Souvenirs & Shopping

Martinique - Caribbean Souvenirs, Caribbean Shopping

Souvenir shop at Trois Ilets “poterie”

What To Take Away With You

Craft Industry

Coral jewelry, bamboo trinkets, wooden sculptures, wickerwork, pottery and Creole dolls dressed in madras. These are just some of the handmade goods that you can find at the Centre des Metiers d'Art in Fort-de-France, the craft market at la Savane and souvenir shops around the island.

Clothes
Madras, the material that was used to make Creole costumes, is still used to make clothes today (dresses, shirts, wrap-arounds.) Madras clothing is a wonderful ready-to-wear souvenir.

Candy
Candied fruit, coco bars, "douce-lettes" (a specialty combining coconut, milk and sugar), and many other treats are all made from our succulent tropical fruits.

Flowers
Anthuriums, roses de porcelaines, heliconias or red-ginger all will remind you of your colorful holiday and can last up to 20 days. Specialized floral boutiques will wrap and send them.

Creole Jewelry
"Collier Chou" (a traditional-style necklace), "Chaine Forcat" bracelet, broaches and earrings, all complete the traditional Creole costume. Shaped by our craftsmen jewelers, gold is a souvenir laden with history.

Rum
Many connoisseurs say that rum from Martinique is the best in the world.
There's white rum, old rum, and many fine liqueurs such as coconut punch, passion fruit punch, orange punch...
In December, it's time for a shrubb, the special Christmas drink made from the dried peels of oranges and tangerines, sugar cane syrup and white rum. The shrubb is a delicious and very fine liqueur... so take your pick and drink up!

As rich as Martinique's history is the island's soil, which nurtures sugar cane that gives birth to rums that are rated among the world’s finest. Martinique rums have been awarded the prestigious French label "appellation d'origine contrôlée" previously reserved only for French cheeses and wines.
Distilleries abound on the island and all of them welcome visitors for a sampling of their products.

You may visit the following distilleries:

Distillerie Dillon
Fort-de-France
Tel: (596) 596 75 20 20
Distillerie Depaz Saint-Pierre
Tel: (596) 596 78 13 14
Habitation Clement François
Tel: (596) 596 54 62 07
Trois-Rivières Sainte-Luce
Tel: (596) 596 62 51 78
La Mauny Rivière-Pilote
Tel: (596) 596 62 62 08
Rhum Neisson Le Carbet
Tel: (596) 596 78 03 70
St. James Rum Museum Sainte-Marie
Tel: (596) 596 69 30 02
Bally (Habitation Lajus) Le Carbet
Tel: (596) 596 78 08 94
Distillerie JM Macouba
Tel: (596) 596 78 92 55
Distillerie St. Etienne Gros-Morne
Tel: (596) 596 57 62 68
Distillerie La Favorite Lamentin
Tel: (596) 596 50 47 32

Here are some rum recipes:

Ti'Punch
In a small glass, 1/4 sugar syrup, 3/4 white rum, small piece of lime squeezed.
Ti-Vieux
In a small glass, 1/4 sugar syrup, 3/4 aged rum, small piece of lime squeezed.
Planteur
In a tall glass, 1/6 white rum, splash of sugar syrup, fill glass with fruit juice(s), a drop of vanilla essence and a pinch of nutmeg.

Where To Go Shopping

souvenir shops
In Fort-de-France
Marché Artisanal sur la Savane
In Fort-de-France
Centre des Métiers d'Art
Rue Ernest Deproge, Fort-de-France
tel: (596) 596 69 30 02
Centre Commercial de Place d'Armes
Shopping Center in Lamentin
Tel: (596) 596 51 77 77
Centre Commercial La Galleria
Tel: (596) 596 50 66 63
Centre Commercial Le Rond Point
Shopping Center in Fort-de-France
Tel: (596) 596 61 61 61
Centre Commercial La Batelière in Schoelcher
Tel: (596) 596 61 32 62
Centre Commercial de Cluny