Guadeloupe Travel: complete & practical Ultimate Guide

Living in the Caribbean was my dream for a while. I fulfilled it in 2018 when I was living in Guadeloupe for the whole month. I had enough time to visit the whole island and to try different Guadeloupe attractions it had to offer.

In this ultimate Guadeloupe travel guide, you will find the most important facts about the island, recommendations how to get there, where to stay, and information about the costs, food, transport, attractions, weather, Guadeloupe travel tips and many others.

Geography: Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is an island located in the Lesser Antilles, in the Caribbean. From the administrative point of view, this island forms an integral part of France and is considered as one of the French overseas departments. Because of this fact, the island is also a part of the European Union.

Read more: Wanna visit the French Antilles but you don’t know which island to choose? Check out my tips on differences between Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Guadeloupe itself consists of two islands lying so close to each other, that they are often considered as one land. Their names are Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre, where a capital – the city of Basse-Terre – is located. Besides those two, a few smaller islands belong to Guadeloupe’s region: La Désirade, Marie-Galante, Petite-Terre, and Les Saintes.

On the interactive map below, you can check where Guadeloupe is located. You can save this map in your Google Maps as a cheat sheet with the best attractions in Guadeloupe and beaches in Guadeloupe, which I describe further in this post.

Guadeloupe travel guide: best things to do in Guadeloupe

To well begin the travel guide to Guadeloupe, I give you a list of the most popular places to visit in Guadeloupe and the most awesome things to do in Guadeloupe.

Most of them are natural Guadeloupe attractions with diverse hiking trails. But some are also museums and similar places where you can discover the beauty of Guadeloupe and its culture.

Read more: 9 best things to do in Guadeloupe!

The Volcano La Soufrière

La Soufrière Volcano is one of the most popular attractions for active tourists, so it is a fixed point of every Guadeloupe guide. It is also the highest peak of the Lesser Antilles.

Even if the main trail – called “The Ladies Trail” – is marked as “difficult”, even children will be able to achieve it. The views from the volcano side are so amazing that you will not regret hours spent on climbing.

Read more: How to climb the volcano La Soufrière?

Deshaies Botanical Garden

This colorful place is one that enchanted me the most in the Guadeloupian map.

Botanical Garden in Deshaies is a huge park filled with scents, colors, and noises. It is also a must-see place on the island.

There, you will be able to discover the diversity of exotic plants and greenery from different corners of the world. And you will spend some nice moments with charming inhabitants of the garden: parrots, Koi carps and goats.

Read more: All the wonders of Deshaies Botanical Garden.

Carbet Waterfalls

Sailors are able to observe two of those amazing waterfalls from the sea. Each of Carbet Falls has more than 100 meters.

A trail leading to the second fall is well preserved and easily accessible. It creates a nice trip opportunity for families traveling with children. The first fall, in the opposite, requires better condition and climbing skills. So it will be a great adventure for those who are more adventurous.

Read more: How we strayed from the trail while going to Carbet Falls.

Pointe des Chateaux

Pointes des Chateaux is the most Eastern part of the island. I have spent there a whole day wandering on a beautiful and diverse trail, leading on the cliff shore, beaches, and through a forest. The path is not so demanding, meanwhile, the trail is a great attraction for landscape lovers.

Read more: A whole day long trip to Pointe des Chateaux on Guadeloupe.

Mémorial ACTe and Pointe-à-Pitre center

If you would like to dive into Guadeloupe’s history, the must-visit place is Mémorial ACTe, which is dedicated to the Memory and History of Slavery Trade. During centuries the island population was increasing mainly because of the people forced to move to Guadeloupe to become slaves. Mémorial ACTe is a modern museum with a well-designed exhibition about the world slavery issue.

While visiting Mémorial ACTe I also recommend wandering in the center of Pointe-à-Pitre, which is the biggest city in Guadeloupe. Meanwhile, the city itself is not the prettiest one, I found there some old-time architecture that still remembers the colonial centuries.

Read more: The visit in Mémorial ACTe and things to do in Pointe-à-Pitre.

Coffee Museum

Caribbean islands have perfect conditions to grow coffee, a daily must-have for lots of people. A humid climate, a lot of sun, all of these make coffee grows. The beans are dried in a traditional way and you can taste them in a delicious Guadeloupian coffee like Café Chaulet.

I recommend visiting the Coffee Museum (fr. Le Musée du Café), which is located near Basse-Terre city. There you can discover the whole process of coffee production and lots of interesting facts about this fascinating drink.

Read more: The aromatic trip to the Coffee Museum in Guadeloupe.

Maison du Cacao

Another educative trip for your senses. Cocoa also likes Guadeloupian climate, so on the island, you can find a lot of cocoa trees.

On site, there is also chocolate made locally which recipe was created in 1911 and didn’t change from that time. Chocolat Elot has an unusual taste of cane sugar, which makes it a delicious snack. The history of the chocolate on the island you can discover in Maison du Cacao which is located on the Western shore.

Rum Museum

What is your first thought about the Caribbean? White sand? Nah. Warm water. Noo. Rhum? Oh yes, give me more!

Sugar cane grows all around the island. So in Guadeloupe, you can find a few famous distilleries, like Bologne, Longueteau, Bellevue or Montebello. Rhum is a base for many other local drinks, like Ti’Punch. So visiting one of Guadeloupian distilleries is highly recommended.

Porte d’Enfer and Pointe de La Grande-Vigie

Guadeloupe does not only mean beautiful beaches covered with white sand. I was surprised how stunning cliffs I found there.

Next to Pointe des Chateaux, there are some other spots on trekking list. Porte d’Enfer (eng. Hell’s Gate) and Pointe de La Grande-Vigie are wonderful places which you can find on the North of Grande-Terre Region. Porte d’Enfer is actually a grotto, which is thrilling deep. From its edge, you can get only a sneak peek which really gives you an impression of looking into hell’s gorge.

Read more: A trekking to Porte d’Enfer during a 4-days road trip.

Costumes and Traditions Museum

This small family museum, located in Gosier, will be a nice spot for people willing to know more about the everyday life of Creoles living in Guadeloupe.

Well-preserved costumes and household items will tell you the story of the island’s traditions and old habits. In this museum, you will find all of the answers about how the life of people looked like in Guadeloupe years ago.

What else to experience in Guadeloupe?

Any Guadeloupe travel blog mentions places I listed below. But on the island, we will find much more valuable experiences to enjoy.

Chill on a beach and pick up coconuts

Let’s be honest: relax on the beach is one of the fixed elements of traveling to the Caribbean. This travel guide to Guadeloupe will not be completed without a short list of beautiful beaches to visit.

My very favorite was Plage de La Caravelle, next to Sainte-Anne city. I was living near to it while spending the whole month in Guadeloupe. Morning calm sunrises and joyful afternoons spent there were making me feel warm inside. The beach is located near a big hotel, so it’s clean and filled with attractions like kitesurfing, paddling, and kayaking.

The city beach in Sainte-Anne is also a wonderful spot. You can meet there locals having BBQ in palm trees’ shadow and active people having aqua-aerobic classes in water. You can also enjoy local restaurants next to the beach.

If you want to make a lovely selfie with a charming island in background, go to La Datcha beach. It is located in Gosier city. Maybe it is not the biggest one, but views are surely worth a stop.

Some other beaches worth your time are Bois Jolan, Grande Anse, Petit Havre, Plage du Souffleur and Raisins Clairs.

Buy fresh fruits on a market

Almost every city on the island has its own local market in a center. There you can find mountains of fresh local fruits and vegetables. Delicious bananas, pineapples, watermelons, and coconuts will definitely catch your eyes. The market is always easy to find, filled with scents and colors.

Interact with wildlife

Even if in Guadeloupe you will not meet any truly wild animals which could increase your adrenaline’s level, there are still some creatures that you will meet. Colorful fish and turtles swimming in the water. Huge iguanas hanging out on a beach. Hummind birds flying in a garden. And small, cute anolis lizards stealing bananas from your breakfast table.

Basin in a jungle

Guadeloupian jungle hides plenty of wonderful gems for us. Ones of my favorite were refreshing basins just below the waterfalls. Their water is much colder than in a sea, so swimming in them gives a huge relief after mountain trekking. Ones of the most popular basins are Le Bassin Paradise, Cascade aux Ecrevisses and Cascade Acomat.

Island hopping

Since Guadeloupe is not only the mainland of Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre but also few smaller islands, very popular are daily boat excursions. In every touristic city, you will find stands proposing sailing or motorboat trips, where you can enjoy sightseeing, snorkeling, diving, or even whale and dolphin watching.

Snorkeling and diving

Around Guadeloupe, you can enjoy the coral reef. You can do some snorkeling even near the beach. The best places to snorkel on the mainland are Malendure, Plage du Souffleur, and Petite Anse. The most popular smaller island for snorkeling is Petite-Terre.

Route de La Traversée

While traveling in Basse-Terre by car, your GPS probably will lead you around the island. But instead, you can take the Route de La Traversée, which goes through the middle of the region, among the greenery of a jungle. It is not long, but worth to take if you would like to watch some jungle without hitting the trail.

Read more: Do you need a bit more inspiration? Check out my very favorite inspiring travel quotes!

How to get to Guadeloupe?

In this part of the Guadeloupe travel guide, I will give you some tips about how to arrive at the island. Getting to Guadeloupe is easy when you are coming from continental Europe. There are many direct flights from Paris and few other cities. The airlines which operate this direction are for example LEVEL, Air France or Norwegian.

How to find cheap flight tickets to Guadeloupe?

Here is the way I did it: first, go to Skyscanner website by clicking here. Choose your desired airports. Then, in fields “Depart” and “Return”, instead of “specific date” click on “whole month”. And search for flights! This way you will be able to see the whole calendar with the best prices.

Then simply choose the one that satisfies you. Et voilà! This is how you can find cheap flights to Guadeloupe. Once you found your best price, click “select” and you will be redirected to the airline’s website so you can purchase your tickets to paradise.

Travel guide: where to stay in Guadeloupe?

Guadeloupe offers a lot of attractions, mostly natural, like beaches which you can enjoy almost everywhere. Most of the cities are really similar. So choosing one of them to live in shouldn’t be a big deal. I propose to look for a city with a nice beach, so you can enjoy it at any time.

I was living in Sainte-Anne which enchanted me. It was a small city but had everything that traveler needed: grocery shops, restaurants, pharmacies, post, and a beautiful beach. It also had nice bus connections with other cities.

Another place that I can recommend is Saint-François. I have been there several times and it made a good impression on me. It was a bit bigger than Sainte-Anne and had marina and golf course. Plus some nice beaches like Raisins Clairs.

Read more: My choice of the most stunning hotels in Guadeloupe for any budget

To be honest in this Guadeloupe travel guide I do not recommend staying in Pointe-à-Pitre. It is the biggest city of the islands and the economic center. But it is mostly built up with blockhouses, offices, etc. So if you would like to relax near nature, you can simply avoid choosing it while looking for the accommodation.

How to find accommodation?

Guadeloupe proposes plenty of accommodation options. The most obvious solution is, of course, finding a hotel. On websites like Booking.com you can find a lot of places to stay on the island. If you’ll take a look on the map below, you will see places that you can choose from on this website. Click on it to see more information (if you cannot see the map, try to switch of the ads blocker plugin in your browser).

Booking.com is usually the first place where I go to find accommodation. I can estimate the most popular locations there and check the prices range.

You can also take a look on my list of marvelous hotels in Guadeloupe that I found and would love to book on the next trip to the islands! I made this reasearch for any type of travelers: from backpackers, through families and couples, and ending with luxury travel.

Anther platform where I go to find a place to stay in is usually Airbnb. I can really recommend using it because it has some major features. The main is that you can rent a room or a whole apartment from a local living person. Thanks to this you will have an opportunity to receive the best information about the place where you travel, like bits of advice where to eat, how the local public transport work, or if there are any important things that you should know about the place.

Airbnb is also great when you book a longer stay. Sometimes, you can reach up even to 50% off discount for your booking! We had this situation while visiting Martinique and booked an apartment for the whole month.

If you are not a member of Airbnb community yet, then I’ve got something special for you. With the link below you will receive a 23€ discount for your first booking! Nice, right?

Go more local with your accommodation

People living in Guadeloupe very often promote their businesses offline. It means, that you can be able to find a pretty nice accommodation offer while being already in place. If you are planning a longer stay it might be a good idea to book a hotel or Airbnb for a few first nights, and then look for some other place directly in your destination. You can also try to find a nice apartment for rent in leboncoin. It is a French website with adverts from local people – including accommodation rentals.

Finally, if you are not coming for so long, you can always try to find a couch to sleep on via Couchsurfing. I love this initiative of sharing someplace to sleep in your house with other travelers. And I used this opportunity when I was coming back from my Guadeloupian trip – I stayed 3 days in Paris, with a very kind and knowledgeable host. In Guadeloupe, there are not so many hosts than in Paris, but you can always try this way of finding accommodation before booking a hotel.

Visa regulations

Formal restrictions to get to Guadeloupe are relatively easy. Since the island is the French overseas department while landing there you will be treated the same way like entering the France territory (however, Guadeloupe is not a part of Schengen Area). That means, that if you are a European Union’s citizen, the only thing you will need is your ID card. You will be able to do both: work and travel Guadeloupe. I highly recommend taking also your passport with you, just in case. But personally, I showed only my ID card on the airport and ferry terminal and it was sufficient to travel. There is no visa, so actually, you can stay on the island as long as you want to.

Costs, currency and payments

Since Guadeloupe is a part of France, the currency there is euro (EUR, €). On the island, we found a few banks popular in continental France, like LCL or La Banque Postale. ATMs are available in most of the cities and we did not have any problems with using it.

In grocery shops, we usually used our cards to pay. But it is a good habit to have some cash with you because some shops had a rule that payments with bank cards start at the minimum amount of 5€ or 8€. When you see a paper note on a cash desk with “CB 5€” that means that card payments are available from 5€ (CB means carte bancaire, fr. bank card). On city markets, we usually could pay only with cash, the same for bus tickets.

We were using mostly Visa and it worked pretty well. I also recommend thinking about ordering a Revolut card. It is a great alternative for bank cards, where you can exchange your currency in just a few seconds via an app.

Click here and ready my Revolut review!

Guadeloupe is not the cheapest place. Before my 2-months trip to the Caribbean, I needed to save a lot of money to can afford it. But it was worth that money. After this trip, I prepared a detailed financial report which includes all of my costs: flight tickets, accommodation, food, sightseeing, transport and more (like food prices). You can download this extension of the Guadeloupe travel guide by clicking below.

How to get around in Guadeloupe?

To use this travel guide to Guadeloupe in the most practical way, you will need transportation. In order to reach all the best places to visit in Guadeloupe you can use a few different possibilities.

Next to a taxi, the most common public transport in Guadeloupe is a bus. In Grande-Terre, there operates a modern bus company – Karu’lis. Their line S1 operates from Pointe-à-Pitre through Gosier and Sainte-Anne til Saint-François. They also have some buses coursing between Pointe-à-Pitre and the airport. But remember that buses course only during the day.

The rest of the island is operated by buses which do not have any fixed schedule. Most of them are private, so they run only when a bus driver wants to.

Read more: If you want to know more details about public transport in Guadeloupe read my previous post about it.

Car rental in Guadeloupe

A popular way of transportation for tourists is a car rental in Guadeloupe. There is plenty of companies ready to rent you a car, both local and independent, and big international agencies. While being in Guadeloupe, I rented a small car from a well-known company and it gave me a great possibility to visit all the best spots on the island.

Another interesting option to rent a car in Guadeloupe is Carfully. This platform basically works the same like Airbnb, but for cars. So you can rent a car directly from a local person living on the island. This way of car sharing is very popular among local inhabitants and tourists.

Read more: The 4-days road trip with a car rental in Guadeloupe – detailed itinerary with an interactive map.

What to eat in Guadeloupe?

During the travel in Guadeloupe, you will have an opportunity to taste some Creole kitchen which is mixed with French traditions. Its origin comes from the times when first slaveries were brought to the island from different parts of the world. For that reason, Creole kitchen includes influences from different regions of Africa, Asia, and Europe. Since the island is a French territory, we can also enjoy a fresh baguette each morning or French wine in the evening.

Some of the most popular must-eat in Guadeloupe:

Colombo

This dish has some Asian influence and is similar to curry. Usually, chicken or goat is marinated in a kind of spicy sauce and served with rice. It can be found in almost every restaurant on the island.

Accras de morue

This one is usually served as a starter. It is usually fish minced with potatoes and vegetables. Small balls are then deep-fried in oil.

Bokit

A type of sandwich which is very popular in Guadeloupian street food. A white bun is flattened and fried on oil, which makes it very tasty. It is served with a variety of ingredients: chicken, cheese, ham, egg, fish, etc.

Langouste

You can try langouste in almost every restaurant near a fishing port. Next to gilthead seabream, it is one of the most popular marine dishes which you can try.

Ti’punch

This kind of drink you can find everywhere on the island. It is one of the most popular products in the city markets. Ti’punch is an alcoholic drink which bases on white rum agricole. You can choose from different taste variations, like coconut, goyave, banana, etc.

Read more: 16 examples of the Caribbean food, drinks and sweets that you must try.

Is the water in Guadeloupe safe to drink?

In general, you do not need to worry about drinking tap water in Guadeloupe. It should be safe and free of bacterias. Nevertheless, its taste is not the best. The owner of our apartment in Guadeloupe told us, that we used to drink tap water mixed with lime juice to make the taste better.

Since we try to live more responsible and produce less waste we did not want to buy new plastic bottles each day. So we used a clever trick: each day we were preparing a few liters of red fruit tea and let it cool down. Then we were filling only a few of bottles with this cool drink, which we could take with us for day trips. The tea taste was much better than tap water.

On a daily basis I love to use refillable bottle with a filter. They work great during day trips, but also at home to stay hydrated. Moreover, you can carry this kind of empty bottle through security gates at the airport, and refill it with water before the flight. Awesome way to save some money and plastic!

Health in Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is an island which is relatively safe if it comes to diseases. While traveling from Europe, only some standard vaccines were recommended. It is good to have vaccine protection against hepatitis B. You can catch this disease when your blood will have contact with non-sterile tools, like needles. The infection might occur in a hospital, or even in a tattoo of hairdresser saloon. Another way to catch hepatitis B is having sexual contact with an infected person. So better stay safe and get vaccinated.

Another recommended vaccine was against hepatitis A, which is also called “a dirty hands disease”. The infection might occur after drinking infected water (or ice cubes) or eating food prepared in infected water. This is the most common type of hepatitis, but you can stay safe when you will get vaccinated.

Tropical fevers

Luckily, during the travel to Guadeloupe, you will see no malaria or yellow fever these days. But you need to remember about the risk of catching other tropical fevers: chikungunya or dengue. Usually, they are not so serious if caught for the first time. You just need to stay in bed, stay hydrated and sweat out the disease. In pharmacy, you can try to ask for some local, natural remedies, that will help you through to beat the fever.

If your immunity system is not too strong, it is more likely for you to catch a tropical fever. For this reason, before coming to Guadeloupe, you should work on increasing your’s organism resistance. The most effective way will be taking a lot of vitamin C, in many other variations. Pills, citrus fruits, pickled cabbage, any of those solutions will be great.

Health insurance

If you are a European Union citizen, it will be good to have a European Health Insurance Card with you. So depending on the visited country, it will allow you to recover your medical treatment costs when you will be back to your country.

A good habit is also to purchase individual health insurance before a travel to Guadeloupe. I was protected with whole year insurance from Planeta Młodych, which should help me to organize and pay for some eventual medical treatment worldwide.

Even if the island is generally safe, purchasing Guadeloupe travel insurance is definitely worth the money.

Dangers in Guadeloupe

Many tourists ask the question is Guadeloupe safe? Above all we can assume yes, Guadeloupe is a safe island. Sure, there are some dangers, like everywhere, but in fact, you can treat it as a safe travel destination.

Natural dangers

Number one in this Guadeloupe travel guide goes to natural dangers. There are few, which do not appear too often. The most obvious is a volcano. Usually, it is a tourist attraction, but we still need to remember about the power of the Earth. Other ones are hurricanes. But in fact, hurricanes in the Lesser Antilles usually do not have such a power as when they are already above Florida. So in Guadeloupe, destructions are not so big as elsewhere.

On the island, there not many dangerous animals. There is actually nothing that could eat you – no big wild mammals, like tigers, bears, or even monkeys. But there are some smaller ones, which you should avoid. Like a red lionfish, jellyfish or sea urchin which you can meet while snorkeling. Contact with them can be very painful.

The most annoying animal on the island is a mosquito. Luckily, besides tropical fevers like chikungunya or dengue, they do not transfer many other diseases in Guadeloupe. Nevertheless, it is better to avoid them and use some protection and repellents during travel in Guadeloupe. You should be also aware of local centipedes. They will not make you sick, but they bite really painfully. But do not worry, during my two months in the Caribbean, I have seen only one.

The last dangerous category goes for plants. In the Caribbean islands, there grow a few toxic species. So while trekking in the jungle, you should be aware of a few of them: manchineel (which fruit looks like a small green apple), castor oil plant, jequirity bean. It is good to Google their look and to remember it. Once, on a beach, a local guy told us to move our things a little bit further from a tree, which he said was toxic and was losing leaves at that time. We were so grateful!

Social dangers

And finally, the last danger which goes for… people of course. In general, people on the island are very kind. But, like everywhere, you should be watchful in some places. Our neighbor from Sainte-Anne warned us to not hang around after dusk in Pointe-à-Pitre. He said that sometimes you can meet there some drunk or on high guys, who might be looking for provocation for a street fight. Luckily, we were not in Pointe-à-Pitre after dusk, and luckily we did not see anyone like this nowhere on the island. But it is always good to be open-eyed.

Language

The official language spoken in Guadeloupe is French, in a form that we know from continental France. The second language, which is well-known on the island is Creole. This language is a combination of French, Spanish, Carib, Portuguese and African words. Below you can check out some common Creole expressions, as an addition to this Guadeloupe travel guide:

English?

English-speaking travelers might be disappointed in Guadeloupe. Local people seem to be true French in this case and in general, expect everyone else to speak French. So if you want to travel Guadeloupe, better learn at least a few words in the language of love, or take with you a good dictionary book and online translator.

But do not worry: in some most important touristic places, you can rent an audio guide in English, for instance in Mémorial ACTe or bigger distilleries.

Read more: 7 awesome travel blogs telling about the Caribbean!

The religion in Guadeloupe

Most of the people living in Guadeloupe are Roman Catholics. They are a huge group of 80% of the whole population. The second group, counting only 8% of the population, consists of Evangelical Protestants. The rest of people are members of Seventh-day Adventist Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the mysterious Voodoo.

Phone & Internet

The main phone and Internet suppliers in Guadeloupe are Orange Caraïbe, SFR and Digicel. In most of the towns, you will find a seller points in local shops, where you can purchase a SIM card.

But if you are a European Union citizen, there is some great news for you: Guadeloupe belongs to the first zone of Roaming for most of the European operators. That means, that you can call home with no other fees. You can also use your own Internet package, unfortunately with a gigabyte limit, which is different among Internet providers (you could check it on your Internet provider’s website). During our trip, we used Orange SIM card bought in Poland and roaming worked perfectly. My own SIM card did not have this luck – my Internet provider was Polish Play, and for the first three weeks, it was blocked. Fortunately, after few e-mails, Play’s technicians managed to fix this error.

So if you want to have access to a stable Internet connection, my biggest recommendation is to book accommodation with WiFi. In our case, Wifi in our apartment, and European roaming for an emergency case in the phone, to check the Google map on the road, was sufficient.

Some restaurants on the island offer free WiFi to their guests. In a few cities, you will be also able to connect to a public ZeeWifi, when you need to register only for the first time, and then you can use it in places like Saint-François bus station or the center of Sainte-Anne.

Read more: Internet details in Guadeloupe and our electronical bloopers.

Weather in Guadeloupe: when is the best time to travel the island?

Guadeloupe, laying in the Lesser Antilles, in the Caribbean, has a tropical climate, which is mostly influenced by Trade Winds. There are two main seasons on the island: a wet season (called winter) which lasts from July to December, and a dry season which goes from January to June.

The average temperature during the year is 26°C and it usually does not go under 20°C, so, in my opinion, there is no best time to visit Guadeloupe since there is always warm. I have spent the whole of October in Guadeloupe and I can say that the wet season is not so bad. It was raining almost every day, but only for an hour or two. After the rain, a beautiful sun shows up.

So the biggest advantage of the Guadeloupe travel in the wet season was that beaches were not so crowded. At the beginning of October, a hotel near the Plage de La Caravelle was closed, so there were very few people relaxing on the amazing beach. The biggest disadvantage was that trekking trails were muddy and slippery, which was inconvenient. And some trails might be even closed for tourists.

One of the best among the Guadeloupe tips for travelers is checking the dates of the French school holidays. Kids have some free time for two weeks around All Saints’ Holidays, as well as for Christmas and winter holidays in February and March. Then a lot of French families come to the Lesser Antilles to enjoy sunbathing, so the beaches might be more crowded.

Because of Guadeloupe’s geograpfical placement, we can enjoy a daylight for long hours during the whole year. On the island the sun shines at least 11 hours in January and even 13 hours in June. It raises up between 5-6 AM and sets around 6-7 PM.

What to wear on the Guadeloupe travel?

Guadeloupe is an always-warm island. So you do not need to worry about taking a warm sweater with you to travel Guadeloupe (do it only when you travel during the European winter – you might need it at the airport). I much recommend linen clothes, which will give you a nice, airy feeling. At least one pair of long trousers and a shirt with long sleeves is a good idea, when you plan some trekking in the full sun, like a trail of Pointe des Chateaux.

Read more: What to pack for dream vacations in the Caribbean? [+printable checklist]

On the beach, everyone wears swimsuits, it is understandable. But it is not kindly welcome in bars and restaurants, so light shirt or pareo is a must have.

Packing for the Guadeloupe travel is relatively easy. You don’t need many clothes, and most of them are very light. That’s why it is absolutely possible to travel to Guadeloupe with hand luggage only. I was able to pack all my stuff in a carry-on backpack from CabinZero. Here you can read my review of this multipurpose bag.

When it comes to shoes, I highly recommend sailing shoes. Not only they are classy and stylish, but also super practical. In my pair of Sperry Top-Sider, which I absolutely love, I was wandering on beachs, climbing the volcano, and visiting the small Caribbean towns. They are very comfortable, so it’s pleasant to wear them, plus they are doing pretty well on the water.

The most popular fabric pattern in French Antilles is a colorful grid. Its most common colors are yellow, orange, red and green. Local women love to wear it on skirts, dresses, blouses, and turbans. For that reason, Caribbean cloths are a popular souvenir from Guadeloupe. Those which are created locally (be careful of touristic items manufactured in Asia – yes, they are imported even to the Caribbean) are usually made of high-quality cotton.

Read more: How to travel in the Caribbean with hand luggage only?

Which souvenirs to bring from the Guadeloupe travel?

As I mentioned above, local cotton clothes could be a nice souvenir if you like lively colors. On the island, there are also a few spots, where you can buy high quality and strong hammock. They are more expensive, but if you would like to bring some Caribbean chill to your own home, this could be a great option.

I usually recommend bringing some food delicacies as a gift for beloved. Unfortunately, airport security forced us to throw away delicious coco jam at gates. But we did not have any problem with bringing home cocoa bars, Guadeloupian coffee or cinnamon sticks to Europe.

Read more: Looking for a special gift? Take a look on the list of best sustainable gifts for traveling women!

Interesting facts about Guadeloupe

• The original name of the island – Santa Maria de Guadalupe – was given by Christopher Columbus. Nowadays, the official name is Guadeloupe, but lots of locals call it Gwada.
• Before Christopher Columbus came to Guadeloupe, it was settled by local Arawak, then Carib people. They called the island Karukera, which means “The Land of The Beautiful Waters“.
• The most extraordinary festival which you can attend during your travel to Guadeloupe, in my opinion, is La Désirade Goat Festival (fr. Fête du Cabri) in April, where the people can enjoy… the goats’ fashion parade.

Read more: 8 things that surprised us in the Caribbean.

Pros to travel in Guadeloupe

Warm sun always assists your travel to Guadeloupe

The weather in Guadeloupe is almost every day perfect! Even during a rainy season, the sun comes out after a few hours. This island is a paradise for sun lovers. You will easily catch some nice tan even without laying on the beach.

Beautiful beaches

Guadeloupian beaches are just wonderful. They offer lots of different variations: wide and sandy area or small, intimate paradises. Ones are calm and peaceful, while others are full of life and people enjoying BBQs.

Read more: 20+ Insanely beautiful Caribbean photos that will make you wanna travel now!

Lots of activities

Guadeloupe gives you plenty of possibilities to spend your free time. Lying on the beach, swimming in the sea, snorkeling, scuba diving, sea excursions, hiking trails, waterfalls, volcano, botanical gardens, discovering of plantations… Everyone will find something interesting.

Snorkeling and scuba diving paradise

The marine life around the island is extraordinary and rich. You can snorkel even near the sandy beach or purchase a full-day sailing trip to see the best diving spots.

No visas to travel in Guadeloupe for EU citizens

The biggest advantage for Europeans which look for some exotic places that are easy to reach. Your passport, or even ID card, will be sufficient to visit the island, and even to work there.

Cons to travel in Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is expensive

Unfortunately, this Caribbean paradise is not the cheapest one. In general, the prices are comparable to those in France, maybe even Paris. If you are staying there longer, you will most probably cook at home, because food prices in restaurants are high, as well as local activities. So be sure to download my detailed financial report before planning your travel to Guadeloupe.

Guadeloupe travel with public transport is hard

Even if bigger cities on Grande-Terre are connected with a bus line, there are no much stable transport opportunities to get to the best locations without a car. But in order to see the volcano La Soufrière or Carbet Waterfalls, you most probably need to share or rent a car.

The English language is not so popular

A lot of people living in Guadeloupe do not speak English. Even young people. So be prepared to use a dictionary or an online translator a lot.

You need to be careful in the night

In general, Guadeloupe is a safe island. But in the evening, especially in bigger cities like Pointe-à-Pitre, you need to be careful and be aware of thieves and people who are looking for a provocation. Even if Guadeloupe is expensive, it is not a very rich island. Some people have difficulties to find work, so they are getting addicted to alcohol and drugs and might cause problems. Fortunately, during the whole month spent there, I did not have any. I was only warned by others.

Travel to Guadeloupe: conclusion

Visiting the Caribbean was my dream for a while. Since traveling to Guadeloupe is very easy with direct flights from Paris and no visa requirements, it could be a great place to spend some time on. The wonderful Caribbean Sea, warm water, white sand, we can call this island a paradise.

Since the island belongs to the European Union, it is perfect for people who would like to taste some exotism, but who still want to feel the Western influences. The cultural shock is not so big when you can eat your coco jam with a typical French baguette.

So start to plan your travel now. Best of Guadeloupe is waiting for you!

If you found this travel guide to Guadeloupe useful, feel free to share it with your friends! And who knows, maybe Guadeloupe will be your next dream destination?

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Learn more about beautiful Guadeloupe and more useful topics:

• Guadeloupe or Martinique: which island to choose for your perfect vacation?
• Ultimate guide to transport opportunities in Guadeloupe and Martinique
• What to pack for a trip to the Caribbean?
• Get to know costs of living in the Caribbean
• How to painlessly save money for your dream vacation?

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