Trip for · First-timers

Pointe-à-Pitre for first-timers

A useful base for a morning or two but the beaches and Basse-Terre are the main draw.

Only items the guide tags or describes for first-timers; each shows the field it came from. Prices and hours: check before you go.

Key facts

A 4-day outline

Grouped by walking cluster where the guide gives one. Order inside a day is loose: the timed day plans check opening hours and walking.

Place de la Victoire
Why it fits: The town's main square with old trees and cafés.
From: Top 10
The cathedral
Why it fits: An iron-framed church built to survive quakes and storms.
From: Top 10
A bokit
Why it fits: The fried-bread sandwich of Guadeloupe.
From: Top 10

Musée Saint-John Perse
Why it fits: A small museum on the poet born in the town.
From: Top 10
Marché Saint-Antoine
Why it fits: the best look at everyday Creole life.
From: Good for · first-timers
A Creole lunch plate at the market
Why it fits: Fish, accras and rice and beans where locals eat them.
From: Top 10

Musée Schoelcher
Why it fits: A focused look at the abolition of slavery in the French colonies.
From: Top 10
Mémorial ACTe
Why it fits: the history that defines the island.
From: Good for · first-timers
A ti-punch at the marina
Why it fits: Rum, lime and cane syrup at sunset.
From: Top 10

Marie-Galante
Why it fits: Cane fields, distilleries and beaches a short ferry away.
From: Top 10

Sleep areas the guide points first-timers to.

Around Place de la Victoire
Walk to the square, the cathedral and a museum.
From: Where to sleep · "First visit, sights first"

What the guide flags for first-timers.

A useful base for a morning or two but the beaches and Basse-Terre are the main draw. (Good for · verdict: ok)
Unofficial taxi drivers offering a 'special price' at the airport: use the official taxi rank or book through your hotel, and ask for the meter or a fixed fare. (Scams)
Bag snatching and theft from parked cars, especially rental cars left with visible bags: leave nothing in the car and use secure parking. (Scams)
Unlicensed 'guides' at the market or ferry terminal: buy ferry tickets only at the terminal counter or the operator's site. (Scams)