Ten days itinerary in Martinique

If you plan on spending around two weeks in Martinique and want to make the most of it, here’s the best 10 days itinerary in Martinique. 

From the many beaches, to the rum distilleries, including the Balata garden and best hikes, I’ll show you the ultimate circuit around the island. If you need a shorter itinerary, I’ll also indicate which activities and sightseeing can be forgotten when coming for few days only.

I also made an article about the top 10 best beaches in Martinique as well as one about the best food specialties to try out on the island.

Moving on to this itinerary !

• Day One : Discover Anses d’Arlet commune (Anse Dufour, Anse Noire, Trois-Rivières Plantation…)
• Day Two : Discover Sainte Anne commune (Sainte Anne, Anse des Salines…)
• Day Three : Visit the Balata garden and Saint Pierre with a few stops along the way
• Day Four : Hike to the Savanna of Petrifications and spend the afternoon at Anse Michel
• Day Five : Snorkelling day, I’ll list the best spots to see corals and turtles !
• Day Six : Visit the Depaz distillery and the Precheur commune (Anse Couleuvre, Mount Pelée…)
• Day Seven : Enjoy a calmer day a Anses d’Arlet
• Day Eight : Explore the Ilet Chevalier and visit the Habitation Clement with a few stops along the way
• Day Nine : Head to the Presqu’ile de la Caravelle, visit the Distillerie Saint James or HSE
• Day Ten : Snorkelling day and sunset at Anse Diamant
• Day Eleven : Visit Fort-de-France before heading back (the local market, Saint-Louis Fort, Garnier Pagès street…)

Day One

Note : We stayed the whole trip in Anses d’Arlet, right above the Grande Anse. So this itinerary takes into account the drive from there each day.

 After a long flight and a first night in a new place, what’s best than heading straight to some of the best beaches on the island ?

13 minutes from Anses d’Arlet are Anse Dufour (see 3 pictures below)and Anse Noire, two beautiful beaches completely different and only a few meters away from each other.

Start at Anse Dufour early (7-8am) so you’ll be almost alone, and after a few hours you can visit the Anse Noire, completely breathtaking with its volcanic black sand.

For lunch, you can try one of the many restaurants on the Grande Anse d’Arlet, or buy a chicken thigh grilling on the side of road by locals.

Then, for a digestive walk head to Plage du Diamant. This 3-kilometers long beach was one favorite during our stay. You can walk for hours, the views are clearly unmatched, plus it’s never that crowded !

Plus, on the way to get to Anse Diamant, you can check out the Memorial Cap 110 : a tribute to all the slaves who endured the slave trade in Martinique.

We took advantage of the beautiful golden hour to visit the Plantation Trois-Rivières. I give more details on it in my article about the best distilleries in Martinique, but in short, you can either take the tour on your own or with a guide. We did it by ourselves as they were many infomative panels to explain the whole rum-making process. It is small and almost empty at 4pm so it didn’t took long, plus the lighting through the famous cane mill was really nice.

To end in beauty and have a beautiful sunset while you are there, head to Anse Figuier. The sun sets right in front of this beach so it’s perfect to enjoy the last moments of daylight.

Day Two

Start this day by visiting the Anses d’Arlet village. This cute village has a church on the main street right across the beach and a small fish market (that can be closed if the weather conditions were not that great for fishing). Honestly, the best attraction here is the pontoon from where you can get a really nice overview of the village.

Then, start taking the road to discover the local market in Le Diamant. This market has many fruits and vegetables (we bought delicious coconuts and bananas there), but also lots of local arts and crafts or souvenirs.

Last stop in the morning would be Sainte-Anne, which also has a local market. Here you’ll find lots of vanilla-deviated products (vanilla bean, vanilla extract, vanilla aroma…), Martinican spices and arranged rums (passion fruit, mango or ananas rums and many more…).

Find a local stall or restaurant for your picnic or lunch and head to Plage des Salines.

Grande Anse des Salines is a one-kilometre long beach with golden sand lined with coconut palms, pear trees and mancenilliers. Be careful, those trees are very toxic : its apple-like fruit, sap and foliage can cause severe burns. They are often marked with a red line on its trunk, so you will surely see them, but in case of rain do not stay near mancenilliers !

The water is cristal clear there and very calm so it’s perfect to swim (wouldn’t recommend it for snorkelling as it’s only sand). Note also that there is not that much shade so I wouldn’t stay there for a full day because it gets really hot.

However, we did the like hike to Petite Anse des Salines (where you might see some nudists), and to Anse Meunier and it’s worth doing. You will see the Anses from above and a different vegetation, replacing palm trees with cacti.

To stay away from the crowd, I would recommend going in the morning (from 8 to 11am max) and staying on the right side of the Grande Anse.

Day Three

For this third day, let’s head in the center of the island and discover the lush vegetation.

For this, let’s go to the Balata Garden, through the Route de la Trace (Trace road). It’s the section of the N3 that links Fort-de-France to Morne-Rouge. The atmosphere, the vegetation, the little mist in the trees makes it really magical.

After 10 minutes or 6 kilometers, you will arrive at the Sanctuaire diocésain du Sacré-Coeur. Not only it is a beautiful basilica (more from the outside than the inside), but also the view from up there is really worth stopping by.

4 kilometers after is the Jardin de Balata (or Balata Garden). This superb botanical garden, created in 1986, is home to over 3,000 plant species. The entrance is through a traditional Creole house decorated in the Antillean style, and once on the garden side you can observe several hummingbirds drinking around the terrace. There’s a pathway throughout the whole garden, which allows you to discover different viewpoints as well as tons of varieties of plants and flowers.

Just before the end of the tour, you’ll have the chance to take a walk up in the trees, thanks to the recently installed 15-metre-high suspension bridges! Those with a fear of heights are warned. The view from the top is a real treat, with a stunning panorama of the Bay of Fort-de-France and the Pitons du Carbet.

The tour ends at the basin below, where numerous fish are waiting to be fed by visitors, amidst lotuses and water lilies.

You will need between 1 hour and a half to 2 hours to visit the garden.

It is open every day (even on sunday and bank holidays), from 9am to 6pm (last entry at 4:30pm). The entrance fee for adults is 16€.

To return to Anses d’Arlet from the garden, take the road through Saint Pierre, which lasts around 40 minutes. Halfway there, or after 11 kilometers, you can make a pit stop to the waterfall called Le Saut du Gendarme. There’s a parking there and a stayway on the left of an informative panel. After a few minutes you’ll reach the waterfall. It’s possible to take a dip there but the water is a bit colder !

12 kilometers later, you’ll reach Saint Pierre. This town was wiped off the map by the volcanic eruption of 1902, which killed 29,000 people.
Progressively rebuilt, the former economic capital of the Antilles is today a modest little commune. You can visit the many remains that bear witness both to the vanished wealth of the “Little Paris of the West Indies”, and to the violence of the catastrophe. Let’s quote for example :

• The theater, where only the stairway remains (2nd picture below).
• Cyparis prison cell : Right behind the theater stands the completely intact dungeon of the old prison. This is where the only survivor, Cyparis, was found, alive but heavily burned. He was imprisoned after a fight and protected thanks to the heavy stone walls of the cell and to its orientation, that wasn’t facing the Mount Pelée (3rd picture below).
• La Maison Coloniale de Santé which was the first psychiatric hospital in the West Indies.
• The identical reconstruction of the Chamber of Commerce, destroyed by the eruption (see first picture below).

If you are looking for a place to eat in Saint-Pierre, I would recommend Chez Marie Snack, and make sure to ask for her djon-djon rice with chicken. It’s a famous and very tasteful Haitian dish, made with mushroom juice.

If you fancy a swim after visiting Saint-Pierre, Plage du Carbet is located 9 minutes away and has a nice pontoon offering a nice view of the surrounding mountains.

Day Four

For this fourth day, the plan is to go on a 3-4 hours hike early in the morning and enjoy a swim or a nap under the palm trees on the afternoon.

The hike will take you to the Savanna of Petrifications. It is a desert-like area located in the south of Martinique, at the tip of the Sainte-Anne peninsula. The 27km Trace des Caps coastal trail crosses this area.

For that, head early to the Grande Anse des Salines and park as far left as possible. Walk along the beach always towards the Anse à Prune on the left side. You will then walk in the forest and finally reach a little wooden bridge (see 2nd picture below). Depending on the tides, you’ll have to walk in the water to reach the bridge. Expect water as high up as your belly ! So definitely not possible with a stroller for example.

After crossing the bridge over the Etang des Salines river, it’s pretty straight froward, there’s a path that will lead you to the Savanna of petrifications.

It took us two hours from the Anse des Salines to the Savanna, but we did stop at a small beach on the way (10 minutes after the bridge) for a 20 minutes refreshing swim.

If you keep walking once you’ve reached the Savanna, for 5 to 10 minutes, you will reach an incredible beach, the Anse Trabaud, completely untouched and deserted. With the whitest sand and bluest water. We heard from other tourists that its a bit dangerous to swim there so we only enjoyed it with our eyes, but it’s definitely worth the 10 minutes of added walk.

There’s a different path for the walk back that will save you a lot of time : just keep your right !

After this great hike, you can spend the afternoon at Anse Michel for some well-deserved farniente.

We went to this beach looking for some shade and a nice spot to have lunch, it absolutely did not disappoint ! The beach naturally separates into two : on the right it’s full of palm trees so lots of shade. That’s where people nap, read and relax. On the left, people are kitesurfing or sunbathing. Just note that there are some algae on the beach and in the water. There’s also some picnic table under the trees.

There’s two ways to get to the beach. If you type in Anse Michel on Google Maps, you’ll land in a small car park in front close to the sea. You then have to walk under the trees and find and wooden pontoon that will lead you to the main beach.

Day Five

For this fifth day, and because the day before was quite packed (both from lots of driving and a long hike), a good idea can be to stay in Anses d’Arlet commune and finally discover the underwater world.

The best spots that we found and that were recommended to us by divers were the Grande Anse d’Arlet, Plage du bourg des Anses d’Arlet, Anse Dufour and Anse Noire.

I made a detailed article on the best beaches in Martinique, you can check it out by clicking on the names above. I have explained the best spots to see corals, turtles, and exotic fish (check out the Day Ten section, I’ve added pictures of the turtle we saw !).

Day Six

For this sixth day, drive to one of the best distillery of the island : Depaz Distillery. Rum culture is omnipresent in Martinique and it’s both important and interesting to learn about the rum-making process. I have written an article about the best distilleries to visit on the island, so check out the first section regarding Depaz.

After this visit which lasts around an hour, you can either hike to the top of Mount Pelée or only drive to the viewpoint deck at the beginning of the trail. Either way, make sure the weather conditions are good, it is often very foggy. The day we were in the area we couldn’t even see the view from the parking lot so we skipped this hike.

Instead, we headed to Anse couleuvre.

Anse Couleuvre is one of wildest beach in Martinique and the decor is impressive : a beautiful arc-shaped strip of volcanic grey sand with imposing rainforest-covered cliffs. We chose to have lunch there and we almost had the beach to ourselves as the majority of people were just passing by. 

Most of the people that come to Anse Couleuvre take in the view and snap a couple of pictures but never stay long. Besides the breathtaking landscape, expect big waves, lots of pebbles and rock. All of that makes this beach not the most suitable for a dip in the sea. Plus, it is quite small so depending on the tides you might not get a lot of room to lay down.

An other activity while you’re in that area is to visit the Habitation Céron. We didn’t, as the entrance fee was quite high and we preferred to enjoy the beaches.

Day Seven

If you want to take another day live slowly, enjoy the simple island life, you can head to Village des Anses d’Arlet for a snorkelling sessions, or swim at Anse à l’âne which is also nearby (if you are in the area, you can take your lunch at Boulangerie Pom Kanel’ and eat it on the beach).

Then, head back to either village des Anses d’Arlet or Plage du diamant for a stunning sunset.

For restaurant recommendations you can check out this article I made.

Day Eight

Ready for some adventure ? Drive to Ilet Chevalier, a small uninhabited island on the Sainte-Anne peninsula.

The Taxis du Cap provide an all-day shuttle service from the Cap Chevalier dock (first pic below). Departures are every half-hour between 08:00 and 17:30. The sailing is short, less than 500 meters.

Once you arrive on the island via a small pontoon, you’ll discover transparent, calm water and a few roosters roaming under the trees. To the right, heading towards the large rock overlooking the beach, begins a short hiking trail that follows the contours of the island. This path allows you to discover the whole island, its fauna and vegetation. The highest points offer splendid views of the coral reef.

We asked for a return two hours later, which is plenty of time to tour the island and swim or snorkel on the main beach. We went from 9am to 11am and were complete alone on the island. The return fare for adults was 4 euros.

Depending on the month you are visiting, you might have more people, so other (less crowded) options are : Ilet Aigrette, Ilet Chien or Ilet Rat.

For your afternoon road trip, might I suggest heading to Habitation Clément, but with a few fun stops along the way.

First of, 7km after leaving Cap Chevalier, you will arrive to Plage de Cap Macré. This beach is a little gem that seems not that well known yet. We were completely alone when we went there and it’s worth checking it out. It’s a typical white sand – lush mountains kind of martiniquaise beach.

Then, you can make a pit stop at Le Vauclin, a small village along the Plage de la Pointe Faula. This is where we had our lunch break. At the local market we found savoury patés, guava cakes, bananas and sugarcane juice ton enjoy on the beach.

After a 20-minutes drive from there, you’ll arrive at Habitation Clément.

The habitation Clement is famous for its beautiful mansion that occupies the highest point of the estate. Its traditional architecture overlooks the surrounding landscape : a vast 160-hectare agricultural estate. It features a wonderful botanical discovery path that leads to the former distillery which can be visited, then to the different ageing cellars with beautifully stacked barrels and a nice smell of rum ! I’ve wrote about everything you need to know for your visit to Habitation Clément in this article.

Day Nine

On this ninth day, a great area to explore is the Presque île de la caravelle. It is a natural reserve on the east coast of Martinique.

If you go there you can :

• Visit the the Château Dubuc ruins which offers great view over the Baie du Trésor (or Treasure Bay) for a 5€ fee.
• Take the short circuit starting at Château Dubuc, which around 45 minutes for 2.5 kilometers. Most of the hike takes place in the forest, under the shade of trees. We didn’t take the risk to do it as it rained right before and we were in sandals. There are many mancelliniers on that walk and walking/touching their wet leaves or being under the trees during heavy rains can burn your skin severely.
• The long circuit allows you to discover the presqu’île in its entirety in about 3 hours for 9 kilometers. It will take you to the Caravelle lighthouse from the Château Dubuc, where you simply follow the signs to complete your hike.

On your way back to Anses d’Arlet, you can visit Habitation Saint Étienne, or Distillerie Saint James, both old distillery now converted respectively into a park and a museum. We chose Saint-James museum, you can read more about our visit here.

An insolite stop is the Brasserie du manoir, a restaurant currently closed which offers incredible views of the bay.

Day Ten

This is the last day before heading back to Fort-de-France for your flight. We chose to snorkel the whole day at Anses d’Arlet (go early in the morning, the lighting will be way better) and witness a last sunset at Plage du Diamant.

We even saw a turtle near the little anchored boats in the afternoon :

But if you feel like moving your body you can either do the hike to :

• Piton Creve Coeur : Offers a superb 360° panorama, with the sea almost on every side.Starting point is in Sainte-Anne, the hike lasts 50 minutes or 1,8 kilometers, see details on VisoRando
• Or Morne Larcher : For a breathtaking view of the Diamond Rock and the entire east coast of southern Martinique. Starting point is at Anse Caffard, the hike lasts 2 hours and a half or 3,7 kilometers, see details on VisoRando.

Day Eleven

Final day ! Time to visit the capital, Fort-de-France.

We tried to avoid it during the whole stay because traffic around this city is just crazy, but you can’t miss some sightseeing there.

First of, head to the Saint Louis fort. The inside couldn’t be visited but it’s worth walking around (see first picture below). From there, head to the Schœlcher library. Built in 1887, it has a highly sophisticated facade (pictures 2 and 3 below).

Honestly, unless you visit it very early the fish market isn’t worth the detour. It is small and not in the best area of Fort-de-France.

Instead visit the Marché couvert de Fort-de-France. You’ll find many spices, punch, fruits and vegetables.

Lastly, wander in Garnier Pagès street which is full of vibrant street art and cute cafés. We stopped at LePatio19 and really loved the vibe. It was very calm and relaxing, plus the coffee was excellent.

For lunch or a sweet break, you can try the local bakery Surena. We bought little chicken pâtés and guava cakes which were delicious. Wander in the streets of the city center, some alleys are very flowery (see pictures 1 and 2 below).

We still had a few hours to kill before our flight and wanted the escape the heat of the buzzing city so we drove to Plage de case navire in Schoelcher for a last swim !

And that wraps up my ten days itinerary in Martinique !

It was a magical and wonderful trip, in 10 days you get a really good feel of the island and can do a lot ! If you plan one going there a week, it’s totally possible if you skip some activities such as the Presqu’île de la Caravelle, Ilet Chevalier or the beaches in the North that require lots of driving.

If you need a personalized itinerary, you can fill this form and I’ll find you the best accommodations, flights and itinerary !