Fort-de-france, Martinique

Why go?

Martinique’s capital is a full-on French port complete with mega-cruise ships, traffic congestion and a firm belief in the importance of lunch. Gallic formality blends with laidback Caribbean rhythms to create a vibrant and at times dishevelled mood.the Place de la Savane is a large rectangular seafront park dominated in its south-east corner by the haughty 17th-century Fort-st Louis, which is still used by the navy – some sections are open for tours. The heart of the city’s heritage lies between the park and Rivière Madame, an intense grid of streets centred on the Gothic Revival Cathèdral St-louis, built in 1895 using an iron frame to withstand natural disasters.

Don’t miss: Bibliothèque Schoelcher, a flamboyant building on the north-west corner of La Savane that was constructed for the 1889 World Exposition in Paris and then shipped here. It still functions as a free-entry public library and the ornate interior features wrought iron pillars, decorative tiles and the names of French literary greats writ large on the walls.

Local flavours: The French restaurants in Martinique can be disappointing compared to those in mainland France so save your euros and enjoy a picnic in La Savane where there is even a small beach. Here you are never far from a pâtisserie, bien sûr, and you can pick up island fruits such as mangos, pineapples and the figue

pomme (a small, sweet banana) in the charming Marché Lafcadio Hearn.

Our tip: Take the 15-minute ferry ride from the pier near Pointe Simon south to Anse Mitan, a popular seaside spot where you can grab a swim then enjoy some ouassous flambés au rhum vieux

(shrimps flambéed in aged rum) at a toes-in-thesand beach restaurant.

Reading history (clockwise from top) The Schoelcher Library was named after the slavery abolitionist who donated his private collection of around 9,000 books to the island on condition that a public library also be built; Martinique’s pre-lenten Carnival is a mix of European and African traditions; Fort-de-france sits on a plain between the hills and the sea; Lafcadio Hearn market sells everything from tropical fruit to traditional rhum agricole