. Schoelcher was named after abolitionist Victor Schoelcher, who is credited with ending slavery on the island.

The Musée du Rhum, operated by the St. James Rum Distillery, is housed in a graceful, galleried Creole house. Interestingly, the distillery was founded in 1765 in Ste-Pierre by a priest who was also an alchemist. It was relocated to Ste-Marie after the 1902 eruption of Mont Pelée. Guided tours can take in the plantation and the displays of the tools of the trade, the art gallery, and include a visit and tasting at the distillery. You can opt to take a little red train tour for €5 that traverses the cane fields and runs between here and the nearby banana museum, while a guide narrates; it runs on many Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Saturday afternoons. Just be aware the detailed commentary is in French.

The museum and distillery are closed during the cane harvest, and weekend hours sometimes change; tours may not happen during December. It's a good idea to call ahead.

A long, nearly white-sand beach and a Catholic church are the highlights of this town on the island's southern tip. A bevy of small, inexpensive cafés offer seafood and creole dishes, pizza parlors, produce markets, and barbecue joints—it's a fun and lively place. To the south of Ste-Anne is Pointe des Salines, the southernmost tip of the island and site of one of Martinique's best beaches.

This quaint fishing village has a sleepy main street with tourist shops and markets, and you can see some cool types taking a Pernod. Many young, single people live in this town. From the sidewalk cafés there are panoramic sea views of St. Lucia. Nearby are excellent beaches, nearly white, and several resorts, including three from the Karibea Hotel chain. To the east is Pointe Figuier, an excellent spot for scuba diving. On the way, the Trois-Rivières Distillery is just off the highway, and Club Med is nearby, on its own peninsula.