Fort de France, Martinique - The Honest Brits Guide
Fort-de-France PortFrance CountryMalta CountryMartinique CountryMontenegro CountryTürkiye CountryUnited Kingdom CountryIstanbul PortVenice Port
Your cruise ship docks in Fort de France. You have one day. You do not need a hire car, a ship's excursion, or a tour guide. The capital of Martinique is entirely walkable from the port - and it is one of the most surprising cities in the Caribbean. It is also, technically, France. We flew from Paris to the Caribbean and landed straight back in France. Same currency, same language, same street signs, same plug sockets, but with tropical heat, white sandy beaches, and rum. Martinique is not a French territory or a French colony. It is France. An actual region of France, and therefore part of the European Union. And if your cruise ship docks in Fort de France, you do not need a car, a transfer, or a tour. Everything in this film is on foot or a short ferry ride from the port. In this episode we explore Fort de France entirely on foot, the way we think every first visit should begin. We start at the only beach in the city centre, in the shadow of Fort St. Louis, a fortress built in 1638 that is still an active French naval base today. The British tried to take it multiple times. They kept renaming it Fort Edward. It is very much Fort St. Louis now. We discover the extraordinary Bibliotheque Schoelcher, a library originally built in Paris for the 1889 World's Fair, dismantled brick by brick, shipped across the Atlantic and rebuilt here in the Caribbean. We wander the colourful market, which smells better than the spice bazaar in Istanbul, eat a proper Martiniquais lunch, and head out in the evening to the Street of Colours to learn how rum is actually meant to be drunk here. The answer involves a bowl of sugar, some chopped limes, and a very free pour. The next day we hop on the local ferry to Pointe du Bout, known as the Saint-Tropez of the Caribbean, for pina coladas at the iconic Hotel Bakoua and views back across the bay to Fort de France. If you want to see the journey that got us here, our Nomads Club members have the exclusive B-Side of our Air France flight from Paris to Martinique waiting for them right now. Hit the Join button to get instant access. Martinique Travel Facts and Prices Mentioned In This Video: *Getting there: We flew direct from Paris Charles de Gaulle with Air France. Flight time is approximately 8 hours *Cruise port: Fort de France cruise terminal is within easy walking distance of everything in this film *Where we stayed: Hotel Simon, Fort de France. Book via our affiliate link here: https://expedia.com/affiliate/qqkJWEM *Ferry to Pointe du Bout: We paid 9 euros each for a return ticket, payable by card. Google Maps and transit apps are unreliable for timetables in Martinique. Find timetables directly from the ferry operator *Ti-punch: 10 euros each on the Street of Colours. White or dark rum, served with sugar and lime to mix yourself *Currency: Euro *Language: French *EU membership: Yes, Martinique is a full region of France and therefore part of the European Union, but it is not part of the Schengen Area Download The Honest Brits Guide to Martinique - free, straight to your inbox: https://www.thehonestbritsguide.com/martinique Original Soundtrack by Adam. All music is original, composed and produced by Adam (PhD in direct audio-visual relationships) to capture the cinematic atmosphere of every destination we visit. Who are The Floating Nomads? We are Rick and Adam, The Floating Nomads. We live a life of slow travel by train, ferry and water across Europe and beyond. When not on our UK narrowboat Serenissima, we live abroad for months at a time, spending extended periods in places like Malta, Venice, Turkey, Albania, Montenegro and the Caribbean. We share the practical reality of life on the move, combining Rick's marketing background with Adam's music PhD to capture the authentic atmosphere of every destination we visit. Support the Journey. New Films: Every Friday evening (UK time). Channel Members: Early access every Thursday, starting at just £2.99 per month. Members also unlock exclusive B-Side extra videos. Click Join under any video to help support our work. Subscribe and join us onboard and abroad. @TheFloatingNomads #Martinique #FortDeFrance #CruisePort #FrenchCaribbean #FrenchWestIndies #Caribbean #HonestBritsGuide #FloatingNomads Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:46 Welcome to Martinique: First Impressions 1:52 Fort de France: What to Expect for Cruise Passengers 3:11 The Beach and Fort St. Louis 5:50 Art Deco and the Bibliotheque Schoelcher 8:00 The Covered Market 13:00 Lunch: Eating Like a Local 16:00 Street of Colours 17:00 Ti-Punch: How Rum is Done in Martinique 20:47 Day Two: Taking the Ferry to Pointe du Bout 23:00 Arriving at Pointe du Bout 24:28 Hotel Bakoua and a Surprise Announcement