Visiting Cayenne in two days is entirely doable — as long as you don’t waste time. The capital of French Guiana isn’t a big city (around 65,000 inhabitants within the city limits, close to 150,000 including Rémire-Montjoly and Matoury), yet it packs in everything that gives the territory its character: one of the most strikingly exotic markets in France, streets lined with wooden Creole houses, and, a fifteen-minute drive away, wild beaches where leatherback turtles come to lay their eggs. After several years living here, here’s the itinerary I have all my visiting guests follow, with the opening hours, prices and pitfalls to avoid.
A logistical note before we begin: Félix-Éboué airport is in Matoury, about 15 km from downtown Cayenne (20 to 25 minutes by car). There is virtually no reliable public transport: rent a car as soon as you arrive (budget €40 to €55 per day in the dry season). For the rest of your planning, our complete guide to French Guiana covers formalities, climate and the yellow fever vaccine (mandatory, to be done at least 10 days before departure).
Day 1: the market and old Cayenne
Start early at the Cayenne market (on Saturday if possible)
If you can pick your dates, line up your first day with a Saturday. The covered market of Cayenne, at the corner of Avenue du Général-de-Gaulle, is open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from around 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. — and it’s on Saturday morning that it truly comes into its own. Arrive before 9 a.m.: the heat rises fast and the best stalls empty out.
What not to miss:
- The pho soup from the Hmong stalls upstairs: a hearty bowl for €8 to €10, the best breakfast in town.
- Wassaï juice (the local açaí, pressed to order): €3 to €5 a cup, best drunk lightly sweetened.
- Spices and chilies: vegetarian chili paste, bois d’Inde, couac (cassava semolina) — count on €3 to €6 a jar, perfect as a souvenir.
- Fruit: rambutans, fresh coconut, maracudja, sometimes comou.
Right next door, the small fish market gives you a taste of what the Guiana Shield has to offer: acoupa, machoiran, shrimp.
Place des Palmistes and Creole architecture
A five-minute walk away, Place des Palmistes is Cayenne’s living room: a rectangle planted with century-old royal palms, lined with cafés and watched over by the statue of Félix Éboué, a native son. It’s the ideal starting point for exploring old Cayenne on foot, on a loop of about 1.5 to 2 hours:
- Rue de Rémire and the adjacent streets: the finest traditional Creole houses, with painted wooden façades, shutters and intricate balconies, some superbly restored, others weathered by the equatorial humidity.
- The Town Hall and the prefecture (a former Jesuit convent), fine examples of colonial architecture.
- The Museum of Guianan Cultures, on Rue Madame-Payé: modest but well done, ideal for understanding the territory’s Amerindian, Creole, Bushinengé and Hmong settlement. Admission around €3, closed on Sundays.
A resident’s tip: take this walk between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. or after 4 p.m. In the middle of the day, the equatorial sun makes walking unpleasant, even in the dry season.
Fort Cépérou and late afternoon by the Crique
Then climb the hill of Fort Cépérou, the historic birthplace of the city (free access). Few remains are left, but the view takes in the tin roofs, the estuary and the Amazon-colored ocean — because no, the sea is not turquoise here: the sediment from the great neighboring river tints the entire Guianan coastline a unique brownish-green.
For dinner, head to the restaurants in the center: a Creole dish (game fricassee, parépou, dachine) runs €15 to €22. If you’re in town in January or February, ask about Carnival nights: the Sunday parades and the masked balls are an experience in their own right.
Day 2: Rémire-Montjoly, between the Rorota trail and the beaches
The Rorota trail at daybreak
Second day, second face of the island of Cayenne. Take the car toward Rémire-Montjoly, the neighboring residential town (10 km, 15 to 20 minutes outside rush hour). Park at the start of the Rorota trail, on Route de Rémire: a shaded 4.5 km loop (about 2 hours, free, easy level) that winds between secondary forest and the city’s old water reservoirs.
Set off at 7:30 a.m.: that’s the time you’re most likely to spot three-toed sloths in the canopy, along with tamarins, agoutis and a dense bird life. Bring water, repellent and closed shoes: the ground stays slippery all year round.
The beaches of Montjoly: what to do in Cayenne on the ocean side
In the afternoon, it’s beach time. The beaches of Montjoly, Gosselin and des Salines stretch for several kilometers of sand fringed with coconut palms and tropical almond trees. Let’s be honest: you don’t come to French Guiana for postcard swimming — the water is laden with sediment and bathing should be done with care (currents). But for walking, running, watching fishermen haul in their nets and enjoying a sunset, it’s superb.
Two bonuses depending on the season:
- From April to July, the beaches of Rémire-Montjoly are among the few in the world where leatherback turtles come to lay their eggs at night, sometimes just a few meters from passers-by. Observation is possible on your own provided you follow the rules: no white light, no flash, a 10 m distance.
- The trip around the îlet la Mère (offshore, reachable on a day excursion, around €35 to €45) to meet the saïmiris, those fearless little squirrel monkeys.
Finish with the remains of the Vidal estate (a former sugar mill, free access), then a drink in a beachside hut facing the ocean (a planteur cocktail around €6 to €8).
