District · Pointe-à-Pitre
Saint-Antoine market district
The covered market and its counters; go by day.
Key facts
- Suits
- Spices, lunch and a museum
- Sights here
- 4
- Eats here
- 3
What it's like
- Feels:
- Busy, colourful and loud in the morning; shut and quiet by afternoon
- Suits:
- Spices, lunch and a museum
- Best time:
- Before 10:00Before 10:00 AM
- Watch out for:
- Sundays.
- In short:
- The covered market and its counters; go by day.
About these names
The old centre is a small grid round Place de la Victoire and the harbour; the market district is a few blocks to the north; the Mémorial ACTe and marina are to the west along the waterfront; ferry terminals sit on the south-east side. The airport is in Les Abymes, about 3–5 km north-east, and the beaches are 10–25 minutes east along the coast.
Where exactly
This district is highlighted. Shapes follow this guide's walking areas and places, not official boundaries.
Saint-Antoine market district
seeeat
The covered market and its counters; go by day.
Suits: Spices, lunch and a museum
On the map: Musée Schoelcher, Marché Saint-Antoine
District guideWalk: Marché Saint-Antoine & the north streetsIn the districts table
Off the map: Pointe-à-Pitre – Pôle Caraïbes Airport (PTP) (20–45 min by the usual route).
Not drawn yet (no coordinates in this guide): Les Abymes and the airport, Le Gosier. See the table above.
Where’s what, as a list:
- Victoire and the centre: Place de la Victoire, the cathedral, a museum and cafés; walkable and quiet at night. Suits: A first morning; short stays with bags. Price band $$.
- Saint-Antoine market district: The covered market and its counters; go by day. Suits: Spices, lunch and a museum.
- Darboussier and the marina: The Mémorial ACTe and the marina terraces; car-oriented and quiet. Suits: The memorial and a waterfront evening. Price band $$$.
- Bergevin and the ferry terminal: A place to buy tickets and board, not to sightsee. Suits: Tickets and ferries.
- Les Abymes and the airport: The airport, car-hire desks and the large hospital; not a visitor district. Suits: Flights and car hire.
- Le Gosier: The beach resort area about 10–20 minutes east; the alternative base if you want a beach holiday. Suits: Beach hotels and evening restaurants.
- Sleep area Darboussier waterfront: suits The memorial and a waterfront evening, price band $$$.
- Sleep area Around Place de la Victoire: suits A first morning; short stays with bags, price band $$.
- Pointe-à-Pitre – Pôle Caraïbes Airport (PTP), 20–45 min by the usual route.
Stay here?
Not a base in this guide
See
Opening hours and prices from each place page; (check) means typical hours, not yet verified.
The town's cathedral on the square: twenty minutes inside as part of the Victoire morning; opening hours are not published here.
- Hours:
- Desk estimate: open most days outside mass times; confirm locally.(check)
- Entry:
- Free; donations welcome
A small museum in a Creole townhouse about the Nobel-winning poet born in Pointe-à-Pitre: 30–45 minutes, calm and cool, when the square is too hot.
- Hours:
- Desk estimate: weekday day hours; confirm locally.(check)
- Entry:
- About €3–6 (≈ US$4–7) (2026 estimate, check)
A small museum on Victor Schoelcher, the abolitionist, in a cast-iron-fronted building near the market: 30–45 minutes, a good pairing with the market and the memorial.
- Hours:
- Desk estimate: weekday day hours; confirm locally.(check)
- Entry:
- About €3–5 (≈ US$4–6) (2026 estimate, check)
- Marché Saint-AntoineBook a time
The covered market of spices, vanilla, madras cloth and lunch counters: go early on a weekday morning.
- Hours:
- Desk estimate: morning to early afternoon on weekdays and Saturday; confirm locally.(check)
- Entry:
- Free
Eat
What to order and what locals pay, from each eat page. Prices are estimates; check the menu.
- Boudin and accras stalls
Snack stalls for boudin créole (spiced blood sausage), accras and fried bites: a 15-minute market snack, eaten hot and standing up.
Order: Boudin créole: Ask for one; "sans piment" for less heat.
Price: A piece of boudin is a few euros for everyone.
- Creole restaurants near the cathedral
Sit-down Creole lunches (colombo, court-bouillon, lambi and chatrou stews) in the streets round the cathedral: book the 12:30 table the evening before.
Order: Colombo: Say "colombo de poulet".
Price: Weekday lunch menus are around €15–22 (≈ US$18–30) (2026 estimate).
- Creole lunch counters at the market
Walk-in Creole plates (fish, accras, rice and beans) at the market counters; go at midday and carry small notes.
Order: Accras de morue: Order by the bag; ask for them hot.
Price: A set plate is around €8–12 (≈ US$10–14) for everyone at market counters (2026 estimate).
Shopping
Markets and shopping streets from the Pointe-à-Pitre buying guide that name this district.
- Marché Saint-Antoine · Spices, vanilla, fruit, madras cloth, lunch counters · Morning to early afternoon (check) · haggling: lightThe main market; go before 10:00 and carry small notes.The main market; go before 10:00 AM and carry small notes.
- Spices, vanilla and colombo blend · Marché Saint-AntoineAsk for a small sealed bag; check that vanilla is fresh and soft.
Getting there and around
Where to get off
- Walk from Place de la Victoire · for Cathedral of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul
- Walk or short car ride to the market entrance · for Marché Saint-Antoine
- Walk from the market · for Musée Schoelcher
- Market entrance and the stalls beside it · 3 min walk to Boudin and accras stalls
Walks inside the district
- Marché Saint-Antoine → Creole lunch counters at the market: 3–4 min on foot (Walk inside the market)
- Cathedral of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul → Musée Saint-John Perse: 4–7 min on foot (Walk)
- Marché Saint-Antoine → Musée Schoelcher: 5–9 min on foot (Walk)
- Creole lunch counters at the market → Musée Schoelcher: 6–10 min on foot (Walk)
- Marché Saint-Antoine → Boudin and accras stalls: 3–6 min on foot (Walk)
On to the next area
- Walk south: about 12 min to Place de la Victoire & cathedral
- Car south-east: about 8 min to Bergevin ferry terminal & harbour
From other sleep areas
- From Around Place de la Victoire: 10–15 min walk to Marché Saint-Antoine & the north streets
Minutes are this guide’s typical walking and ride times (p50–p90); traffic and heat stretch them.
Walking loop
A loop that starts and ends at the same place, through this district's sights and eats. Pick a length; download it for Organic Maps, OsmAnd or Google Earth.
About 104 min in all: 19 min on foot, the rest at the stops. 4 stops, back to where you started.
- Cathedral of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-PaulStart here · stop about 15 min
- Musée Schoelcher3 min walk (estimate) · stop about 25 min
- Musée Saint-John Perse4 min walk (estimate) · stop about 25 min
- Marché Saint-Antoine6 min walk (estimate) · stop about 20 min
- Back to Cathedral of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul: 6 min walk (estimate)
Walking minutes come from this guide’s route graph where it has one; “estimate” means straight-line distance plus a quarter for street detours at an easy pace. Opening hours are not checked: look at “Open now” below before you set off.
Half-day walk
In the day plans: Day 2 — The market at 07:30, then the ferry terminal (Pointe-à-Pitre in 3 days)
Photo and sunset spots
Light: 08:00–10:00
Ask before photographing sellers and buy something first.
Safety at night and noise
Saint-Antoine marketday: oknight: avoid
Crowded by day with pickpockets; closed and empty at night.
Nearby districts
Built from this guide’s Pointe-à-Pitre districts table, place, eat and sleep pages, route graph and city notes. Hours, prices and rules change: anything marked (check) is typical, not verified. checked: 2026-09.