Our Day in Martinique

We arrived in Martinique on Tuesday on the Msc Musica. Since we had a very long day in town from 9am to 10pm, we tried to at least do 2 things. I'm going to be short and concise as possible. As soon as we got out of the ship there's a tourist information kiosk and we got a map of the island from there and the lady spoke good English. Outside of the gates there were several taxis for hire with the prices on a big sign all quoted in Euros. The drivers spoke French. We walked to town it's about 10 mins. There's a blue line painted on the street you follow it and leads you directly to town. Along the way there were several tourist info persons wearing red vests and red caps and they all spoke English, they were giving information and directions to tourists who needed help. We wanted to go to St Pierre it's a little town about 45 minutes away from town of Fort de France. The taxis were asking for Euro 40 per person which we found very expensive, so with the recommedation of the guides we took a shared accompanied taxi they call it. It's a van that takes up to 11 people and it's only Euro 4.60 per person each way in this case for St Pierre. The accompanied taxis are situated right in the middle of town in front of the ferries that take you to the beach. From the cruise ship terminal you keep walking on your left hand side along the water's edge until you get to the ferries/taxis area. On the way to St Pierre the road is very scenic and it reminded me of the Amalfi Coast a lot of winding roads through the hills and the views are breathtaking. St Pierre is a small town lined with gift shops the ruins of the volcano at the bottom of the road and there's a church and a museum. There's also a beach in town with black sand. You can take the accompanied taxi back to Fort de France from the road on the beach a few feet downfrom a historical house called I think Maison de Bouche. The accompanied taxis leaves frequently when there's 4 or 5 people in the van and it makes some stops along the way dropping or picking people. Then when we got back in town we took a ferry to the beach. The boats leave every hour to several beaches. We spent Euro 20 for 2 adults and a kid round trip. There's a big sign in town and another big sign when you arrive at the beach with the timetable of the boats. We were told to go to a beach called Anse Migan but we didn't want to wait half an hour for the next boat and we took the next boat to a beach called Point du Bout. It's a small beach with a hotel and a bar and restaurant. We used their deck chairs and umbrellas and were never asked for money. There was wifi on the beach too. Anse Migan beach was 5 mins walk away and we could have walked because it looked bigger and nicer but we decided to stay at Point du Bout. There were a lot of French tourists all over the island. All in all Martinique is very beautiful and although I didn't find a lot of information how to do this port on our own we managed to do it easily. I must say that my French is very basic but with the help of the tourist guides I managed to get wherever we wanted.

Thanks for your wonderfully informative post. We are going next Jan and your information is very helpful. Thank you

Thanks for this post! We will be there in November and can use all the information we can get!

Thanks for sharing! Going to Martinique later this year, and there's not much info around on excursions.

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Three Hills, it took approximately 45 minutes to reach St. Pierre, on the accompanied taxi?

Were you able to see Mt. Pelee from that town?

How much time did you spend in St. Pierre, before returning to Fort de France?

We're taking a cruise in November that stops there, and we're trying to figure out what we're planning to do; your post helps a great deal.

Thank you very much for this post. Seems like something we would enjoy as well!

Caribbean-Dreamer 37. Yes we were able to see Mt Pelee from St Pierre. There are also the ruins in town from the eruption. We spent around 2 hours strolling in town. When I have time I will upload some Pics.

Thank you so much for the information, we are going next winter and there is so little out there about this island and tours. We will be a group of 11, (ages 12 to 83) so we will need to go over to the "accompany" taxis by the ferry/cab section to find these vans and make a deal with them to taxi us around the island for 4 so hours? Are their fares government regulated? And did the driver you had speak english? Thanks!!!

Excited to Cruise - the accompanied taxis do go to a lot of places all over Martinique. It basically leaves when there are 5 or so people. So I guess if your group is going to be of 11 or 12 the driver will just take you to the destination since your group will fill up the van. This is like a bus service but a little more upscale I guess. There are also buses on the island but the tourist information services all suggested that we either take the taxi which runs about Euro 40 per person or the accompanied taxis which in our case (city of St Pierre) was Euro 4.60 per person each way. The ferry/accompanied taxi area is like a small bus terminus. There are several signs of different villages and towns and you wait for your taxi next to the sign. Most of the time the taxi is already there ready to pick up. Hope that this information helped, if you have more questions feel free to ask me.

Most of the people spoke only French but the tourist info centres and guides all speak English.

Caribbean-Dreamer 37. Yes we were able to see Mt Pelee from St Pierre. There are also the ruins in town from the eruption. We spent around 2 hours strolling in town. When I have time I will upload some Pics.

Thank you for giving this information. It was looking as if we'd have a hard time seeing anything on that island; now we can plan our day accordingly. Did you visit the black sand beach? Did you pay with euros?

Caribbean Dreamer 37. In Martinique and Guadeloupe all transactions are done in Euros. They are ruled by France. We exchanged money on the ship. They gave us Euro 70 for every $100. There were some ATM along the way to town too. But you definetaly need Euros. Regarding the black sand beach in the town of St Pierre we walked on the beach but we did not swim there since we went to the other beach.

Caribbean Dreamer 37. In Martinique and Guadeloupe all transactions are done in Euros. They are ruled by France. We exchanged money on the ship. They gave us Euro 70 for every $100. There were some ATM along the way to town too. But you definetaly need Euros. Regarding the black sand beach in the town of St Pierre we walked on the beach but we did not swim there since we went to the other beach.

We were on Martinique last week, and did a taxi tour with a gentleman named Bob. He quoted the 5 of us a rate of 40 euros per person (10/hr). We only had 170 euros and he took the balance in US dollars. And, he spoke English. We went to a distillery, St. Pierre, a scenic stop in the rain forest and several other kodak picture spots during our tour.. Had a very enjoyable tour.

Caribbean Dreamer 37. In Martinique and Guadeloupe all transactions are done in Euros. They are ruled by France. We exchanged money on the ship. They gave us Euro 70 for every $100. There were some ATM along the way to town too. But you definetaly need Euros. Regarding the black sand beach in the town of St Pierre we walked on the beach but we did not swim there since we went to the other beach.

Thank you; you have answered all of the questions I can think of right now..... now I know what to expect, and I have 9 months to come up with my tour plans.

We were on Martinique last week, and did a taxi tour with a gentleman named Bob. He quoted the 5 of us a rate of 40 euros per person (10/hr). We only had 170 euros and he took the balance in US dollars. And, he spoke English. We went to a distillery, St. Pierre, a scenic stop in the rain forest and several other kodak picture spots during our tour.. Had a very enjoyable tour.

Miss Vickie, did you find Bob at the taxi area in town?

We happened to be there on a Sunday. Expect things to be different if you are there on a Sunday. I think I know of the sign you were talking about to catch the buses by the ferry (about 1.4 miles from the port and across the street from McDonald's) but there were no buses/taxis running and everything was closed, including McDonald's) except the ferry did run. You make it sound like the ferry will take you to different beaches? I only remember it going to the other side of the bay and back. I would really be interested in the other beaches. We did come across another ferry about .75 miles from the port, but they said they only went to other islands and told us to continue to the other ferry.

For every beach there's a different ferry. You pick what beach you want to go and pick the ferry accordingly. So sorry for you that you happened to be there on a Sunday and everything was closed. We were in Martinique during the week.

For every beach there's a different ferry. You pick what beach you want to go and pick the ferry accordingly. So sorry for you that you happened to be there on a Sunday and everything was closed. We were in Martinique during the week.

Was that from the ferry by the McDonalds? I only remember it having ferries running across to the other side of the bay. Maybe that's another Sunday think?!

The ferries for the beaches leave from an area called Pointe Simon. There was a big sign with the different beaches and timetable. There was also a gentleman (who I suppose work for the ferries or the tourism authority who was giving directions, and helping out with questions). We went to a beach called Point du Bout. It was a minute walk away from where the ferry docked. The beach was small but nice. We could have walked for some more minutes and ended at a nicer beach called Anse Migan.

The ferries for the beaches leave from an area called Pointe Simon. There was a big sign with the different beaches and timetable. There was also a gentleman (who I suppose work for the ferries or the tourism authority who was giving directions, and helping out with questions). We went to a beach called Point du Bout. It was a minute walk away from where the ferry docked. The beach was small but nice. We could have walked for some more minutes and ended at a nicer beach called Anse Migan.

Thanks,

Sounds like we have other options then the beach about a mile away from where the ferry took us last time!

Excited to Cruise - the accompanied taxis do go to a lot of places all over Martinique. It basically leaves when there are 5 or so people. So I guess if your group is going to be of 11 or 12 the driver will just take you to the destination since your group will fill up the van. This is like a bus service but a little more upscale I guess. There are also buses on the island but the tourist information services all suggested that we either take the taxi which runs about Euro 40 per person or the accompanied taxis which in our case (city of St Pierre) was Euro 4.60 per person each way. The ferry/accompanied taxi area is like a small bus terminus. There are several signs of different villages and towns and you wait for your taxi next to the sign. Most of the time the taxi is already there ready to pick up. Hope that this information helped, if you have more questions feel free to ask me.

 

Most of the people spoke only French but the tourist info centres and guides all speak English.

Did you return with the same taxi that took you to St. Pierre? I would like to go but am concerned about getting a taxi for returning to the port. Were there many taxis available in St. Pierre?

@MIcruiser99

We got back from St Pierre to the town of Fort de France on a different accompanied taxi(Not the same van and driver that drove us from Port de France to St Pierre). We stayed in St Pierre for about 2 hours. There is always a taxi waiting on the stand. As soon as there are 4 or 5 people on it, it leaves. You don't have to worry there are several taxis in the span of an hour. Please note that if you are in Martinique on a Sunday the accompanied taxis do not operate.

Thank you for that information. I really wanted to go to St. Pierre but was apprehensive about trying this. There has not been many reviews about Martinique so it is great to hear that there are options available. :)

One more question, I see differing answers on the use of dollars vs. Euros. You can get Euros on the ship, is it better not to take the chance and have Euros?

You definitely need Euros. Martinique is ruled by France and therefore Euro is their currency. We exchanged money on the ship. They gave us Euro 70 for every $100. You can exchange money at a bank in the US too before you leave for your vacation. There were some ATM's along the way to the city center too. Most of the stores, taxis, buses etc, only take Euros.

Is the ferry port walking distance from where the ship docks? We're just looking for a beach where we can have a couple of beers and relax. Anything like that near by or is it all by ferry?

Thanks!

***never mind!!! I found out the answer I was looking for! ***

@ Island Dreamers

The ferries to the beach are within walking distance from the cruise ship. Always follow the blue line painted on the road it's about 10 minute walk. Close to the ferries there's not much all I saw was McDonalds. We went to a beach named Anse Migan. There's a lovely bar overlooking the beach and there are several restaurants within walking distance.