Roughly midway along the west coast and with a population of a bit over 75,000, Martinique´s low-key capital is named after the fort first built here in 1638, and it´s known for its colorful markets; colonial architecture (especially check out the handsome Schœlcher Library, built in Paris in 1887 and shipped here in sections); vibrant street and cultural life; and several key historical sites. These include Saint-Louis Cathedral (the current neo-Romanesque version replacing its 17th-century predecessor in 1895), and the titular Fort Saint-Louis (pictured here), built in 1669 to replace a previous fort; while there's not much to see here in terms of furnishings or displays, just walking through a massive colonial fortress in the Caribbean is a hugely atmospheric experience. Also don´t miss a pair of interesting museums. Housed in an upper-class 19th-century manse, the Musée Régionale de l´Histoire et d´Ethnografie is all about the cultural and daily life of the island, while the Musée Departmentale, in a former military commissariat building, goes back 4,000 years into the island´s pre-Columbian past. Along the way, make a stop for colorful photo ops and handicrafts at the Lafcadio Hearn Market and the Grand Marché Couvert.
And of course there´s great French Creole eating all over town, from humble street stalls to elegant, white-tablecloth restaurants; besides fantastic seafood, specialties to look out for include accras de moure (cod fritters), colombo (a chicken or lamb curry dish courtesy of Indian immigrants), lambis (conch stew), and blanc manger au coco, a sweet paste of honey, coconut milk, and vanilla powder.
Finally, near town, a couple of other places worth a visit are the 44-year-old, Balata Garden, with some 3,000 tropical plants and a treetop walkway with cool views and the nearby Sacré-Coeur Church, the mini “Montmartre of Martinique” constructed between 1875 and 1905 to resemble its Paris namesake.
Read more in my post Martinique, C'est Magnifique!
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