Driving in Guadeloupe

Published by Henri KESSELS, September 2023

To better choose where to stay in Guadeloupe, it is important to have an idea of ​​the distances if you plan to travel by car, which remains the easiest way. With its unique butterfly shape with jagged coasts, its mountainous relief in Basse Terre and hilly in Grande Terre, we cannot say that Guadeloupe is easy to travel around. However, the main roads of the road network are generally correct, so if we had to go around without stopping, how long would it take to go around Guadeloupe by car?

To give objective and measurable data, let's start by seeing what the distances are in kilometers. The greatest distance between two municipalities is 100 km, between Saint François and Saint Claude, in the heights of the city of Basse Terre. Then, from Basse Terre to Deshaies, it is 53 km of winding road along the splendid leeward coast. Then, from Deshaies to Baie Mahault, count 34 km, and another 85 km to Saint François via Anse-Bertrand. That is a total of about 270 km, including about 45 km of two-lane national road, the rest being municipal or departmental roads with one lane (often not very wide!)

To give another point of reference, the on-board computer in my car that gives me information on my journeys always tells me an average speed over several thousand kilometers of about 40 km/h, with varied routes between mountains, traffic jams, expressways... Which would mean that it would take more than 6 hours to go around the entire island. Honestly, given the traffic black spots that can be encountered on certain sections of the journey, it seems realistic to me. You can consult this table to have the details of the distances between the municipalities of Guadeloupe.

As you will have understood, if you want to visit all of Guadeloupe and you plan to stay in Saint François, you will not often go to Basse Terre which, in my opinion, is the most authentic and natural part. If you hesitate to stay in Grande Terre and/or Basse Terre, or even between the two, read our article which gives some advice on where to stay in Guadeloupe. Visitors who were looking for a Guadeloupe cottage rental and who chose our Jaden Kréyol cottage are all delighted with their choice, both for the central location on the island and for the comfort, the pleasantness and the originality of the accommodation... and the friendliness of the hosts ;-) We also give you some indications on how long to go around Guadeloupe from the Jaden Kréyol cottage in our blog article.

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