Visiting Martinique soon. Seeking recommendations.

I'll be on Martinique in about a month (time flies) on a French cruise line Croisiere de France aka CDF. Unfortunately, we are English speakers.

While the ship has tours, they can't be booked in advance, will probably be in French, and likely be expensive.

We'll be there on a Wednesday from 8 am to 5 pm and are looking for things to do. I'm mostly interested in an overview of the island's highlights. We don't mind spending some money, but obviously none of us wish to overpay.

I've read some remarks on accompanied taxis, ferries to beaches and such. If anyone has additional suggestions on things to do either on our own, or via an English-speaking tour, I'd love to hear them.

On a side note, I'm also visiting Guadeloupe and am finding even less info, so if anyone happens to know anything about that island, feel free to add those comments as well. Thank you in advance!

I already commented on your post about Guadeloupe.

Anyway, how comes that you have booked on a French Cruiseship.

I wouldn't even consider doing that, if I don't speak the language

or if I don't know that there will be an amount of non-french-speaker

on this ship...

I already commented on your post about Guadeloupe.

 

Anyway, how comes that you have booked on a French Cruiseship.

I wouldn't even consider doing that, if I don't speak the language

or if I don't know that there will be an amount of non-french-speaker

on this ship...

$330 for 7 days including alcohol visiting some interesting ports.

$330 for 7 days including alcohol visiting some interesting ports.

That's a reason. So as it is a french ship and you will visit at least

two french islands (which are proper French territory) than I give you the

advice to bring along some Euro, as this will be the bord currency and

you'll need it on land for taxi and more.

As this shows that's sometimes hard to find an ATM or a money exchange on land (but there might be one on bord):

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2101403

I'm on Martinique right after new year and we try to catch a public bus to St.Pierre, the old capital city of Martinique, which was destroyed 1902 by a volcano (30'000 Inhabitants were killed). A kilometre from the city center is the Depaz Rum Destillery which you can tour for free.

That sounds interesting. What else will you do there?

That sounds interesting. What else will you do there?

As St.Pierre is about 32 kilometers out of Fort-de-France, probably not much else...maybe having a stroll through the city and the park right beside the fort (in the trees there you might spot some pretty big lizards).

If time is permitting we might jump on a city bus and head up to

Balata Botanical Garden.

By the way as you can see below; I will be on my way to the caribbean right now and I will not come back till the end of the cruise, so earliest answer will be around the 11th of January (but as this will be after I've

been to Guadeloupe and Martinique I might give a better answer then as I did until now)