Caribbean · The French islands
France in the Windwards: the bridge between the chains
Martinique is a French department with a volcano, a rum culture and the best provisioning between Antigua and Grenada. It is a stop on the long run south rather than a week of its own: St Pierre, the town Mount Pelée buried, a distillery, a market, and a dinner with proper bread.
Where
Windward Islands, between Dominica and St Lucia
Fly to
Fort-de-France (FDF) from Paris and Miami
Best months
December to April
Give it
One night on the fourteen-night route
Known for
St Pierre and Mount Pelée, rhum agricole, the markets
Currency
Euros, French mobile coverage, French bread
Why go
Martinique, honestly
Martinique is France. The euro, the baguettes, the road signs and the pace of lunch are all French, with a volcano on top. Mount Pelée buried St Pierre in 1902 and killed thirty thousand people in two minutes; the town was rebuilt small, and the ruins of the theatre and the prison cell that saved one man are still in the streets.
For a yacht it is a bridge rather than a destination. The leeward coast is a long run from Dominica down to St Lucia, and St Pierre or the Anse d’Arlet bays break it with a French dinner, a rum distillery and the best provisioning on the route. Fort-de-France, the capital, is a working city and not where yachts linger.
We give it one night on the fourteen-night route down both chains, between Dominica and the Pitons. On a Windwards week from St Lucia we do not go north to it; the Grenadines are the better use of the days.
Where we anchor
The anchorages, in the order we use them
- St PierreAnchorageUnder Mount Pelée, with the ruins of 1902 in the streets and the Depaz distillery above. The northern stop on the way south.
- Grande Anse d’ArletAnchorageThe prettiest bay on the south-west coast, with a church on the beach and turtles in the seagrass.
- Les Anses d’ArletAnchorageThe fishing village bay next door, with the bars on the sand.
- Le Marin and Sainte-AnneMarina and anchorageThe yachting centre of the south, for provisioning and crew changes. Les Salines beach beyond it.
Ashore
Martinique off the boat
Not a directory. If it is here, we have sat at the table or stood at the bar.
Eat
French, with Creole underneath.
- Le Petibonum, Le CarbetThe beach bistro below St Pierre, lobster and ti-punch with your feet in the sand.
- Le Zandoli, Trois-ÎletsFrench-Caribbean fine dining with the bay below.
- The market, Fort-de-FranceFor the crew as much as the guests: spices, rum, fruit, the best provisioning on the route.
Drink and dance
Rhum agricole is the drink. Try it neat before the punch.
- A distillery tourDepaz above St Pierre, or Clément and Habitation Saint-Étienne in the south. Taste the aged rums.
- Le Cloud, Fort-de-FranceA rooftop bar over the city if the yacht is nearby.
Do
The volcano and the ruins.
St Pierre’s ruinsThe theatre, the prison cell, and the museum of the 1902 eruption. An hour ashore that stays with you.
Rum tasting at DepazThe estate on the slopes of Pelée, cane fields to the sea.
- Turtles at Grande Anse d’ArletSnorkel from the yacht over the seagrass.
Where it sits
Martinique on the chart
Martinique sits between Dominica and St Lucia on the long run south, fifty miles from each. One night, on the way through.
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When
When to be in Martinique
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
- December to April: the dry season and the charter season.
- February: Carnival in Fort-de-France, the biggest in the French Caribbean, if the dates line up.
- Late July: the Tour des Yoles, the round-island race in traditional boats, for anyone here in summer.
- May to November: wet and hot, hurricane season from July.
Itineraries
Itineraries that call at Martinique
Full plans, day by day, with the boat each one runs on. Send one to the people coming with you; we reshape it around your yacht and dates.
Yachts
Yachts in the Caribbean now
Le Marin takes the fleet for provisioning; the anchorages take everyone.
CORAL OCEAN
Lürssen · 73m · 1994, refit 2026
12 guests | 6 cabins | 28 crew
€650k – 790k
PERSEVERANCE 1
Baltic · 40m · 2021, refit 2025
8 guests | 4 cabins | 6 crew
€100k – 110k
OCEAN CLUB
Trinity Yachts · 49m · 2009, refit 2025
12 guests | 5 cabins | 10 crew
$195k – 250k
VAGATOR
Fountaine Pajot · 20m · 2025
8 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
€38k – 57k
The Peddler
Custom Line · 26m · 2019
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
$69k – 74k
Lady Joy
Christensen · 48m · 2007, refit 2025
12 guests | 6 cabins | 11 crew
$199k – 225k
Southern Belle
Johnson · 27m · 2006
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
$54k – 59k
TANZANITE
Westship · 44m · 2004, refit 2023
10 guests | 5 cabins | 7 crew
$145k – 160k
REVE BLEU
Lagoon · 21m · 2023
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
€45k – 60k
LE PONANT
Société Française de Construction Navale (SFCN) · 84m · 1990, refit 2022
32 guests | 16 cabins | 34 crew
€540k
YKNOT NOW
YYachts · 23m · 2020
6 guests | 3 cabins | 2 crew
€24k – 38k
SIETE MARES
Lagoon · 24m · 2025
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
€65k – 69k
QARA
Horizon · 25m · 2001, refit 2023
6 guests | 3 cabins | 3 crew
$37k – 42k
ENCORE
Sunreef Yachts · 18m · 2026
8 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
$56k – 62k
YOLO
Sunreef Yachts · 22m · 2022
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
€59k – 70k
ALEXA OF LONDON
38m · 1992, refit 2025
9 guests | 4 cabins | 5 crew
€65k – 70k
GRAND ILLUSION
Palmer Johnson · 44m · 1994, refit 2017
10 guests | 5 cabins | 7 crew
$115k – 125k
HOUBARA
Sunreef Yachts · 24m · 2012, refit 2026
7 guests | 3 cabins | 3 crew
€34k – 45k
MISS CHRISTINE
Trinity Yachts · 48m · 2006, refit 2024
11 guests | 5 cabins | 8 crew
$165k – 190k
Chakra
Devonport · 86m · 1998, refit 2025
24 guests | 19 cabins | 30 crew
€495k
Just Enough
43m · 2012, refit 2024
11 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
$119k – 139k
SEA BLISS
Sunreef Yachts · 23m · 2024
8 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
€63k – 70k
SWEET CAROLINE II
Trinity Yachts · 50m · 2009, refit 2021
12 guests | 7 cabins | 11 crew
$19k – 230k
ARAOK
Fountaine Pajot · 18m · 2018, refit 2024
6 guests | 3 cabins | 3 crew
€25k – 29k
ARKTOS
Lagoon · 24m · 2026
9 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
€70k – 96k
ELVIS MAGIC
Oyster Marine · 20m · 2003, refit 2025
6 guests | 3 cabins | 2 crew
$25k – 26k
BELLA
Feadship · 45m · 2008, refit 2014
12 guests | 6 cabins | 9 crew
€245k – 255k
BETH ANN
Westport · 34m · 2012, refit 2025
8 guests | 4 cabins | 5 crew
$65k – 75k
KASKAZI FOUR
Lagoon · 19m · 2016, refit 2025
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
€23k – 30k
IL MIO CANTO LIBERO
Nautor's Swan · 32m · 2014, refit 2026
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
€85k – 102k
ENTRE 4
Sunreef Yachts · 24m · 2024
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
$100k – 125k
NORTHERN STAR
Hinckley · 23m · 1993, refit 2022
6 guests | 3 cabins | 3 crew
$52k – 60k
WHISPER
Holland Jachtbouw · 35m · 2003, refit 2019
6 guests | 3 cabins | 5 crew
Price on request
VALINOR
Lagoon · 17m · 2023
8 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
€27k – 31k
OKINAWA
Fountaine Pajot · 18m · 2024
10 guests | 5 cabins | 3 crew
$29k – 63k
RAY
Sunreef Yachts · 22m · 2025
8 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
€70k – 77k
CROSSED SABRE
Burger · 44m · 2006, refit 2021
12 guests | 7 cabins | 11 crew
$175k – 195k
CALYPSO
Feadship · 38m · 1978, refit 2025
11 guests | 5 cabins | 8 crew
$120k – 135k
MINE GAMES
Benetti · 50m · 2023
10 guests | 5 cabins | 10 crew
$330k – 350k
NO SURRENDER
Custom Line · 37m · 2022
11 guests | 5 cabins | 7 crew
$140k – 155k
FRENCH WEST
Lagoon · 24m · 2020
8 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
$55k – 72k
TOP FIVE II
Royal Hakvoort · 61m · 2021
12 guests | 7 cabins | 19 crew
$600k – 650k
LOOMA
Fountaine Pajot · 20m · 2023
8 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
$34k – 65k
Aurelius 111
DUTCH YACHT BUILDERS · 34m · 2011, refit 2023
6 guests | 3 cabins | 3 crew
Price on request
UTOPIA IV
Rossinavi · 63m · 2018, refit 2022
12 guests | 6 cabins | 12 crew
$475k – 505k
Avanti
Privilege · 22m · 2005, refit 2025
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
$51k – 55k
NEVER ENOUGH
Feadship · 43m · 1992, refit 2019
10 guests | 5 cabins | 7 crew
$110k – 127k
SHADES OF GREY
Sunreef Yachts · 24m · 2024
9 guests | 4 cabins | 5 crew
€70k – 100k
48 yachts in rotation. The order changes with every visit so no boat is always last.
Questions we get asked
Martinique, answered
Common questions
Is Martinique worth a stop on a yacht charter?
As a night on the way south, yes: St Pierre and the volcano, a distillery and a French dinner. As a destination for a week, the Grenadines and the Leewards are better uses of the days, and that is how our routes treat it.
Do we need to clear customs in Martinique?
Yes, it is France and the EU. The crew do it online at a café or chandlery in St Pierre or Le Marin; guests rarely notice.
Where do yachts stop in Martinique?
St Pierre in the north under Mount Pelée, the Anse d’Arlet bays in the south-west, and Le Marin for provisioning. Fort-de-France, the capital, is a working city and not where yachts linger.
What is rhum agricole?
Rum made from fresh cane juice rather than molasses, which is how Martinique makes it. Grassy and dry when young, deep when aged. The distillery tours are the best hour ashore on the island.
Want Martinique in your week?
Tell us the dates and who is coming. We will say which nights to give it, which berth to hold, and whether the week you want is still open.