Attractions

At the heart of town is La Savane, a broad garden with many palms and mangos, playing fields, walks, and benches, plus shops and cafes lining its sides. In the middle of this grand square stands a statue of Joséphine, "Napoleon's little Creole," made of white marble by Vital Debray. The statue poses in a Regency gown and looks toward Les Trois-Ilets, where Joséphine was born. The statue was decapitated in 1991, probably because islanders felt she championed slavery. Near the harbor, at the edge of the park, you'll find vendors' stalls with handmade crafts, including baskets, beads, bangles, woodcarvings, and straw hats.

Your next stop could be the 1875 Cathédrale St-Louis, on rue Victor-Schoelcher. The religious centerpiece of the island, it's an extraordinary iron building, which has been likened to "a sort of Catholic railway station." A number of the island's former governors are buried beneath the choir loft.

A statue in front of the Palais de Justice is of the island's second main historical figure, Victor Schoelcher, who worked to free the slaves more than a century ago. Bibliothèque Schoelcher, 1 rue de la Liberté (tel. 596/70-26-67), also honors this popular hero. Functioning today as the island's central government-funded library, the elaborate structure was first displayed at the Paris Exposition of 1889. The Romanesque portal, the Egyptian lotus-petal columns, even the turquoise tiles were imported piece by piece from Paris and reassembled here. It's open Monday 1 to 5:30pm, Tuesday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm, and Saturday 8:30am to noon.

Fort St-Louis, built in the Vauban style on a rocky promontory, guards the port. Fort Tartenson and Fort Desaix also stand on hills overlooking the port.

Musée Departemental d'Archeologie et de Prehistoire de la Martinique, 9 rue de la Liberté (tel. 596/71-57-05), is the one place on Martinique that preserves its pre-Columbian past and has relics from the early settlers, the Arawaks and the Caribs. The museum has exhibits from the years from 3000 B.C. to A.D. 1635, but stops shortly after the arrival of the first French colonials in the early 1600s. In other words, it's mostly an ethnological museum. The museum faces La Savane and is open Monday 1 to 5pm, Tuesday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, and on Saturday from 9am to noon; admission is 3.05€ ($4.25) for adults, 1.50€ ($2.10) for children 3 to 12 and students.

Le Musée Régional d'Histoire et d'Ethnographie, 10 bd. de Général-de-Gaulle, in Fort-de-France (tel. 596/72-81-87), is devoted to an illumination of the island's agrarian past (and the slave culture that made it possible). Expositions showcase the late-19th-century volcanic eruption that leveled St-Pierre, slavery and its effects on the island's society, and explorations of the sugar-cane industry. It's open Tuesday from 2 to 5pm, Saturday from 8:30am to noon, and Monday and Wednesday to Friday from 8:30am to 5pm. Entrance costs 3€ ($4.20) for adults, and .75€ ($1.05) for children 11 and under. Entrance is free for anyone with a valid student ID.

Sacré-Coeur de Balata Cathedral, at Balata, overlooking Fort-de-France, is a copy of the one looking down from Montmartre upon Paris -- and this one is just as incongruous, maybe more so. It's reached by going along route de la Trace (Rte. N3). Balata is 10km (6 1/4 miles) northwest of Fort-de-France.

A few minutes away on Route N3, Jardin de Balata (tel. 596/64-48-73) is a tropical botanical park created by Jean-Philippe Thoze on land that the jungle was rapidly reclaiming around a Creole house that belonged to his grandmother. He has also restored the house, furnishing it with antiques and historic engravings. The garden contains a profusion of flowers, shrubs, and trees. It's open daily from 9am to 5pm. Admission is 7€ ($10) for adults, 3€ ($4.20) for children 7 to 12, and free for children 6 and under.

Martinique's Traditional Dances

The sexy and rhythmic beguine was not an invention of Cole Porter. It's a dance of the islands -- though exactly which island depends on whom you ask. Popular wisdom and the encyclopedia give the nod to Martinique, though Guadeloupeans claim it as their own, too.

Everybody who goes to Martinique wants to see the show performed by Les Grands Ballets Martiniquais, a troupe of about two dozen dancers, along with musicians, singers, and choreographers, who tour the island regularly. Their performances of the traditional dances of Martinique have been acclaimed in both Europe and the United States. With a swoosh of gaily striped skirts and clever acting, the dancers capture all the exuberance of the island's soul. The group has toured abroad with great success, but they perform best on their home ground, presenting tableaux that tell of jealous brides and faithless husbands, demanding overseers and toiling cane cutters. Dressed in traditional costumes, the island women and men dance the spirited mazurka, which was brought from the 18th- and 19th-century ballrooms of Europe, and, of course, the exotic beguine.

Les Grands Ballets Martiniquais usually perform at area hotels, but schedules vary, so check locally. The cost of dinner and the show is from 50€ ($70). Most performances are at 8:30pm, with dinners at the hotels beginning at 7:30pm. The show is free for guests of the hotel where the troupe is performing. In addition, the troupe gives miniperformances aboard visiting cruise ships.