Travel information French Guiana | Preparation and practical information

In northern South America are located north of Brazil three smaller countries, called the Guianas. This is the easternmost country French Guiana. It is a French overseas department, which also makes it part of the European Union.

Only French is spoken in this part. English is rarely or not spoken here, making communication difficult. This makes preparation for your trip extra important. Furthermore, there are rarely tourists to be found and few facilities for them. It is an unknown part of France that is unspoilt and beautiful because of more than 80% of tropical rainforest. This is shared with neighboring countries Suriname and Brazil.

The best travel time

A rain shower is never excluded, because it is warm and humid all year round French Guiana. The least rain falls from July to November. Although it can be a bit warmer during this period, it is still the best time to travel.

Because there are virtually no tourists, no distinction is made between high and low season. It is expected that most tourists in the European will visit in summer, which is also the driest period.

Transportation

There are few roads and hardly any public transport, which makes getting around in French Guiana difficult. You will have to prepare yourself well for this.

Fly

The only way to get to French Guiana from Europe is from the airport Paris-Orly to fly to the capital Cayenne. Usage our insider tips from Skyscanner to find these flights. You arrive at Aéroport de Cayenne-Félix Eboué. This airport only serves local flights to and from the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, but also to Suriname or domestic flights. From the Netherlands you will first have to come to Paris, by plane, car or train. From Cayenne there are various options to discover the country.

There are several small airports in the country. The largest is near the capital Cayenne, but also in Kourou, Sinnamary en Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. There are also options inland and on the coast where aircraft can land on small airstrips. The costs for domestic flights are very high, but it is the only way to get inland, because there are no roads leading there. It is therefore good to take this into account when making travel plans, as there are few domestic flights.

By car

There are few roads in the country and the largest road, the N1, runs from the capital Cayenne in the east to the border town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, where the border with Suriname is in the west. The N1 is a two-lane road of reasonable quality and passes through the towns of Kourou and Sinnamary. The road runs along the coastline of French Guiana.

Furthermore, in recent years there has also been an N2, which goes from the capital Cayenne further east to the border town Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock. The border with Brazil is located there. The N3 goes to the port in Cayenne and the N4 goes to the airport. The other, small roads connect all N roads with each other.

For rent a car there are several options of car rental companies. Rental cars It is best to compare before you arrive in the country Sunnycars, Alamo en rental cars.

It is nice that European rules apply here. Your Dutch driver's license is valid here and driving is on the right. Keep in mind that the prices are somewhat higher, because many landlords have limited supply. All cars come from France and are shipped here.

Public transport

There is a bus connection and buses also run in cities such as Cayenne and Kourou, but there are no departure times or bus lines anywhere, making it difficult to use. There is a long distance bus, but it runs when convenient and irregularly, making it unreliable.

Accommodation

Due to the lack of tourism in French Guiana, finding good accommodations is quite difficult. There are several hotels available that are often poorly maintained or located far outside the city.

You can use this to find good accommodation Booking.com en airbnb. There are quite a few good apartments here and we often used them during our stay in French Guiana. Because we were mainly looking for apartments, we did not have to pay high amounts for expensive hotels. The accommodations were often in the center and this meant we had direct contact with the local population.

Itinerary and highlights

There are two options for the start of your itinerary. You can fly from Paris to Cayenne with Airfrance, which puts you directly in French Guiana. Or you can cross the border from Suriname to French Guiana overland. When visiting French Guiana, a visit to the capital Cayenne cannot be missed. Many different cultures come together here, providing a whole lot of variety.

After Cayenne, Kourou is a big city, known for its Guyana Space Center. You can take a free tour here, during which you will receive an explanation about the space center and drive around in a bus in three hours.

Furthermore, in the town of Kourou it is possible to take a boat to the famous islands off the coast of French Guiana.

Further towards the border with Suriname, is the town of Saint-laurent-du Maroni. There are several sights to visit nearby, of which the coastal towns are good bases.

The rest of the country is difficult to access, actually only by plane, because the country mainly consists of tropical rainforest.

Practical Information

Before leaving for French Guiana there are a few things to check and find out.

Passport and visa

Since French Guiana belongs to France, French Guiana is part of the member state of the European Union. However, you will still have to take your passport with you. No visa is required to travel in French Guiana. You also do not have to obtain a stamp at customs. For the rent a car, no international driving license is required. This makes traveling to French Guiana and... rent a car easy.

Money and costs

Because the country is part of France, payments here are made with the Euro. So no money needs to be exchanged. In many places you can pay with a Dutch debit card. Visa and Mastercard credit cards are accepted almost everywhere. There are many ATMs where money can be withdrawn. It is best to also bring some cash from the Netherlands.

Also read: Which (prepaid) credit card is best to travel with? And why?

Do expect high costs of products. To get all the products in French Guiana, everything has to come from France, which means high costs. You pay more for everything than in the Netherlands, so it quickly becomes expensive. Think of shopping, but eating out is also a lot more expensive than in the Netherlands.

Also read: 20 Must Sees in South America | Feed for your Bucket List ✔️

Packing list

It is warm and humid all year round, so light clothing is useful. Furthermore, a raincoat and/or umbrella is also useful because it regularly rains hard. Also consider anti-mosquito products such as DEET, because you will often need these.

There are European sockets so a travel plug is not necessary. There are few travel guides in the country that can help you with information about this area. This makes it even more important to research a lot in advance.

In any case, one thing is guaranteed: a trip to French Guiana is an adventure!