Charming, scrappy and very French, Fort-de-France is stunning to behold, particularly when arriving by sea, with its panorama of colonial houses and multiple church steeples wrapping around the Baie des Flamands and ascending into the surrounding mountainside. Traffic is often stifling but the city charms with high-fashion boutiques on rue Victor Hugo and the wide, bustling pedestrian walkway rue de la République. The best day to visit is Saturday before lunch when the streets buzz with people, and the sounds of tam tam and steel drums resonate throughout the main core
