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People swimming in the water at a narrow tropical beach lined with tall palm trees

Martinique holidays

If Martinique isn't on your travel bucket list, you need to add it. This jewel of the Caribbean didn’t get to be one of the most visited French islands for tourists for no reason. Martinique is almost like two holidays in one - not only do you get the tropical paradise of a Caribbean island, but you also get a little piece of France and access to wonderful French luxury products and cuisine. Martinique has an abundance of thriving botanical gardens, healthy coral reefs, mysterious shipwrecks, majestic mountains, plus all the tasty food. What are you waiting for?

  • Flight time
  • 13h
  • From London
  • Currency
  • Euro
  • Time zone
  • GMT -4h
  • Capital
  • Fort-de-France
  • Language
  • French, Creole & English
  • Religion
  • Roman Catholic

Package holidays to Martinique

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5 facts about Martinique

  • Martinique is the rum capital of the world and is home to 12 different brands of rum.
  • Napoleon's first wife was born here.
  • Christmas celebrations in Martinique start on 1st December and last all month.
  • There’s a famous beheaded statue of Joséphine de Beauharnais in Fort-de-France.
  • Martinique carnival is one day longer than carnival in the rest of the Caribbean.
View through tree branches of sail boat in clear blue sea Crystal clear waters
Colourful plants and trees at a pristine tropical garden A world of green with lush vegetation
Man with red t-shirt playing with DJ controllers Events and festivals all year long
Sun shining on large stone statues of torsos at the bottom of a green mountai A rich history and vibrant culture
Two fried fish covered in pieces of garlic on a white plate Distinctive culinary delights

Where is Martinique

Martinique is an island in the Caribbean that’s part of a group of islands called the Lesser Antilles. It occupies a part of the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and has a tropical climate. The two closest islands to it are St. Lucia and Dominica, and like them, Martinique is also a volcanic island.

Airports in Martinique

The main airport of Martinique is Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport (FDF).

How to get to Martinique

A typical journey time from London to Martinique is 13 hours and 30 minutes via France. Currently there are no direct flights to Martinique from the UK.

When to go to Martinique

The best time to travel to Martinique depends on what you're looking for. The rainy season lasts from June to November and the best weather is from December to May. This period will have the lowest rainfall but will be the busiest time for tourism. While Martinique has a tropical climate and is hot year-round, the rainy season sees the hottest temperatures. March is the driest month but also the 'coldest'. This time of year has lows of 21°c on average, so far from cold, we encounter in the UK! The sea temperature is warm even at this time, so the water is perfect for swimming all year round. Our best time to visit guide can help you decide when to visit Martinique.

Best hotels in Martinique

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Average weather in Martinique

25
4
Jan
25
3
Feb
26
3
Mar
26
4
Apr
28
6
May
28
8
Jun
28
9
Jul
28
10
Aug
28
10
Sep
27
10
Oct
27
9
Nov
25
5
Dec
Jan - Jun
Jul - Dec
  • Temperature (°C)*
  • Rainfall (Inches)*
*Daily average based on previous 5 years

Martinique culture & holiday FAQ

Carnival season in Martinique isn't just a day or two, a matter of fact it's four days and nights of non-stop celebration! This season starts just before the beginning of Lent from Sunday to Ash Wednesday and practically the entire island gets involved.

Everything during this time is closed. So make sure you don’t get caught out waiting for restaurants or shops to open... There's always delicious street food available at the Carnival!

The first day of the celebration is Fat Sunday. There's a musical procession that includes carrying an effigy of King Vaval (King of Carnival) and puppets called Bwa Bwa. Watch out for the Neg Gwo Siwo who parade around blacked up with oil scaring the crowd as part of the festivities.

On Fat Monday there are burlesque mock weddings where men dress as floosies or pregnant brides, while women dress as unwilling grooms being dragged down the aisle.

Shrove Tuesday is very family-friendly and is often seen as a kids day. Referred to as Red Devils Day, the participants wear intricate red devil costumes covered in mirrors and bells as they dance and parade through town.

If you have any energy left then there's one more day of Carnival on Ash Wednesday. Everyone wears the traditional funeral colours of Martinique to mourn the end of Carnival and the death of King Vaval. After plenty of rum drinking and dancing the end is marked by burning King Vavals effigy on a funeral pyre.

The folk music that originates in Martinique heavily stems from the enslaved people on plantations. Bele and Chouval Bwa are two folk genres. Both use the instrument bele which is a type of drum.

Pop music in this region originates from folk music. The bele and tibwa are used often but there's a heavy French influence with clarinets and trombones. For example, biguine fused Bele and 19th-century French dances, which became a hugely popular genre in the 1960s.

Kompas brought by immigrants became big in Martinique in the 70s and helped to form the native Zouk genre. A fast tempo genre that used heavy synthesizers and a rhythm driven by percussion. Usually, music from this island is very upbeat and great for parties. Don't forget to pack your dancing shoes for your holiday!

The food here, like the rest of the Caribbean, is a fusion of cultures. French from the colonists; south Asian from indentured labourers and African from the enslaved people. This fusion has created the basis for creole food culture.

Parsley, garlic, onion, thyme and habanero chillies are huge players in many dishes here so plenty of their food has a spicy kick to it. There is also a strong seafood presence with crabs, lobster, conch, sea urchin and octopus popping up frequently in the cuisine. Martinique is quite unique, as many of the other Caribbean islands don’t use these types of fish in their cooking. The national dish of Martinique is grilled Snapper with creole sauce so it's clear they love seafood.

Colombo powder is a major seasoning in Martinique, which combines: chilli, cumin, coriander, black pepper and toasted rice to form a type of curry powder often used to cook meat. Its name hails from Colombo in Sri Lanka where the Asian immigrants who brought these spices came from.

Much like the rest of the Caribbean, rum is a big deal in Martinique. With 11 different distilleries, it's a big part of life. Martinique differs from most of the islands as they make a type named Rhum Agricole. This is made from pure sugar cane juice rather than sugar cane products such as molasses which most rums are made from.

If you'd like to try this rum, you won't have to look very far. In fact, the national drink of Martinique, named Ti Punch, is made from aged Rhum Agricole. Lime and sugar cane syrup is added to create a sweet fresh and crisp cocktail that is worth trying.

If you're looking for non-alcoholic beverages, then tropical fruit juices made from local produce like soursop or guava are very common.

Martinique is big on sports. One of the most popular sports is football. In fact, some of the most famous French football players are from here like Thierry Henry and Raphaël Varane.

If you love watching sports, then you'll be excited to know that there is a Tour de Martinique. A cycling race modelled after the Tour de France and just like that race, this is a big deal in Martinique. Every July, swathes of spectators line the roads to cheer on these cyclists and it’s a fun atmosphere.

As fishing and sea ventures are a huge part of the Martinican culture, the Yole boat race festival in July is a huge event that takes place every year. The boats are decorated colourfully in traditional fishing boat styles. Different towns and foreign competitors race against each other while they are cheered on by thousands of spectators.

Martinique is a haven for all our fellow shopaholics. The best shopping destinations in the Caribbean are on this island as you can not only get a wealth of local goods, but also luxury goods from France.

La Galleria in Le Lamentin is a massive shopping centre that combines shops and restaurants with a bustling supermarket. There are 69 different stores selling a wonderful choice of French goods.

Genipa in Ducos is another big shopping centre in Martinique. Enjoy luxury French brands such as Lacoste and L’Occitane. If you want high-quality products then this is the place to visit.

If you are after local artisanal crafts, then the town Les Trois-Îlets is for you. Village de la Poterie lets you view the making of indigenous style pottery and you can also buy local traditional jewellery and clothing.

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