Having heard of Martinique several years earlier, I was really looking forward to our visit. However, the ship tours were unusually expensive so we did as we ususally do: researched local attractions and traveled independently.
The Jardin de Balata (botanical garden) was of particular interest on this trip. It is located about a 15-minute drive outside the capital of Fort du France. The plan was to take the public bus to the Gardens. However, upon our arrival, we discovered upon our arrival that the public transit workers were on strike! So, we thought we’d take a cab. We were quoted $190 round trip for 4 people.! Time for Plan B!
Most people we met from the ship were also on their Plan B. So; we elected sightseeing and shopping in the downtown area. From the port terminal, we took a shuttle downtown, which was $3 per person. On the shuttle driver’s recommendation, we explored the Indoor Market, which sold a wide variety of merchandise, crafts, and fruits and vegetables.
The next stop was the local Cathedral, which was quite beautiful and finally the Library, which was very interesting architecturally. Afterwards, we attempted to tour the Fort but it was closed, so we enjoyed the adjacent park, where we found wild iguanas in the far corner next to the Fort. The iguanas tend to hang out there and are not bashful about wanting to be fed. Our friend Harry actually got bit feeding an apple to an iguana but, thankfully, he lived😁.
After enjoying the park and iguanas for a couple of hours we headed back to the ship. On another note, if you want to do a beach day on your own you could take the shuttle from the ship to downtown and then take the ferry across the harbor to the beach. Finally, Martinique only takes euros, and they are not happy if you try to give them U.S. dollars, so if you do go there, make sure you have a few euros on hand.
