Best Martinique Tours and Cruise Shore Excursions

Martinique is a locals’ island. It’s a working French Caribbean island with rainforest, volcanic history, world-class rum, and a culture that’s entirely its own. You’re not going to find resort strips or tacky souvenir shops here. What you will find is an island that is unapologetically authentically itself. And that takes a little more effort to get to know.

That’s what makes Martinique worth visiting. It’s also why booking a tour with someone who actually knows it makes such a difference. The best Martinique tours in this post are led by locals who have spent their lives here. They’re the fastest way to really get to know the island.

This post is organized by what you want to do. Whether you’re planning a full trip or working around a cruise schedule, there’s something here for you.

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3. Swim with Sea Turtles

Afternoon Sea Turtle Tour
Price: $77
Duration: 3 hours
Rating: 5 / 5
Departure: Fort de France
Includes: Creole snacks, drinks
Cruise-Friendly: Yes

Swimming with sea turtles was one of the things I looked most forward to on our first trip to Martinique And, it was a total bust. 

This is the tour we should have booked instead of trying to find sea turtles on our own. We hit a couple of spots along the west coast that had been recommended, but the water was too cloudy every time. 

We’d have been better off paying the cash to go with an expert who knows the waters like Captain Greg. He runs the dolphin tour listed above in the morning, and in the afternoon he heads south from Fort-de-France toward the turtle habitats around Anse Dufour, Anse Noire, and Anse d’Arlet. 

The crew will instruct you on how to approach the turtles without disturbing them. You might see green turtles, hawksbill turtles, or both. Snacks, sodas, and drinks are included on this tour.

➡ READ NEXT: Where to Stay in Martinique: Best Areas, Hotels & Vacation Rentals ⬅

Josephine’s Bath and Snorkeling Tours on the Atlantic Coast

On the eastern side of the island, a series of sandbars sits just over a mile offshore. Locals call them the Fonds Blancs, which roughly translates to ‘white shallows.’ The most famous is Josephine’s Bath, named for Empress Josephine, who supposedly swam here as a girl. Nobody’s ever been able to confirm that, so I’m not sure I believe it, but it’s a great story.

Whether or not the rumors about Josephine are true, I can confirm that it’s a place you want to put on your Martinique bucket list. The waist deep water is crystal clear and it’s a popular place for boat tours for a reason. We loved it so much we went back on our second trip and we wouldn’t hesitate to go again. 

All of these tours depart from the Atlantic side, which is not ideal for cruise passengers unless you have an extended port day.

1. Half Day Trip to Josephine’s Bath

Josephine’s Bath & Islands Half Day Tour
Price: $70
Duration: 4 hours
Rating: 4.9 / 5
Departure: Le Robert, Atlantic Coast
Includes: Brunch, homemade ti-punch, accras, bottled water, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
Cruise-Friendly: Not Recommended

If you want to see Josephine’s Bath but don’t have a full day to commit, this is the one to book.

Your first stop is Ilet Chancel, a small island overrun with hundreds of Lesser Antillean iguanas. This protected species is critically endangered everywhere except here. The island also has ruins of an old sugar plantation with a fascinating history. You’ll also visit another sandbar at Îlet Madame and a small mangrove.

Captain Pierre-Henri is a local Martinican who built his business around sharing the island’s history and beauty with tourists. This is not a slow moving large catamaran. The boat is more of a speedboat option. If you’re prone to motion sickness, sit next to the driver.

One note for cruise passengers: the meeting point is in Le Robert on the eastern side of the island, and taxis from the cruise terminal run around $40–$50 each way.

2. Full Day at Josephine’s Bath & Islands

Discovery day at La Baignoire de Joséphine
Price: $106
Duration: 7 hours
Rating: 4.9 / 5
Departure: Le François fishing port
Includes: Creole lunch, accras and cake snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, local fruits, snorkeling equipment
Cruise-Friendly: No

We spent a full day on the water on the Atlantic side and the extra time at each stop made all the difference. I’d definitely recommend a full day trip if you have the time. This tour covers the same ground: Josephine’s Bath, Ilet Chancel and the iguanas, the wider Fonds Blancs area. Creole lunch is included, as are all day drinks.

One thing worth knowing before you book: English-speaking guides aren’t guaranteed on every tour in Martinique. When you book this one, request Xavier by name. He’s the guide you want.

Hint: Don’t sit at the back of the boat between stops unless you want a saltwater shower.

3. Snorkeling with a Marine Biologist

Boat Trip for Snorkeling Discovery of Corals
Price: $59
Duration: 2.5 hours
Rating: 5 / 5
Departure: Marina du Marin, far south Atlantic coast 
Includes: All snorkeling equipment including shorty wetsuits, fins, full-face or regular masks, signaling buoys, guide accompanies you in the water, aperitif with snacks, photos when conditions allow
Cruise-Friendly: No

This snorkeling tour comes with a state-certified marine biologist who gets in with you. Stéphane guides the group through multiple reef sites rather than anchoring in one spot. Each stop is different, and he explains what you’re seeing at each one. He works with nervous swimmers and beginners and has a way of getting just about everyone comfortable underwater.

At $59 it’s the most accessible guided water experience in this entire post.

Scuba Diving in Martinique

Martinique is an underrated dive destination with volcanic reefs, healthy coral, sea turtles, and eleven shipwrecks off St. Pierre from the 1902 Mt. Pelée eruption sitting at depths ranging from 50 to 265 feet. If trying scuba is on your list, both tours below are designed for first-timers, run by certified instructors, and offered in English.

1. Try Scuba Diving for the First Time at Grande Anse d’Arlet

Your First Dive Tour
Price: $99
Duration: 2.5 hours
Rating: 5 / 5
Departure: Grande Anse d’Arlet 
Includes: All diving gear, state-certified instructor
Cruise-Friendly: No

If scuba diving has always been on your list, Martinique is a great place to do it for the first time. This tour is built entirely around first-timers. Your instructor starts with a short briefing on the beach before you get in the water, then leads the group out to the dive site.

Grande Anse d’Arlet is one of the most beautiful bays on the Caribbean coast. Not a bad place to try something new. Just bring a towel and swimsuit. Everything else is provided.

2. Scuba Diving from Les Trois-Îlets

Scuba Diving from Les Trois-Îlets
Price: $110
Duration: 4 hours
Rating: 4.8 / 5
Departure: Les Trois-Îlets / Anse à l’Ane 
Includes: Wetsuit and all diving gear, certified instructor
Cruise-Friendly: No

Les Trois-Îlets is just across the bay from Fort-de-France and reachable by ferry, making it the most accessible diving departure point if you’re staying near the capital. After a safety briefing on the beach, the group heads out by speedboat to a wildlife stop before reaching the dive site.

The team reaches out after booking to check in on your physical fitness, which shows that they’re careful about safety. Bring biodegradable sunscreen, a change of clothes, and a towel .

➡ READ NEXT: Martinique Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Plan Your Trip ⬅

North Island Tours: Nature, History, and Rum

If you spend your whole trip on the beach, you’ll miss half the island. The north has rainforest, black sand beaches, rum distilleries, and St. Pierre, the capital city destroyed when Mt. Pelée erupted in 1902. It’s one of the most compelling places we’ve been anywhere in the Caribbean.

A guide can really make a difference up here. There’s a lot to know.

1. North Island Tour with One of Martinique’s Most Celebrated Guides

North Island Tour with Sebastiano
Price: $154
Duration: 6 hours
Rating: 5 / 5
Departure: Fort-de-France — cruise pier pickup available 
Includes: Snacks, local fruit juice and water, air-conditioned van
Cruise-Friendly: Yes

Want to actually understand what you’re looking at in the north? This is the tour. Balata Cathedral, the rainforest, a botanical garden, Depaz distillery, St. Pierre ruins, and a black sand beach, all in six hours with a guide who genuinely loves this island and will make you love it too. Sebastian loves Martinique, and he’ll make you love it too.

The max group is 8 people, but it’s often smaller. Sebastiano is known throughout the island as a top notch tour guide. He shows up with walking sticks for the waterfall and umbrellas in case of rain. You can’t beat that kind of hospitality.

2. Private North Island Tour

Private North Island Tour with Katrin
Price: $116
Duration: 5.5 hours
Rating: 5 / 5
Departure: Fort-de-France
Includes: Soft drinks, rum tasting at Le Carbet beach
Cruise-Friendly: Yes

If you’d rather not share a van with strangers, this is the one. You get the same north island geography, the rainforest, waterfalls, Balata church, volcano area, and rum. But it’s just your group and your guide Katrin. The itinerary can change based what you actually want to see and when you want to stop. At this price for a private tour, it’s hard to beat.

Your guide Katrin moved to Martinique from Germany and built her business around showing the island she fell in love with.

Hint: Bring mosquito spray for the rainforest sections.

3. A Food Lover’s Tour of Northern Martinique

Martinique Flavors in the Rainforest
Price: $113
Duration: 5 hours
Rating: 4.9 / 5
Departure: Fort-de-France cruise terminal
Includes: Local food and drink samples throughout, pastries, beer, wine, rum tastings, bottled water
Cruise-Friendly: Yes

Same north island stops as the other tours, but Christelle is a teacher who built this tour around food. Combining beautiful scenery, history, and food? Sign me up!

Tastings are woven through the whole day. You’ll enjoy a sampling of local pastries, rum, fresh fruit, and drink samples at every stop. If you want to eat your way through the north, this is the one.

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Martinique Shore Excursions for Cruise Passengers

Fort-de-France is one of the best cruise ports in the Caribbean, not because of the port itself, but because of what’s accessible from it. The city is walkable, the north island is an easy drive, and the southern beaches are reachable in under an hour. The mistake most cruise passengers make is staying too close to the ship.

Every tour in this section picks up at or near the Fort-de-France cruise terminal. Two stay in the city for passengers who want to keep it simple. Two get you out to the island and back with time to spare. These Martinique shore excursions for cruise passengers are all built around the reality that you have a ship to catch.

1. Private North Island Tour with Two Rum Distilleries

Private North Island Tour
Price: $948.57 per group of up to 7 (~$135/person for a full group)
Duration: 6 hours
Rating: 5 / 5
Departure: Fort-de-France cruise terminal
Includes: Air-conditioned van, botanical garden admission, towels, soda, lunch, snacks
Cruise-Friendly: Yes

Many north island tours pass by Mt. Pelée and hit one rum distillery. On this tour your guide, Virgil, spends 40 minutes at the volcano and hits two distilleries: Depaz and Neisson. Neisson is a smaller agricole producer that doesn’t show up on any other tour in this post.

What’s great about this private format is that you aren’t sharing your tour with anyone so you set your own pace. The per-group pricing works well for families or groups of four or more.

One thing to know before you book: this tour is non-refundable. If your ship runs late, you lose the booking. Check your ship’s docking history for Martinique before you commit.

2. Southern Beaches and Sea Turtles

Southern Beaches & Snorkeling
Price: $87
Duration: 3.5 hours
Rating: 5 / 5
Departure: Fort-de-France cruise terminal
Includes: Mask and snorkel gear, fresh fruit, local accras, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages
Cruise-Friendly: Yes

Want to get out on the water without worrying about missing your ship? This is the one. K’ptain Ariel runs a speedboat south along the Caribbean coast. You’ll see sea turtles at Grande Anse d’Arlet, tropical fish at Anse d’Arlet, and the only black sand beach in the south at Anse Noire.

The company guarantees to return to your ship on time. As always, be sure to check your port time and tour times.

3. Tour Fort-de-France by Pedicab

Fort-de-France City Tour by Pedicab
Price: $29
Duration: 1.5 hours
Rating: 4.6 / 5
Departure: Fort-de-France cruise terminal
Includes: Guided Pedicab tour
Cruise-Friendly: Yes

If you want to see Fort-de-France without walking in the heat, this is how to do it. An electric pedicab takes you through 10 landmarks including the Schoelcher Library, Aimé Césaire Theater, Place de la Savane, Saint-Louis Cathedral.

Ask for Romuald. He’s been described as a walking encyclopedia of Martinique history and his English is excellent.

The tour ends at Fort-de-France’s covered market, Marché Couvert, where you can pick up local spices, rum, and souvenirs before heading back to the ship.

4. A Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt Through Fort-de-France

Fort-de-France City Scavenger Hunt
Price: $29
Duration: 1.5 hours
Rating: 5 / 5
Departure: Fort-de-France city center
Includes: Game link and access codes, cultural videos at each stop, no download required
Cruise-Friendly: Yes

If a guided tour isn’t your thing, this is a really fun alternative. Your group gets a link and a set of access codes, and you spend 90 minutes solving riddles at landmarks around Fort-de-France to free endangered animals from a secret organization holding them captive. Yes, really. The cultural videos at each stop mean you’re actually learning something about the city while you go.

At about $6 per person with a perfect 5.0, it’s hard to argue with.

Frequently Asked Questions About Martinique Tours

Start Planning Your Trip to Martinique

If something on this list caught your eye, book it sooner rather than later. The best operators like Captain Pol, Sebastiano, Pierre-Henri, and Christelle fill up, especially in high season.

A few things worth knowing before you book anything: most tours require a minimum number of passengers, free cancellation is your friend on anything where the ship timing is uncertain, and if English matters to you, we’ve flagged it throughout. Pay attention to those notes.

The rest of your trip planning starts here:

• Where to stay in Martinique Where you base yourself changes everything about which tours are even logistically worth booking.
• Is Martinique worth visiting? If you’re still on the fence, this is the post that will make up your mind.
• Les Cayalines Hotel Review If you want to stay somewhere we can personally vouch for.