These Caribbean Ferries Take You to Rum Islands, Beach Towns and Spectacular Bays

FRS Express des Îles connects Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique and Saint Lucia, with smaller-island escapes to Les Saintes and Marie-Galante.

The harbor gets smaller, the mountains come into view, and you’re on your way to another island. Your next stop might mean black-sand beaches and aged rum, a rainforest waterfall or a little French-Caribbean village where lunch stretches well into the afternoon.

We love this way of seeing the Caribbean. There’s no better way to appreciate how close these islands are — and how much changes between them — than arriving by sea. In the Eastern Caribbean, FRS Express des Îles gives you a ferry network around which you can plan an entire vacation.

The Islands You Can Connect

The company’s international network links Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique and Saint Lucia, with ports in Pointe-à-Pitre, Roseau, Fort-de-France and Castries. Its wider network also includes Les Saintes and Marie-Galante, two particularly rewarding additions to a Guadeloupe trip.

You don’t have to visit all of them. A two-island trip gives you time to explore, settle into a hotel and find a favorite restaurant before moving on. With a longer vacation, you can follow the island chain, spending several nights in each destination.

The pleasure is in the variety. These are neighboring islands with different languages, different food and very different landscapes.

Start With Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe gives you plenty to explore before you ever board a ferry. Grande-Terre has beach towns, seaside restaurants and stretches of white sand; Basse-Terre brings mountainous scenery, waterfalls and rainforest.

Spend a few days getting to know both sides. You can have a beach afternoon in Sainte-Anne, drive into the green interior and make time for a long Creole lunch. Then head to Pointe-à-Pitre for your next crossing.

Guadeloupe is also the place to give the smaller islands their own share of the itinerary. Les Saintes and Marie-Galante deserve more than a glance at the map.

Make Time for Les Saintes and Marie-Galante

Terre-de-Haut, in Les Saintes, has the kind of harbor you want to arrive in by boat: green hills, red roofs and sailboats scattered across the bay. You can wander through town, stop for lunch and spend the afternoon beside the water.

An overnight stay gives you more time to enjoy it. There are small hotels, including Hotel Bois Joli, for travelers who want to linger after a day of exploring.

Marie-Galante offers another compelling detour, particularly if you love rum. Its sugarcane fields, distilleries and quiet beaches make a few nights here an easy proposition. Leave room for an afternoon with no plans beyond finding somewhere good to eat.

Dominica Changes the Scenery

The ferry brings you into Roseau, the starting point for a stay on Dominica. Here, you can devote your days to rainforest trails, waterfalls, hot springs and snorkeling along a volcanic coastline.

Give yourself several nights. Dominica rewards time on the road and on foot, with days devoted to individual corners of the island. After Guadeloupe’s beach towns or Marie-Galante’s sugarcane country, the steep green mountains make the next chapter of your trip feel entirely different.

Continue to Martinique and Saint Lucia

In Martinique, you arrive in Fort-de-France. From there, you can head north toward volcanic landscapes and black-sand beaches or south toward white-sand coves and beach towns. Rum distillery visits and waterfront lunches are excellent reasons to extend your stay.

Saint Lucia adds another island to the journey, with arrival in Castries. Allow time for the drive south if your plans include Soufrière, the Pitons and the island’s volcanic southwest. The ferry terminal is the beginning of that visit, so factor ground transportation into your arrival day.

Plan the Crossings First

Choose your sailing dates before committing to hotels. FRS publishes seasonal schedules, and some longer journeys include intermediate stops. Check the actual departure and arrival times for each leg rather than assuming every connection runs daily.

Leave breathing room between islands and before your flight home. The best version of this trip gives each destination a few unhurried days — and makes the voyage to the next one something to look forward to.

And obviously, bring your passport! 

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