The Grand Market

The Grand Covered Market

The Fort-de-France audio-guided tour leads you to the Grand Covered Market, a high place of flavours and crafts, an obligatory stop to immerse oneself in Creole culture.

A hall of glass and steel

The history of the Grand Market goes back to 1886, when a first great hall was inaugurated on the square. Destroyed by a fire and then by a cyclone, it was replaced in 1901 by a more modern building, with a glass and steel structure then very fashionable. Since then, the market has never ceased to be a meeting place for the inhabitants and the visitors, who come to taste local specialities, to stock up on rum, spices and Creole sauces, or to bring back craft souvenirs: carved wooden objects, Creole dolls, basketry or jewellery. One breathes there the scents of vanilla and coffee, in an explosion of colours and good humour.

What there is to see

The Grand Market is a feast for the senses: colourful stalls, scents of spices, rums and jams, local crafts and food stands where to taste cod fritters and other Creole specialities. It is the ideal place to meet the producers, discover the flavours of Martinique and bring back an authentic souvenir. An essential stage of the visit of Fort-de-France.

Practical information

The Grand Covered Market is in the centre of Fort-de-France. A market in the very heart of the city, it generally comes alive during the day, according to the hours of the traders; food stands allow one to sit down there.

Since when has the Grand Market of Fort-de-France existed?

A first hall was inaugurated in 1886; the present building, in glass and steel, dates from 1901.

What can one find there?

Local specialities, rum, spices, Creole sauces and crafts such as Creole dolls and basketry.