📖 About Saint-François

Saint-François is a commune at the eastern tip of Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe's flatter eastern island. With approximately 15,000 residents, this upscale resort town features beautiful beaches, a marina, casino, and golf course. The location provides access to offshore islands and the famous Pointe des Châteaux.

The commune transformed from a sugar-producing area to a tourism-focused destination from the 1970s. The marina hosts boats to Les Saintes, Marie-Galante, and La Désirade islands. Beaches like Anse à la Gourde and Raisins Clairs attract visitors. Saint-François represents modern Guadeloupean tourism—French Caribbean sophistication with pristine tropical beauty.

🏛️ Top Attractions

💼 Economy & Culture

Tourism dominates Saint-François's economy—hotels, restaurants, the marina, casino, and golf course employ many residents. Real estate caters to vacation homes. Some fishing continues at the harbor. Services support the tourism economy. As part of France/EU, the commune benefits from French services while leveraging its tropical resort appeal for metropolitan French and international visitors.

Guadeloupean Creole culture flavors the resort atmosphere—French is official but Creole adds Caribbean authenticity. Catholicism predominates. Music includes gwoka drums and zouk. Cuisine blends French refinement with Creole traditions—seafood, accras, and ti-punch. The culture is Caribbean French—European standards and tropical warmth creating sophisticated island living.

📜 History

The Pointe des Châteaux area has archaeological evidence of Amerindian presence. French colonization brought sugar cultivation. Saint-François developed as a sugar-producing commune with plantation economy based on slave labor until abolition in 1848.

The 20th century brought decline in sugar, then tourism development from the 1970s. The marina, golf course, and hotels transformed Saint-François into an upscale resort. Today it's Guadeloupe's premier tourist commune—Pointe des Châteaux's dramatic scenery, marina convenience, and beach beauty attracting visitors to this French Caribbean paradise.