Area 1715 sq km
Highest point La Soufrière on Basse Terre 1467m
Population 420,000
Main town (Préfecture) Basse Terre (pop. 14,000), Pointe-à-Pitre (pop. 30,000)
Language French and Créole (spoken by most people)
Currency Euro
Political status French overseas department (DOM)
Distances to nearby islands
Les Saintes, Dominica 20M, Antigua 40M

AIRLINE CONNECTIONS
Pôle Caraïbe International Airport, Le Raizet
✆ 05 90 21 14 72
International long-haul flights daily to France,
other connections to European cities.
Flights to N America, Haiti, Venezuela
Local flights, internal and to dependencies
Daily flights by local companies to
Bailiff (Basse Terre), ✆ 05 90 81 15 85
La Désirade, ✆ 05 90 20 05 63
Marie Galante, ✆ 05 90 97 82 21
Les Saintes, ✆ 05 90 99 50 32
Inter-island flights daily to Martinique, Dominica,
St Lucia, etc. and to the islands N.

FERRIES
To outlying dependencies Daily
Inter-island Fast ferries from Guadeloupe to
Martinique, Dominica, St Lucia
Ferries go from opposite the Stade Bergevin
(stadium) in Pointe à Pitre

TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Calling from abroad: ✆ (0) 590 + 6 digits
Local call: 10 digits (0590 + 6 digits)
Public call boxes: France Télécom cards
(télécartes) or Carte Bleu

RIVIERE SALEE BRIDGE OPENING TIMES
Pont de la Gabarre: 0500
Pont de l’Alliance: 0430–0530
Automatic opening from November to July,
Monday to Saturday morning in high season.
August to November automatic opening
Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Other days: on demand at the DDE,
✆ 05 90 21 26 50 Fax 05 90 21 26 51
Information from the Capitainerie, Bas du Fort
Marina.
Note schedule changes possible

CLUBS & ASSOCIATIONS
Comité Guadeloupéen de la Voile (Guadeloupe
Sailing Association):Bas du Fort Marina
✆ 05 90 88 90 64 www.lgvoile.com
Club Nautique de Basse Terre (Basse Terre Yacht
Club): Rivière Sens Marina, ✆ 05 90 81 77 61
http://cnbt.free.fr

TOURIST INFORMATION
Pointe-à-Pitre 5, Square de la Banque
✆ 05 90 82 09 03 Fax 05 90 83 89 22
www.lesilesdeguadeloupe.com
Basse Terre (Hôtel de Ville) ✆ 05 90 80 56 48
Marie Galante Grand Bourg
✆ 05 90 97 56 51 Fax 05 90 97 56 54
www.ot-mariegalante.com
Les Saintes Terre de Haut
✆ 05 90 99 58 60 Fax 05 90 99 58 60
www.lessaintes.fr
Gîtes Ruraux de Guadeloupe (Guadeloupe
Holiday Cottages): ✆ 05 90 91 64 33
Fax 05 90 91 45 40
www.gitesdefrance-guadeloupe.com

FESTIVALS/EVENTS
Carnival: February/March
Vaval: Ash Wednesday
Fête Victor Schoelcher: 21 July (commemorating
the abolition of slavery)
Fête des Cuisinières (Chefs estival): beginning of
August
Route du Rhum: Noveber (every 4 years)
Festival de la chanson créole (Créole Song
Festival): November
Transat BPE Belle-Ile-en-Mer, Marie-Galante
(singlehanded transatlantic race), every 2 years

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
New Year’s Day (1 January), Easter Sunday, Easter
Monday, Labour Day (1 May), Ascension Day
(May), Whit Monday, VE Day (8 May), Slavery
Abolition Day (27 May), Bastille Day/National Day
(14th July), Schoelcher Day (21 July), Assumption
(August), Toussaint (All Saints Day, 1 November),
Fête des Morts (All Souls Day, 1 November),
Armistice Day (11 November), Christmas Day (25
December)

PLACES TO SEE
Pointe-à-Pitre
Musée Schoelcher (1887)
St Pierre et St Paul Basilica
Musée St John Perse
Aquarium: Bas du Fort Marina
Grande Terre
Pointe des Châteaux
Pointe de la Vigie cliffs
Fort and port of Le Moule
Fort Fleur d’Epée: old fort
Morne à l’Eau: unusual cemetery
Deshaies
Jardin Botanique (Botanical Garden): Once
owned by Coluche (a renowned French
comedian) www.jardin-botanique.com

Basse Terre
Ilet Pigeon and the Cousteau Reserve
Le Musée du Rhum (rum museum): Bellevue Ste
Rose
Domaine de Séverin: La Cadet Ste Rose
(Reimonenq Distillery)
Shell Museum (Musée de Coquillage): Pte Noire
Caféière Beauséjour (Coffee Plantation): Pte
Noire
Coffee Museum: Vieux Habitants
La Soufrière: 1467m
The Volcano House (La Maison du Volcan)
Les Chutes du Carbet: three waterfalls
Le Grand Etang: large lake
Parc des Mamelles: animals threatened with
extinction, jungle canopy visit
Saut de la Lézarde (Lizard’s Leap Falls)
Cascade aux Ecrevisses (Crayfish Falls)
Maison de la Forêt (Forestry centre): marked trails
Parc animalier (zoo): local racoon (raton-laveur)
Fort Delgrès: (ex-Fort St Charles, 1643)
Distillerie Boulogne (rum distillery): Bailiff
Les Roches Gravées: Trois Rivières, park and
gardens with petroglyphs
Allée Dumanoir: palm tree lined road
Les traces (tracks and footpaths): listing from
Office National des Forêts (National Forestry Dept)

Les Saintes/Terre de Haut
Fort Napoléon: small museum
Sommet du Chameau: Viewpoint
Ilet Cabrit
Fort Joséphine: ruins

Marie Galante
Habitation Murat: eco-museum (sugar mill
house)
Near the anchorage: Musée Grand Bourg
Mare au Punch (Punch pond): Pirogue museum,
walking, Kabwette (ox wagon) rides

La Désirade
Old leprosarium

ROAD TRANSPORT
Drive on the right
Hire car companies in the towns and at the
airport.
Taxis available

REGULATIONS
Restrictions on spear fishing, which is prohibited
in the marine reserves (Gd Cul de Sac Marin,
Terre de Haut (Les Saintes, Petite Terre, etc.)

FORMALITIES
Arriving by air
Customs and immigration at the airport

Arriving by sea
Pointe-à-Pitre
Capitainerie, Bas du Fort Marina
Open Mon-Sat 0800-1700, Sundays and public
holidays 0800-1200
Commercial harbour, cruise liners and
merchant shipping only
St François, capitainerie with PC for clearance

Basse Terre
Rivière Sens Marina, Le Barracuda restaurant (PC
for clearance)
Open Tues-Fri 1000-2200, Sun/Mon 1000-1500
Port de Basse Terre (commercial harbour), cruise
liners and merchant shipping only
Deshaies
Le Pélican, Boulevard Poissonniers PC for
clearance)
Open weekdays 0830-1230 and 1600-1900,
Sundays 0900-1300

Terre de Haut (Les Saintes)
La Marie, open weekdays 0800-1200 and 1400-
1700. Closed weekends and Wednesday PM.
Compulsory clearance on entry and exit (free of
charge)

Marie Galante
Le Bourg airport, open 0800-1200 and 1400-
1630, Weds/Fri AM only