Martinique Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
| Flag | |
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Fort-de-France |
| Government | NA |
| Currency | euro (EUR) |
| Area | total: 1,100 km2 water: 40 km2 land: 1,060 km2 |
| Population | 422,277 (July 2002 est.) |
| Language | French, Creole patois |
| Religion | Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 5% |
Martinique [1] is a Caribbean island that is an overseas department, (or dependent territory), 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.
Contents |
Regions
In the South of the island, there are many beautiful beaches with a lot of tourists. In the North, the landscapes and the black sand beaches are worth seeing.
Cities
- Fort-de-France - Capital
- Saint Pierre
- La Trinite
Other destinations
Understand
This island experiences an average of one major natural disaster every five years. This includes hurricanes, flooding and volcanic eruptions.
Climate
Tropical and humid with an average temperature 17.3 degrees C. The climate is moderated by trade winds. The rainy season is from June to October but the island is vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average.
Terrain
Mountainous with indented coastline and a dormant volcano as well as related volcanic activity.
- Highest point
- Montagne Pelee 1,397 m
History
Colonized by France in 1635, the island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation.
Get in
By plane
- From Paris, company Air Caraïbes ~450+€ round trip
- From 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
By boat
From the surrounding islands, you can use these ferry companies:
Get around
You can rent a car 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 minivan (cooperative taxi) service for both local residents and tourists. There are minivans available for island excursions. These are available adjacent to the two cruise ports.
Talk
- Languages
- French, Creole patois
Buy
Eat
Martinique is unique in contrast to the majority of the other Caribbean islands in that it has a wide variety of dining options. The Ti Gourmet Martinique (2000) lists 456 cafés and/or restaurants on the island – not including the various bars some of which serve food as well as alcohol. The 1998 brochure produced and published by the ARDTM counts up to 500 food-service related establishments (this corresponds to over 3,000 jobs). Restaurants in Martinique range from the exclusive high-end gourmet restaurants to the crêpes, accras, boudin, fruit juices, and coconut milk one can purchase from food merchants on the beach or at snack stands/restaurants in town.
The abundance of both Créole and French restaurants reflects the predominance not only of French tourists in Martinique but also of the island’s status as a French DOM. There has been a growing interest in the traditional dishes of the island, and therefore, a more recent profusion of the number of Créole restaurants. Many of the restaurants tailor their menus to cater to both Créole and French tastes
In the 2000 edition of Délices de la Martinique (Delights of Martinique), the guide put together by the island’s restaurant union, the editorial given by the then Prefect and director of tourism, Philippe Boisadam, describes the contribution that ‘Martinique’s cuisine makes to the culinary arts.’ Olivier Besnard, the commercial director of the long-haul airline division of Air Liberté, wrote the preface to this same edition. He states that this Créole restaurant and recipe guide is ‘a tourist souvenir that you are welcome to take home with you.’ Francis Delage, a culinary consultant who assembled most of the recipes for this guide underlines the fact that the island’s restaurateurs are the gastronomic ambassadors of Martinique and that they in particular represent the ‘quality of the welcome,’ ‘the products’ and ‘the savoir-faire of Créole cuisine, which is truly part of France’s culinary heritage.’
The changes in tourist composition (behavior, interest) may very well account for the evolution in the culinary offerings in many of today’s restaurants. Restaurants in Martinique offer not only French and other International cuisines , but also the possibility of consuming the foods that the Other eats. In this case, the Other refers to the Martiniquans. Visitors can catch a glimpse of the behind the scenes reality regarding Martiniquan culinary practices through an ‘authentic’ Créole cuisine. An investigation of the new tourist, or “post-tourist” phenomenon (Poon 1999) venturing off the ‘eaten trail’ in search of something that is more authentic.
Restaurants, Créole cookbooks, public fairs and festivities, and the expensive dining rooms of foreign-owned luxury hotels where food is served, all present themselves as crucial staging grounds where ideas about Martiniquan cuisine, and therefore, identity, authenticity and place are continuously tested.
Drink
The island of Martinique has particularly good bottled water. Cruise ship employees are often seen stocking up on their water supplies while docked at the island.
- Karaoke-Café, quartier Basse Gondeau 97232 Le Lamentin, 0596 50 07 71, bar/restaurant/nightclub, currently the trendiest place (but not the most typical). Live music, Karaoke, 80s, dance, techno, worldmusic. Entrance 20€ with a drink.
Martinique Rum: http://www.martinique.org/about/rums.htm
Cellar of Martiniquan Rum: http://www.rhumdemartinique.com/boutique/catalogue_en.asp
Sleep
The website 'www.wheretostay.com' in Martinique has an extensive list of hotels on the island: http://martinique.wheretostay.com/
Learn
See the Universite des Antilles et de la Guyane website: http://www.univ-ag.fr/
Work
For European people coming from an EU country, working in Martinique is allowed without problem. If you're from outside the EU, you will probably need a work permit - check with the French Embassy in your country. Do not forget though that the unemployment rate is high. But if you work in the heath sector (doctor, nurse), it will be much easier.
Voluntary service: Volontariat Civil à l'Aide Technique (VCAT). Conditions: you must be French or from another EU-member state or a country belonging to the European Economic Area. You must be over 18 and under 28 years old (inclusive). You must not have had your civic rights revoked by a court or have been convicted of certain offences. VCAT
