The Perfect 5-Day Route for Guadeloupe

This 5-day loop suits travelers who want the whole picture of Guadeloupe in one trip: the slavery history in Pointe-à-Pitre, the cliffs and plantation-era towns of northern Grande-Terre, the rainforest and volcano of Basse-Terre, and a night on Les Saintes. The pace is steady with one longer driving day, and every night is in a different bed. A rental car does most of the work here, because buses on northern Grande-Terre and the Basse-Terre coast thin out in the afternoon and on Sundays. The final leg uses the ferry from Trois-Rivières to Terre-de-Haut.

Day 1: Pointe-à-Pitre

Start in Pointe-à-Pitre, because the rest of the island makes more sense once you have spent a morning at the Memorial ACTe. The permanent exhibition on the slave trade and its aftermath takes 2 to 3 hours, and the silver-and-black building on the old Darboussier sugar factory site is worth a walk around the outside too. After lunch, cross to the Musée Saint-John Perse, a restored colonial house with iron balconies dedicated … read more 👉

This 5-day loop suits travelers who want the whole picture of Guadeloupe in one trip: the slavery history in Pointe-à-Pitre, the cliffs and plantation-era towns of northern Grande-Terre, the rainforest and volcano of Basse-Terre, and a night on Les Saintes. The pace is steady with one longer driving day, and every night is in a different bed. A rental car does most of the work here, because buses on northern Grande-Terre and the Basse-Terre coast thin out in the afternoon and on Sundays. The final leg uses the ferry from Trois-Rivières to Terre-de-Haut.

Day 1: Pointe-à-Pitre

Start in Pointe-à-Pitre, because the rest of the island makes more sense once you have spent a morning at the Memorial ACTe. The permanent exhibition on the slave trade and its aftermath takes 2 to 3 hours, and the silver-and-black building on the old Darboussier sugar factory site is worth a walk around the outside too. After lunch, cross to the Musée Saint-John Perse, a restored colonial house with iron balconies dedicated to the Nobel-winning poet born in the city. Finish at the covered spice market and the seafront as the vendors pack up, then sleep in town so day two starts early.

Day 2: Northern Grande-Terre to Le Moule

This is a day of short drives and long stops. Twenty minutes out of the city, the Cimetière de Morne-À-l’Eau stacks hundreds of tombs tiled in black and white checks up a hillside, a sight you will not find anywhere else in the Caribbean. Continue to Petit-Canal for Les Marches Aux Esclaves, the stone steps built by enslaved workers, then to Port-Louis for a swim at Plage Du Souffleur, a long pale beach with calm water and far fewer people than the south coast. Push north to Pointe de la grande vigie, where the cliffs drop roughly 80 meters into the Atlantic and on clear days you can make out Antigua and Montserrat. Swing down the windward coast to Le Moule, stopping at Distillerie Damoiseau for a free tasting of the agricultural rhum, and sleep in town where surfers gather at the Atlantic breaks.

Days 3-4: Across the Mountains to Bouillante and La Soufrière

Day three is the long drive: about 2 hours from Le Moule to the Caribbean side, crossing Basse-Terre on La Route de la Traversée. The road climbs through the Parc National de la Guadeloupe, and the short forest walks off its lay-bys give you giant ferns and tree trunks wrapped in vines without committing to a big hike. By early afternoon you reach Plage de Malendure, the jumping-off point for the Jacques Cousteau Underwater Reserve around the Pigeon Islets. A snorkel trip costs about €25 to 40 and turtles are common right off the beach. Sleep in Bouillante.

On day four, drive south through Basse-Terre, the administrative capital, and up to the Bains Jaunes trailhead for La Soufrière. The climb to the 1,467-meter summit takes about 1.5 to 2 hours up on a paved-then-rocky path, and the top smells strongly of sulfur from the vents. Go early, since cloud usually closes in by late morning. Descend to Trois-Rivières for the night, 30 minutes downhill and right next to the ferry pier.

Day 5: Les Saintes

Catch a morning boat from Trois-Rivières to Les Saintes, about 20 minutes and roughly €25 to 30 return. Terre-de-Haut is small enough to cover on foot or by rented scooter: climb to Fort Napoléon for the view over one of the prettiest bays in the Caribbean, swim at the beaches on the windward side, and stay the night so you see the village after the day-trippers sail back around 4 pm. Take the first ferry out on the final morning to connect to your flight.

If you have an extra hour on Terre-de-Haut, snorkel around Pain de Sucre, the volcanic rock spur where the reef fish crowd the basalt columns just meters from the shore.