Saint-Pierre
Founded by French settlers, this used to be the most important town in Martinique, also called the Paris of the Caribbean. Everything changed when the majestic Mount Pelée erupted in 1902, destroying Saint-Pierre and killing thirty thousand people. Never restored to its former glory, the city is now a center of a sugar-producing area with a geological laboratory and a volcanological museum and a reminder of nature’s power. Wander through the historic ruins and head to one of the dive sites to swim alongside the wrecks of ships that sank in the explosion.
Address: Saint-Pierre