Transportation

Martinique - Caribbean Travel & Transportation

Air Caraibes plane with propeller engine

Airline Companies

Martinique's ultramodern International Martinique Airport Aimé Césaire near Fort-de-France has regularly scheduled flights on U.S. carriers AmericanAirlines and AmericanEagle, which operates daily nonstop service between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Fort-de-France using the 64-seat Super ATR aircraft. For more information on rates and reservations, please visit American Airlines’ Web site at www.aa.com.

Martinique is now only a few minutes away from the island of Guadeloupe with connections on Air Caraïbes from Pointe a Pitre.
Air Caraibes also flies to and from St. Martin, St. Lucia (Vieux Fort), Dominica, Antigua, St. Vincent, Grenada, and Trinidad.
From Miami, Air France flies jets (737's) daily.
BWIA offers daily service from JFK airport in New York with a LIAT connection in Antigua or Barbados.
Caribbean-based LIAT serves many nearby islands.
Air Antilles fly several times a day to and from Guadeloupe and St Martin, as well as Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and St Barth.
Daily flights from Saint-Lucia (airport code: UVF) offer new opportunities for U.S. and Canadian visitors to Martinique. Travelers from New York, Miami, Atlanta and Toronto are now able to transit via Saint-Lucia and fly to Martinique through the airport at Vieux-Fort/Hewanorra (UVF.)

Sea Transportation Companies

Martinique also can be reached from Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, Dominica
and Les Saintes by the sleek catamarans of:

Express des Iles
Terminal Inter Iles, Quai Ouest
97200 Fort-de-France
Tel: (596) 596 42 04 05 (Information)
Tel: (596) 825 35 90 00 (Reservation)
Fax: (596) 596 63 34 47
Web: www.express-des-iles.com

Also by:

Caribbean Ferries going to Dominique, St Lucia and Guadeloupe
Tel: (596) 596 63 68 68
Fax:(596) 596 63 25 28

Each ferry service offers several trips weekly.
A sample round-trip fare between Guadeloupe and Martinique on Express des Iles is approximately 81€ and the trip takes between 3 and 3 ¾ hours.

Some ferries anchor in Fort-de-France Bay and transfer passengers to shore by smaller tender boats; others dock at the Passenger Terminal at the harbor port just a few minutes drive from the city's center.
A recent addition is the Pointe Simon Cruise Dock, which can accommodate two large ships at a time and allows passengers to disembark right in the heart of Fort-de-France where a "Welcome Brigade" of young hosts and hostesses is posted to assist visitors.
Immigration and Customs officials board ships and normally give clearance within a half-hour. Passengers do not go through any time consuming formalities, nor is there a going-ashore tax. In 2004, Martinique welcomed 159,416 passengers on 198 cruise stops.

Taxis - Buses

Taxis-Buses

Taxi stands are located at the airport, as well as throughout downtown Fort-de-France and at major hotels. All cabs are metered. Approximate fares: airport to Pointe du Bout hotels, 39€; airport to center of Fort-de-France, 15€. Between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., the taxi surcharge is 40%. Martinique has more than 200 taxis; 80% of them are Mercedes-Benz.
For Radio Taxi
Tel: (596) 596 63 63 62
Tel: (596) 596 63 10 10

While public buses are inexpensive, much public transport in Martinique is by collective taxis, 8-passenger limousines bearing the sign TC. There are some 400 TC’s all over the island.
Hours: early a.m. to 6 p.m. In Fort-de-France.
The main terminal is at Pointe Simon.

Ferry Services

Fort-de-France is linked by ferryboat to the main resort areas
of Trois-Ilets and Sainte-Anne:

Fort-de-France to Trois-Ilets, Pointe-du-Bout Marina round trip:
Daily from early a.m. until after midnight
by ferryboat Somatour ferries
6:30 am to 12:10 am from Fort-de-France
6:10 am to 11:45 pm from Pointe du Bout
Fort-de-France to Trois-Ilets, Anse-Mitan beach and Anse à l'Ane:
Daily From early morning until late afternoon
by Vedettes Madinina
Tel. (596) 596 63 06 46
Fax. (596) 596 63 80 68
Fort-de-France to Trois-Ilets
With Matinik Cruise Line
from Fort-de-France to downtown Trois-Ilets Monday to Saturday
Fort-de-France to Sainte-Anne, via Anses d'Arlet Tuesday to Sunday
Société Martiniquaise Saintannaise,
Tel. (596) 596 76 73 45
Tel. (596) 596 76 83 23
Fax. (596) 596 52 14 73

Arrival and departure point in Fort-de-France for all ferries (navettes or vedettes, as they are called locally) is the Quai d'Esnambuc.
The price for a round-trip ticket between Fort-de-France and Pointe du Bout is approximately 5€ for adults, 2,50€ for children ages 2 to 11.
Round-trip between Fort-de-France and Anse Mitan or Anse à l'Ane is the same.

Car Rental Agencies

Driving is on the right side of the road, like in the U.S. A valid driver's license is needed to rent a car. Minimum age is 21. Most car rental companies in Fort-de-France are open 8 a.m. to noon or 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 until 5 or 5:30 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. on Saturdays. At International Airport Aimé Césaire, hours depend on international flight schedules. Rates can begin as low as 35€ a day or 215€ a week, including taxes, insurance and unlimited mileage. Major credit cards are accepted everywhere.

Avis
Airport
Tel: (596) 596 42 11 00
Fax: (596) 596 51 50 84
Fort-de-France:
Tel: (596) 596 70 11 60

Budget
Airport, Rond point de l'aeroport Lamentin
Tel: (596) 596 42 04 04
Fax: (596) 596 51 36 48
Fort-de-France, 12 rue Felix Eboue
Tel: (596) 596 70 06 10
St Anne, Route de Club Med
Tel: (596) 596 76 80 80
Pointe du Bout/Trois Ilets
Tel: (596) 596 66 00 45
Rue Ernest Desproges (Cruise Terminal)
Tel: (596) 596 70 22 15

Carib Rent-a-Car
Airport
Tel: (596) 596 51 15 15
Fax: (596) 596 57 02 02

Euradom
Airport
Tel: (596) 596 42 17 05
Fort-de-France
Tel: (596) 596 60 10 93 -
Fax: (596) 596 70 11 51

Europcar
Reservation
Tel: (596) 596 42 42 42 -
Fax: (596) 596 42 42 44
Airport
Tel: (596) 596 42 16 88
Fort-de-France
Tel: (596) 596 73 33 13
La Pagerie
Tel: (596) 596 66 04 29
Diamant-Novotel
Tel: (596) 596 76 47 18

Grabin's Car Rental
Morne Calebasse, Fort-de-France
Tel: (596) 596 71 51 61 -
Fax: (596) 596 60 40 62

Hertz
Airport
Tel: (596) 596 42 16 90
Fort-de-France - 24, rue Ernest Deproge
Tel: (596) 596 60 64 64
Garage Hertz
Tel: (596) 596 51 01 01 (Peugeot, Renault, Jeep)

Jumbo Car/Thrifty
Reservations
Tel: (596) 596 42 22 22
Fax: (596) 596 42 22 32
Airport
Tel: (596) 596 42 16 99
Fax: (596) 596 42 16 97
Pointe-du-Bout
Tel: (596) 596 66 11 55
Fax: (596) 596 66 09 00
and 17 other locations around the island

Nad in Car
Case-Pilote
Tel: (596) 596 61 14 00
Fax: (596) 596 61 25 88

National Citer
Airport
Tel: (596) 596 72 40 13
Fort-de-France
Tel: (596) 596 72 40 13
Fax: (596) 596 63 46 43

Pop's Car
Airport
Tel: (596) 596 42 16 84 -
Fax: (596) 596 42 16 85
Fort-de-France
Tel: (596) 596 70 00 70

Rapid Auto
Schoelcher
Tel: (596) 596 61 82 73
Fax: (596) 596 61 19 20

Sea Sun Location
Pointe-du-Bout, Trois-Ilets
Tel: (596) 596 66 01 04
Fax: (596) 596 66 05 58

Sixt / Charles Ozier Lafontaine Services
In Marin
Tel: (596) 596 74 82 49
Airport
Tel: (596) 596 42 17 01

Tropicar
7, rue Moreau de Jones
Tel. (596) 596 63 37 41
Trinité
Tel: (596) 596 58 26 81