Martinique is a small island but not small enough to be visited without a car. It is indeed imperative to have a car to visit Martinique. To take complete advantage of your stay in Martinique, it is thus better to rent a car and to know the main roads of the island which will lead you to where you want to go.
On a world map, Martinique seems tiny. But with its 1128 km2 (distributed in 34 municipalities), Martinique is not that small. It's impossible to visit Martinique by foot. To move around in Martinique, it is absolutely necessary to have a car and drive along the roads of the island.
Martinique is very well served by roads. Thanks to the road A1, you can go quickly to the economic center of Martinique, that is the west central region - from Lamentin city to La Batelière, via Dillon, Fort-de-France, and Cluny. To go to the North, by following the coast, you can set off N2 that passes by Case-Pilote, Bellefontaine, and Carbet city. To go still further north, to Saint-Pierre city, to Le Prêcheur, to Grand'Rivière, or to Macouba, you can continue on the road D10. To visit the center of the North of Martinique, you will prefer the road N3 (so called Road of Balata) which connects Fort-de-France with Ajoupa-Bouillon, via Morne-Rouge, Fonds- Saint-Denis and Balata.
The road N4 makes the connection between the East coast and the West coast of Martinique because it goes from La Trinité, to Saint Joseph then to Fort-de-France and Lamentin city. The road N1 connects the East side and the West side too. It goes from Basse-Pointe in the North, then goes down to Le Lorrain, Le Marigot, Sainte-Marie, La Trinité, Robert, and Lamentin city. The road N6 will take you to the southeast of the island. It serves Lamentin city, François city, Vauclin and Le Marin. To go to the extreme South of Martinique, to Sainte-Anne, you will have to keep driving on the road D9. The southwest of Martinique is connected by N8 and N5. The road N5 will take you from Lamentin city, to Ducos, Rivière-Salée, Sainte-Luce, Rivière-Pilote, and Le Marin. To go to the West part of Martinique, to Trois-Îlets, Anses-d'Arlet, or Diamant, you will have to drive along the road D7.
A little advice from RentaCar Martinique : rent a comfortable car and go drive along the roads of Martinique to discover this beautiful island.
Practical information
Martinique has many roads, well indicated. However, you can rent a GPS with your rental car, to be sure to be perfectly guided. It would make your stay in Martinique nicer.
