The Saint Louis Fort

Fort Saint-Louis is located in Martinique at Fort de France: it is a Vauban style military fort, classified as a historical monument since 1973.

Visible from the Bay of Carénage, the fort is located on the water's edge on the Island of Flowers. While walking inside the monument, you will have a view of the Caribbean Sea... Enough to make more than one dream.

However, your surprises will not stop at the vision of this azure water: the iguanas will keep you company! In addition to these geographical aspects, it is a true architectural masterpiece.

It consists of several bastions: 

• The Carénage bastion
• The Royal bastion
• The lower battery of the Point
• The Sainte-Marthe bastion

Imagine yourself walking through the bastions, climbing the stairs, sharing the history of its walls. You'll even get to touch the period cannons with your eyes, with iguanas and sea air at your side. Fort-de-France is a great place to live!

For those who are passionate about architecture, particularly military architecture, the Fort Saint-Louis will delight you: enclosure, half-moon, casemate, watchtower... Unique in its kind, the monument is a real bastion of the French navy, whose architecture will not leave an expert indifferent. 

The Fort Saint-Louis: what a history!

The war against Holland was the occasion for the foundation of the fort, resulting from urgent military needs on the island of Martinique.
 
A disciple of the famous Vauban drew up the construction plans for the fort in 1676. It took its final shape in 1680 and adopted the name of Fort Louis in honor of Louis XIV, king at the time.

The English occupied the fort on several occasions, giving it the name "Fort Edward" at each occupation. When the French finally took over the fort, they renamed it "Fort de la République" before giving it back its original name of "Fort de Saint-Louis".

At the end of the 19th century, France and its population abandoned the fort: it even became a zoo! Enough to make our iguana friends happy!

However, after the Second World War, the government reallocated the fort to the French Navy: today it is an important bastion in the fight against the illicit drug trade that is rampant in the Caribbean.

For history buffs, the Saint-Louis Fort is a must-see monument on the island of flowers. Unique in its kind, it will retrace for your numerous centuries of Martinique's history, but also French and English military history.

Visit the monument

In the past, you could not visit the fort in Fort de France because it was being renovated: fortunately, it has now been reopened! During your visit to Fort de France, you can take a guided tour of the monument. These tours are given in French and English: be careful, otherwise you might not enjoy them!

Visits are forbidden to children under 6 years old and not recommended to pregnant women: you may even be refused access. And for good reason! You won't be able to stroll inside the fort: the many stairs to climb will put you to the test. So bring water and good trainers to walk through these old stones full of history!