Guadeloupe
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre: Caribbean Guadeloupe, EU Territory in the Antilles
Pointe-à-Pitre was the birthplace of Saint-John Perse, the poet who in 1960 became the first Nobel laureate born in the Antilles, and it is the finish of the Route du Rhum, the single-handed sailing race from Saint-Malo held every four years. An earthquake in 1843 destroyed much of the city and killed about 3,000 people, and Place de la Victoire takes its name from 1794, when revolutionary forces drove the British out. If you order a ti' punch, the rum in it is at least 50 percent alcohol, and the bottle is often left on the table so you can mix your own, so pour with care.
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What Cruise Travelers Should Know About Pointe-à-Pitre
Cruise ships berth in Pointe-à-Pitre's own port, close to the city center at the southwest tip of Grande-Terre, one of Guadeloupe's two main islands. The main square, Place de la Victoire, runs down to the old dock, where two markets face each other across the water.
- Guadeloupe is an overseas department of France, so the currency is the euro.
- French is the official language, and Guadeloupean Creole, Kréyòl Gwadloup, is the everyday language of many islanders. Few people outside the tourist trade speak English, so a few words of French help.
- The tourist office is on Place de la Victoire, in a colonnaded building put up in 1927.
- Guadeloupe keeps Atlantic Standard Time, four hours behind UTC.
Pointe-à-Pitre on Your Own
Pointe-à-Pitre's old center is compact enough to walk, and a simple day takes in the main square, the markets, a museum or two and the Mémorial ACTe. The main tourist areas of the center are generally safe by day, but keep to the main streets and squares after dark.
- Place de la Victoire: The city's main square was renamed in 1794, when revolutionary forces drove the British from Guadeloupe. Around it stand the 1927 tourist office, a 1930 bandstand and the old Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul presbytery, now the Pavillon de la Ville.
- The markets: Two market halls face each other across the darse, the old dock at the foot of the square.
- Two small museums: The Musée Saint-John-Perse, in an 1880 house of iron and brick, has displays on Creole costume and on the Nobel-winning poet born in the city. The Musée Schœlcher, at 24 rue Peynier, reopened in 2022 as the Musarth, the museum of art and history.
- The Mémorial ACTe: The memorial stands on the harbor at rue Raspail. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is closed on Mondays; full-price entry cost €17 in 2026. Check before you go.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
- Watch the clock: Guadeloupe is four hours behind UTC, an hour ahead of US Eastern time while the US is on standard time. Go by the time your ship gives.
Getting Around Pointe-à-Pitre and Guadeloupe
Taxis are plentiful in Pointe-à-Pitre, but they are the most expensive way to get around Guadeloupe, and fares rise at night and on Sundays. Buses are cheap but limited at weekends.
- Taxi fares are 40 percent higher from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., all day on Sundays and on public holidays. Check before you go.
- Public buses mostly start from Pointe-à-Pitre and connect the main locations, including the airport. Services are limited at weekends.
- Smaller roads are often uneven and potholed, so think twice before renting a car for one day.
- The Aquarium de la Guadeloupe is at the Bas-du-Fort marina in Le Gosier, outside the city center.
What to Eat in Guadeloupe
Creole cooking is what most restaurants in Guadeloupe serve, and its everyday dish, colombo, shows the island's mix of cultures: it is a curry dish that came from India. Rum is the drink, made from fresh cane juice in the style called rhum agricole.
- Colombo is chicken with rice and a curry seasoning, and it has become Guadeloupe's typical plate.
- Accras are small fritters, traditionally made with cod, sometimes with other fish, shrimp or vegetables.
- Boudin créole is a spicy blood sausage.
- Féroce d'avocat is a mash of avocado that can be very hot, so taste carefully.
- Ti' punch is white rum with lime and cane sugar. In many places the bottle is left on the table so you can mix your own, and the rum is at least 50 percent alcohol.
Mémorial ACTe, Schoelcher Museum, and Creole Identity
Guadeloupe's culture mixes African, French and Indian roots, and it shows in the island's music, language and memory of slavery. Gwoka, the drum music of Guadeloupe, was added to UNESCO's list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2014.
- Gwoka is played on ka drums, with the large boula keeping the rhythm and the small makè drum answering the dancers and singers.
- Zouk is one of the new musical forms born in the archipelago from African, French and Indian influences, and since the 1970s Guadeloupean musicians have sung more and more in Creole.
- The Mémorial ACTe, the Caribbean center for the expression and memory of the slave trade and slavery, opened in 2015 on the site of the old Darboussier sugar works, where forced labor continued into the 19th century. Audio guides are available, including in English.
- The poet and diplomat Saint-John Perse, born in Pointe-à-Pitre, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1960, the first Nobel laureate born in the Antilles.
- The Route du Rhum, a single-handed sailing race from Saint-Malo in France, finishes in Pointe-à-Pitre and is held every four years.
Guadeloupe: Arawak Settlement, Colonisation, and the Slave Trade
Pointe-à-Pitre was founded on swampy shores in the 18th century and is now Guadeloupe's main business center, rebuilt over the years after fire, earthquake and hurricane. Its history is bound up with sugar, slavery and its abolition.
- First peoples: Arawak-speaking people, the first group that can be identified, called the island Karukera. They were later displaced by the Kalinago.
- Columbus, 1493: Columbus landed in November 1493 and named the island after the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain.
- French colony, 1635: French settlers arrived in 1635, and from 1685 the Code Noir governed the slavery on which a booming sugar economy was built.
- A town is founded: Pointe-à-Pitre took shape during the British occupation of 1759–1763 and grew after Guadeloupe was returned to France. A fire in 1780 led to a new street plan.
- Revolution, 1794: Victor Hugues' revolutionary forces drove out the British in 1794 and abolished slavery. The town was briefly renamed Port-la-Liberté, and a guillotine stood on Place de la Victoire.
- 1802: A French expeditionary force under Antoine Richepanse put down a rebellion led by Louis Delgrès, who died with his followers rather than surrender, and slavery was restored soon after.
- The earthquake of 1843: On February 8, 1843, an earthquake destroyed much of Pointe-à-Pitre and killed about 3,000 people.
- Emancipation, 1848: Slavery was abolished in the French Empire in 1848.
- A French department, 1946: Guadeloupe became an overseas department of France in 1946.
- May 1967: Unrest during a dispute over pay in Pointe-à-Pitre on May 26–28, 1967, was put down by police, and the number of people killed is still disputed.
- To learn more ashore: The Mémorial ACTe on rue Raspail, the Musée Schœlcher at 24 rue Peynier and the Musée Saint-John-Perse are all in Pointe-à-Pitre.
Guadeloupe with Children and Families
Pointe-à-Pitre is a walking city, so with children the plan is to keep the distances short and the stops interesting: the markets, the square and, outside the center, an aquarium. The Mémorial ACTe offers a reduced price for children with an activity booklet.
- Younger children: The Aquarium de la Guadeloupe, at the Bas-du-Fort marina in Le Gosier, opened in 1985 and has about 30 tanks with some 80 species of fish and 50 of coral. It also runs a care center for sea turtles.
- School age: The markets by the old dock and the open square of Place de la Victoire, with its bandstand, are easy places to wander between stops.
- Older children and teenagers: The Mémorial ACTe tells the history of the slave trade and slavery, with audio guides in English. In 2026, entry was free up to age 5 and €3 for children aged 6 to 12 with their parents. Check before you go.
- Sun: Protect children from strong sun.
Shopping in Pointe-à-Pitre
The markets beside the old dock at the foot of Place de la Victoire are the place to start, and they are easy to reach on foot from the center.
- Madras, the colorful checked fabric of the Antilles, is a characteristic buy.
- Local rum, including white rhum agricole, is inexpensive and easy to find.
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