VISA AND OTHER PROCEDURES
European Union citizens only need a valid citizen's card but can also use a valid passport to enter the territory. You must also present a ticket to return to the departure destination or departure to another destination.
HEALTH CARE
For more information on traveling health, see the Health Portal of the Ministry of Health and Clinic of Tropical and Traveler Medicine. In FitForTravel find country-specific health and disease prevention advice (in English).
JOURNEY TO MARTINIQUE
A Air France (tel: 707 202 800) flies from Lisbon to Fort-de-France via Paris, a few days with a stopover at Orly airport, on others at Charles de Gaulle airport. The flight costs from €1.100 in economy, €1.700 in Premium, which offers a better location on the plane and additional comfort. In executive (2 m by 61 cm armchair), it costs around €3.200.
Martinique:
Fort-de-France – Schoelcher Library and St Louis Cathedral
Saint Pierre – Saint Pierre et Saint Paul Cathedral, seen from the Notre-Dame-du-Bon Port Viewpoint
Mont Pelée Volcano
Saint Anne
Big anse
Saint Luce
Grande Riviere
Anse D'Arlet
Trois-Ilets
Anse Cafard – Slave Monument
Saint James Distillery and Rum Museum
Guadeloupe:
Guadeloupe BP in Basse Terre
Route de la Traversé in Basse Terre
La Soufriére viewpoint in Basse terre
Cascade aux Ecrevisses waterfall
Basse terre market
St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral
Grande Anse Beaches
Deshaies
Marie-Galante
CAR RENTAL
In a destination like Martinique, the ideal is to have at your disposal a vehicle preferably 4WD, even if it is not mandatory. The island's road network is very comprehensive and was built in the French semi-perfectionist way. Rental vehicle prices start at around €30 per day for rentals of some duration, eg a week.
TRUCK
Although there are larger public buses, most of the transports you will come across are the collectiv taxis which, in addition to being identified with CT, have mentioned the destinations on the windshield. They stop at marked stops. You collective taxis they charge significantly less, less than €4 for the 45-minute journey between Fort-de-France and Saint Pierre.
OTHER
Use taxis only if you are prepared for French-style or even higher prices, paid in euros.
Martinique has a tropical climate with a dry season – and consequently high in terms of tourism – from December to May. During this period, average temperatures remain around 25ºC to 30ºC during the day. The rainy season extends from June almost to the end of November but, as a rule, it brings heavy rain towards the end of the day. September and August are the wettest months and also those when the island is most likely to be hit by hurricanes that form over the Atlantic Ocean, particularly over the Caribbean Sea.
Like most of the French overseas territories, Martinique quickly proves to be an expensive destination, not least because it uses the Euro (EUR). Most establishments, even many of the less sophisticated ones, allow payments with credit and debit cards. ATMs are abundant in the main towns.
ACCOMMODATION
Prices start at around €85 per double room in the most humble hotels. You're going to have a hard time finding something cheaper than this.
FOOD
Martinique's own population is the first to complain about the excessively high prices of food on their island, even if bought in supermarkets. If you think that restaurants add inflated value to what they serve, dishes between €13 and €15 and the cost of meals in regular restaurants between €30 and €50, to start with, are justified.
INTERNET
It is found more frequently, offered by hotels, bars and restaurants. Otherwise, it costs around €5 an hour at Internet outlets.