Guadeloupe Driving Advice and Car Hire Info
Driving in Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is essentially a department of France and feels very much like driving in France with Caribbean weather! The island drives on the right and you can drive on the photo licence of most countries for up to 20 days after which time you also need an International Driving Permit.
On Grand-Terre and Basse-Terre, most of the roads are well maintained and in fairly good condition. The island has an expressway, and main roads are paved and marked. Minor roads will be less well signposted and will not be in such good condition.
In Basse-Terre, roads can become mountainous and have sharp turns that make driving more dangerous. You should avoid driving at night on Basse-Terre as these roads will be badly lit.Driving style in Guadeloupe can be quite fast and aggressive-think more French city than laidback Caribbean island style, so drive defensively and expect the unexpected. On Marie-Galante, the island is very flat and roads are generally in a good condition and are less busy than on Guadeloupe’s other islands. One quirk of driving abroad in Guadeloupe is that if you stop to ask for directions from a pedestrian they may assume that you will also give them a lift so you may inadvertently pick up hitch hikers!
Although I try and keep the information in the site updated as much as possible, in a rapidly moving world, situations can change daily. Therefore please use the site as an approximate guide, and in conjunction with other resources in order to form your view on driving conditions, roads, safety etc.
Guadeloupe Car Rental –
Sixt, Hertz, Alamo,Europcar, National, Avis, Budget, have outlets here. Hertz also have an outlet on Marie Galante . Also usually features on Car rental broker sites such and Web discount sites such as Expedia
We currently have no local car rental partners in Guadeloupe. If you are a local car rental company who would like to feature on DriverAbroad.com please check details on our Partnering page or contact us on ADriverAbroad@Outlook.com
Guadeloupe Self Driving Rules-
Most of the big companies restrict cars to use on Grande Terre and Basse Terre. Some may allow cars to be taken to Marie Galante but you should advise them of your intention as different insurance terms may apply.
