Given the small size of the island, we were amazed how much there was to see and do on Guadeloupe, both in terms of natural and cultural attractions. It’s also a surprisingly diverse place, which consists of two very different parts.

Grande-Terre, the eastern half, has a more developed infrastructure and has mainly cultural attractions and a few popular beach resorts. Basse-Terre, on the other hand, has some beautiful natural surroundings and a few cool places to go hiking.

The main island is surrounded by some outer islands, like La Désirade and the Îles des Saintes, which are very much worth visiting in their own right. We spent about a week on Guadeloupe. Read on for my recommendations on the best things to do in this little slice of paradise.

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Guided Tours of Guadeloupe

If you’re interested in taking a guided tour to some of Guadeloupe’s highlights, you can have a look at a few possible options here. We found that some of Guadeloupe’s destinations are kind of hard to reach by public transport, which is when a guided tour with transport can really come in handy.

The Perfect One-Week Guadeloupe Itinerary

Day 1: Pointe-à-Pitre

If you’re like us, it was probably the natural rather than urban attractions that made you want to come to Guadeloupe. Still, the island’s biggest city (and the point of entry, whether you’re coming by plane or boat) has some interesting historical buildings and small museums that are worth stopping by.  

The most famous attraction here is probably the Memorial ACTe Museum of Slavery (which was unfortunately closed when we were there), but we checked out the attractive cathedral, lively fish market and pretty Place de la Victoire Park.

Apart from some of the beach resorts, Pointe-à-Pitre is also the only place on the island that has a notable bar scene or nightlife.

See also: The Best Things to do in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe

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Day 2-3: Grande-Terre and/or La Désirade Island

Move on to Grande-Terre, the eastern half of the island, where you could base yourself in one of the popular beach resort towns along the southern coast, like Le Gosier or Sainte-Anne. This would give you the choice to either lounge at the beach for a day or two, or to explore the surroundings by rental car or public bus.

For instance, you could check out the historic forts Fort Louis and Fort Fleur d’Épée near Le Gosier, visit the Pointe de Châteaux viewpoint or take a guided tour of the Damoiseau Rum distillery.

We decided to take a day trip to the nearby islet of La Désirade, to explore some of its low-key historical sights and nice beaches and found it a good way to get away from it all.  

See also: What to know about visiting La Désirade Island, Guadeloupe

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Day 4-5: Îles des Saintes

Another worthwhile destination off the coast of the main island are the beautiful Îles des Saintes, which you can reach by taking the ferry from Pointe-à-Pitre or Trois-Rivières at the southern tip of Basse-Terre.  The main island “Terre-de-Haut” is a good place for a bit of aimless exploration by foot or bicycle.

We found the small village capital with its cute alleyways and colourful houses fun to explore, and also liked the historic Fort Napoleon, which dates to the 18^th century. 

Some other cool things to do here are hiking up Le Chameau Hill or relaxing at some of the nicest beaches we came across on Guadeloupe. Plage de la Pompierre would be my undisputed favourite among these. Finally, there are some great restaurants serving really good seafood.

See also: The ultimate travel guide to the Îles des Saintes, Guadeloupe

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Day 6: La Soufriére Volcano

Back on the mainland, you should head to Basse-Terre, the western half of the island, which differs from Grande-Terre so dramatically that it sometimes felt like a separate island to us.

The landscape reminded us mainly of Dominica, the beautiful island directly to the south of Guadeloupe. The one must-see attraction on Basse-Terre would be La Soufrière, an impressive active volcano and the highest peak in all of the Lesser Antilles.

The surrounding National Park has some really good hikes as well, with the added bonus of relaxing in the warm sulphur spring at the trailhead to La Soufrière. We found the village of Sainte-Claude, halfway up the mountain, to be a a good base for hiking La Soufrière.

See also: What to know about climbing La Soufrière Volcano, Guadeloupe

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Day 7: Basse-Terre Town and Deshaies

On your way back to the coast, I recommend that you stop in Basse-Terre, the attractive capital of Guadeloupe, where you can check out the parliament building and produce market, as well as some cool examples of historical architecture.

From there you can catch a bus north along the coast to the pretty little village of Deshaies, which fans of police procedurals will recognize as the filming location for the BBC series “Death in Paradise”. In the surrounding area you can also visit the famous Botanical Garden or hang out at the beautiful Grande-Anse Beach.

See also: Visiting the Filming Locations of BBC’s Death in Paradise in Deshaies, Guadeloupe

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Guadeloupe Itinerary Map

You can find all the stops that I mentioned above in this map of Guadeloupe.

If You Have More Time

If you have more than a week, you certainly won’t run out of things to do on Guadeloupe. I’d recommend spending some more time on Basse-Terre to do some hikes in the National Park and visit some of the many waterfalls.

Another possibility would be to visit the island of Marie-Galante, which we didn’t make it to on this trip, but is said to have a very relaxed vibe.

If You Have Less Time

If you have less than a week to spend on the island, I’d recommend skipping Grand-Terre altogether and concentrating on the naturally more spectacular Basse-Terre. Hike La Soufrière, check out some waterfalls and relax at the beaches in Deshaies.