Fort de France, Martinique

Fort de France

Fort-de-France, the island capital, is the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the French West Indies. It’s not exactly hopping at night, but there’s a nice choice of hotels, eateries and places to grab a drink. Its harborfront setting with the Pitons du Carbet rising up beyond is a view best appreciated when approaching the city by ferry.

Give yourself a few hours to wander around and take in the handful of historic sites and museums the city has to offer. Most visitors tend to leave the capital by evening but those who do stay find that, even though one can take up the sights in a day, it’s a nice city to spend some time in and it doesn’t take long to get on friendly terms with the locals.

Getting there and away

Lamentin is the most convenient airport from which to join the ship, with regular flights from Paris with Air France. Iberia, American Airlines, British Airways and Corsair also all fly into Lamentin (airport code FDF).