Guadeloupe

Key facts

• Region: The Caribbean
• Sovereignty: Non-sovereign territory administered by France
• Capital: Basse-Terre
• Currency: Euro (EUR)
• Languages: French (official) and Antillean Creole
• Main airport: PTP — Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport, serving Pointe-à-Pitre
• Best time to visit: December to April, the dry season; the island is wettest from July to November

Overview

Guadeloupe is a French overseas department in the Lesser Antilles, forming the central part of the eastern Caribbean island chain. It is shaped like a butterfly, with the volcanic, greener island of Basse-Terre to the west and the flatter, drier Grande-Terre to the east. Because it is part of France, travellers use the euro, French is the official language, and Antillean Creole is widely spoken. The island group also includes the smaller dependencies of Marie-Galante, Les Saintes and La Désirade.

Airports

Guadeloupe's main gateway is Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport, also branded Pôle Caraïbes (PTP), located at Les Abymes near Pointe-à-Pitre and serving the whole archipelago. It handles the bulk of long-haul and regional flights. Smaller airports serve the outlying islands: Marie-Galante (GBJ) near Grand-Bourg, Terre-de-Haut in Les Saintes (LSS), and La Désirade (DSD). Most visitors fly into PTP and connect to the dependencies by short flight or by ferry from Pointe-à-Pitre and Trois-Rivières.

Main cities

Pointe-à-Pitre is the economic capital and main port, with markets and ferry links, while Basse-Terre is the administrative capital, set below the volcano. Le Gosier is the main resort strip with the most hotels and beaches close to the airport. Sainte-Anne and Saint-François on Grande-Terre are relaxed beach towns, and Grand-Bourg is the principal town of Marie-Galante.

Places to go

On Grande-Terre, the white-sand stretches around Sainte-Anne and Saint-François include Plage de la Caravelle and the long Plage du Souffleur at Port-Louis. Basse-Terre holds the Parc National de la Guadeloupe, the Cascade aux Écrevisses, and La Soufrière, the island's active volcano and highest point at about 1,467 metres. The Réserve Cousteau off Pigeon, near the Îlets Pigeon, is a well-known snorkelling and diving area, and the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin is a protected lagoon with mangroves and islets. Offshore, Marie-Galante offers quiet beaches and rum distilleries, and the harbour of Les Saintes on Terre-de-Haut is regarded as one of the region's finest bays.

Getting there

Cheapest cached round-trip fare into Guadeloupe, refreshed every 6 hours:

Where to stay

Practical information

Frequently asked