Ferry Travel

Ferry schedules and fares often change, so phone ahead to confirm. You normally travel to the outlying islands in the archipelago in the morning, returning in the afternoon. Day-trips are generally much cheaper than regular round-trips. Comatrile and Babou One are based in St-François, L'Express des Iles in Point-à-Pitre, and C.T.M. Deher in Trois-Rivières; both Comatrile and Express des Isles also operate ferries between Terre-de-Haut and Marie-Galante.

International service is offered by Jeans and L'Express des Isles, connecting Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, with Martinique and Dominica.

Contacts

BABOU One. This ferry runs between St-François and La Désirade, and on certain days to Marie-Galante and/or Les Saintes and now even Petite-Terre. Marina de St-François, St-François, Grande-Terre. 0690/26–60–69; 0590/47–50–31; 0690/63–46–39; www.babouone.fr.

Comatrile. Comatrile travels daily from St-François on Grande Terre to Désirade, to St-Louis on Marie-Galante, and Terre-de-Haut on Les Saintes. Times vary slightly seasonally, and a day-trip is generally cheaper than a regular round-trip. Marina de St-François, St-François, Grande-Terre, 97118. 0690/50–05–09; 0590/22–26–31; www.comatrile.com.

C.T.M. Deher. These ferries travel between Terre-de-Haut and Trois-Rivières. Trois-Rivières, Basse-Terre. 0590/99–50–68; 0590/92–06–39; www.ctmdeher.com.

Jeans. This company is owned by L'Express des Isles and operates two ferries to Martinique, Dominica, and Les Saintes. St-Pierre, n/a Martinique. 0825/01–01–25; www.jeansforfreedom.com.

L'Express des Isles. L'Express des Isles runs ferries to Marie-Galante and to Les Saintes from Pointe-à-Pitre. The company also offers longer international trips to other islands like Dominica, Martinique, and St. Lucia that take between three and four hours. On longer trips, French films are shown on flat-screen TVs. There are extra departures on weekends and holidays, when ferries can be crowded. Overweight baggage rules similar to those on airlines are enforced strictly. An onboard snack bar sells beverages and snacks, but you may want to bring your own food. Be prepared for bad weather and choppy seas, which are especially likely on longer runs, when the boats are in open water. 0825/35–90–00; www.express-des-iles.com.