City centre
Markets, ferriesAround the Place de la Victoire.
City guide
Things to do in Pointe-à-Pitre
Guadeloupe's main city and port: the Mémorial ACTe, a landmark museum on slavery, the spice stalls of the Marché Saint-Antoine, colonial streets around the Place de la Victoire, and ferries to Les Saintes and Marie-Galante.
2015
Mémorial ACTe opened
1–2
Days
The working heart of Guadeloupe
Pointe-à-Pitre is Guadeloupe's largest town and its economic centre, on Grande-Terre where the island's two wings meet. It is not the capital, which is Basse-Terre, but it is the main port and the gateway for most visitors, with the international airport 15 minutes away.
Its most important sight is the Mémorial ACTe, the Caribbean Centre of Expressions and Memory of the Slave Trade and Slavery, opened in 2015 on the site of the former Darboussier sugar factory. Its black building, wrapped in a silver lattice, holds a major permanent exhibition on slavery and its legacy.
The old centre is a grid of wooden and iron colonial buildings around the Place de la Victoire, with the iron-framed Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul and covered markets selling spices, rum and madras cloth. Most travellers stay a day or two, or base themselves in nearby Le Gosier for beaches and nightlife.
Where to base yourself
The centre for markets and ferries, or Le Gosier and Bas-du-Fort for beaches and nightlife nearby.
Bas-du-Fort
Marina, aquariumSouth of the centre.
Le Gosier
Beaches, nightlifeThe resort town nearby.
Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Pointe-à-Pitre
Spend a morning at the Mémorial ACTe, which tells the story of slavery and the slave trade through objects, art and testimony, and walk its garden and the footbridge to the Morne Mémoire.
Browse the spice, vanilla and rum stalls of the Marché Saint-Antoine and the covered Marché de la Darse by the harbour. Walk the Place de la Victoire, see the iron-framed cathedral, and visit the Musée Saint-John Perse, in a colonial house, about the Nobel Prize-winning poet born here.
In Bas-du-Fort, visit the Aquarium de la Guadeloupe and the marina, then head to the beaches of Le Gosier and the Îlet du Gosier.
Free things
And what it costs nothing to do
The Place de la Victoire, the markets and the cathedral are free, and so are the harbour and the colonial streets.
The beaches at Le Gosier and Bas-du-Fort cost nothing.
The Mémorial ACTe, the Musée Saint-John Perse and the aquarium charge entry.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking
Pointe-à-Pitre is the best place for cheap Creole food. Bokits, fried bread stuffed with chicken, saltfish or cheese, cost €5 to €9 from vans and stalls, and accras de morue, salt cod fritters, are sold everywhere. Lunch plates of colombo, a Creole curry, cost €12 to €18.
The markets sell fruit, juices and spices, and French bakeries are on every street.
Service is included in restaurant prices, as in France; leaving a little extra for good service is appreciated but not expected.
Nightlife
Going out
The city centre is quiet at night. Most nightlife is in Le Gosier and the Bas-du-Fort marina, a few minutes away, with beach bars, clubs and live music at weekends.
Ti-punch, rum with lime and cane syrup, is the drink.
Beer costs €3 to €5 and cocktails €7 to €12.
Getting around
Getting around
Pointe-à-Pitre airport, Pôle Caraïbes, is about 15 minutes from the centre by taxi. Ferries leave the Bergevin terminal for Les Saintes and Marie-Galante.
Buses link Pointe-à-Pitre with the main towns, but run less often in the evenings and at weekends. A hire car is close to essential, as buses are infrequent and stop early.
Traffic around the city is heavy at rush hour.
Costs
What Pointe-à-Pitre costs
Guadeloupe is priced like France. Beds in guesthouses and gîtes start at around €30 to €60 a night. Bokits cost €5 to €9, and restaurant mains €15 to €30.
The Mémorial ACTe costs about €15. Hire cars cost about €35 to €60 a day.
Guadeloupe uses the euro, and cards are accepted almost everywhere.
Safety
Safety and scams
Pointe-à-Pitre is fine by day, but parts of the centre are deserted and best avoided at night. Take a taxi after dark rather than walking.
Leave nothing visible in parked cars, as break-ins are common.
Tap water is treated, but supply cuts and quality notices are common, so many people drink bottled water. In an emergency, call 112.
Worth the trip
Islands, beaches and the volcano.
Sainte-Anne
A lagoon beach town.
What's on
What is on while you are there
Carnival, cooks and sailing.
January to Ash Wednesday
Carnival
Pointe-à-Pitre
Weekly parades, driven by drums.
August
Fête des Cuisinières
Pointe-à-Pitre
A parade of cooks in traditional dress.
November, every four years
Route du Rhum
Pointe-à-Pitre
The finish of the solo transatlantic yacht race.
When to go
December to April is the dry season, carême, and the busiest time. June to November is the wet season, hivernage, with the risk of hurricanes, peaking in September.
Jan
Dry, Carnival
Feb
Carnival
Mar
Dry
Apr
Dry
May
Transitional
Jun
Hurricane season opens
Jul
Holidays
Aug
Fête des Cuisinières
Sep
Peak hurricane risk
Oct
Wet
Nov
Rain easing
Dec
Dry season returns
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs, rounded. Warm all year.
What your trip will cost
Per night, for one person, based on Pointe-à-Pitre prices.
Treat these as a guide. A hire car costs extra.
—
- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Pointe-à-Pitre questions
The ones we get asked most.
Is Pointe-à-Pitre the capital of Guadeloupe?
No. The capital is Basse-Terre, but Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest town and main port.
Is the Mémorial ACTe worth visiting?
Yes. It is one of the most significant museums on slavery anywhere.
Where should I stay near Pointe-à-Pitre?
Le Gosier or Bas-du-Fort, for beaches and nightlife.
How do I get from the airport?
By taxi in about 15 minutes.
Can I take a ferry to Les Saintes from Pointe-à-Pitre?
Yes, in about an hour.
Is Pointe-à-Pitre safe at night?
Parts of the centre are deserted at night; take a taxi.
Do I need a car?
For exploring the island, yes.
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