Travel to Cayenne is possible via limited flights to Aéroport International de Cayenne – Félix Éboué, boat (some smaller cruise ships) or overland from Suriname. We took the overland route using a small boat to cross the Maroni river, arriving at St Laurent de Maroni, then travelling a few hours by mini-bus. Cayenne is the capital of French Guiana and has a small population of around 70,000 people. There are government buildings, remnants of colonial architecture, parks and squares, restaurants, cafes, a market, a cathedral and residential housing. However, the city is small and without high rises.
On a morning run around the city, we sadly observed a lot of poverty, homelessness and dirty streets. Additionally, the sea viewpoints listed on Google were almost totally obscured by trees and overgrown vegetation. However, one lovely location was the Fort Cépérou Lighthouse up on a hill, alongside the Cayenne sign. The view of the sea and city are beautiful from above.
At the end of the trip, French Guiana, where we enjoyed French food and pastries was a good transition back to the real world.
Highlights
- Fort Cépérou Lighthouse and the view from the hill up rainbow-coloured stairs
- Cayenne Sign
- Place des Palmistes
- Place du Coq
- Cayenne Market
- Jardin Botanique (Botanic Garden)
- Mairie de Cayenne
- Statue de Felix Éboué
- Place Des Palmistes
- Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur
- Place Léopold Héder
- Museum of Guyanese Cultures
- Historic building of the Conservatoire du littoral, Antenne de Guyane
Before you go
- Cayenne is the capital of French Guiana
- Most places accepted credit cards
- Many people do not speak English so a translation help for French is useful
- There are many homeless people around the city and some were aggressive, so be careful walking around at night
- Museums, the markets and some restaurants are closed on Sundays
- The post office has no post boxes outside, so I had to ask the hotel for help to post my postcards
- Coastal viewpoints on Google mostly did not have views like in photos- too many trees!
Transport
- Aéroport International de Cayenne – Félix Éboué is the main airport and has limited international flights. Located about 30 minutes drive south of Cayenne
- Taxis are available and we had help from a restaurant to book them
- However, we mostly had a mini bus or taxi vans to take us around for further distances
- The city centre is walkable
Accommodation
- We stayed at the ibis Styles Cayenne Centre Amazonia in the centre of the city. It was kind of disorganised and rooms were okay but not great. Air conditioning worked well
- The breakfast was really good, especially the fresh fruit!
- There is an outdoor swimming pool
- As usual I recommend checking reviews on Google Reviews or using AirBnB
Food
During our short time in Cayenne, we tried a few of the local restaurants and cafes that I can recommend.
First, we had delicious French cuisine at La Petite Maison. The steak frites was delicious and huge! And their duck and prawns were also excellent! On the down side, they were out of most of their drink menu so we had to share the few sparkling water bottles.
The next morning, the Ibis hotel buffet breakfast was excellent. Many options including lots of fresh fruit.
Then during our walk around the city we discovered an impressive French bakery, Yu & Mie and a Chinese restaurant Jin Le Yuan.
Yu & Mie had a long queue, probably both because it is good and because most other bakeries were not open on Sunday. We tried the baguette, pear and almond tart, choux, and chocolate mousse. Everything was yummy and for me, it felt like the transition back to European food.
Jin Le Yuan was a great find for Chinese food at reasonable prices. The chicken and rice and dim sum were so tasty and portions were large! In fact, we took some to go in boxes to give to homeless people near our hotel. They were also very patient to let us pay individually. I’ve got to give a very special thank you to the staff at Jin Le Yuan, who helped us to book reliable taxis to the airport for fair price.
FAQs
Q: Do I need a tour guide?
A: No, not for Cayenne itself. You can get around the city on your own. However, if you want to visit nearby Kourou and the Salvation Islands then you may need a guide or at least transport.
Q: Do people speak English?
A: Some people do, but it is useful to know French or have a translation app such as GoogleTranslate.
Q: Is it a walkable city?
A: Yes, Cayenne is walkable in the city centre.
Go to French Guiana
Go to Country Map