FORT-DE-FRANCE
"Martinique's well-dressed capital, Fort-de-France, looks unnervingly like a French provincial city that has been given a tropical makeover. Which isn't surprising when you realise that Martinique is both a French département and a textbook Caribbean island".
The Sunday Times - March 13, 2005
This is the business centre and administrative capital. Many of the tourist attractions are grouped together around the haven of greenery by the name of La Savane and the Fort de France Bay.
Fort Saint-Louis, which dates back to 1640, is an active military base that can be visited as part of a 45 minute guided tour. La Savane consists of five hectares of public gardens with magnificent tropical plants.
La Cathédrale Saint Louis was built in 1895. This cathedral has a roman-style bell tower and many governors are buried in the chancel, but it is without a doubt the huge organs that attract the most visitors. The Schoelcher Library was designed by the architect Henry Pick. This library was built in Paris for an Exhibition in 1889, and then dismantled and brought from France, brick by brick, and completed in 1893.
above: Bibliothèque Schoelcher
The Fruit and Vegetable Market and the Fish Market are picturesque and colourful and a visit offers the opportunity to discover the spirit of Fort-de-France. At the Floral Park there are a number of traditional workshops, an exotic aquarium, and a botanical and geological
gallery.
"Martinique's well-dressed capital, Fort-de-France, looks unnervingly like a French provincial city that has been given a tropical makeover. Which isn't surprising when you realise that Martinique is both a French département and a textbook Caribbean island".
The Sunday Times - March 13, 2005
This is the business centre and administrative capital. Many of the tourist attractions are grouped together around the haven of greenery by the name of La Savane and the Fort de France Bay.
Fort Saint-Louis, which dates back to 1640, is an active military base that can be visited as part of a 45 minute guided tour. La Savane consists of five hectares of public gardens with magnificent tropical plants.
La Cathédrale Saint Louis was built in 1895. This cathedral has a roman-style bell tower and many governors are buried in the chancel, but it is without a doubt the huge organs that attract the most visitors. The Schoelcher Library was designed by the architect Henry Pick. This library was built in Paris for an Exhibition in 1889, and then dismantled and brought from France, brick by brick, and completed in 1893.
above: Bibliothèque Schoelcher
The Fruit and Vegetable Market and the Fish Market are picturesque and colourful and a visit offers the opportunity to discover the spirit of Fort-de-France. At the Floral Park there are a number of traditional workshops, an exotic aquarium, and a botanical and geological
gallery.
