French Guiana
Table of Contents: Regions / Cities / Other destinations / Culture and History / Climate / Landscape / Travel to French Guiana, visa requirements Flights to French Guiana, airtickets By car Buses to French Guiana By boat / Get around / Talk / Shopping, French Guiana souvenirs / Good restaurants and cheap meals / French Guiana nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Hotels, youth hostels, lodging / Learn / Work / Stay healthy / Respect / Contact More from Amazonia: French Guiana More from South America: Amazonia, Andes, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, Guyana, Los Roques, Pantanal, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Tierra del Fuego, Uruguay, Venezuela |
French Guiana is in the Amazonia region of South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname.
Regions
Cities
- Cayenne, the administrative capital of French Guiana
- Kourou, the city which hosts the space center and Arianespace
- Saint-Laurent, bordering the river of Le Maroni, which is the natural frontier between Surinam and Europe.
- Saint-Georges, bordering the river Oyapoque, which is the natural frontier between Brazil and Europe.
Other destinations
Culture and History
First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou. It is the only portion of South America still governed by an overseas nation.
Climate
Tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation.
Landscape
Low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains, mostly an unsettled wilderness.
Travel to French Guiana, visa requirements
Flights to French Guiana, airtickets
- From Surinam, with Surinam Airways
- From Brazil, with Penta or Air Caraibes
- From Martinique, Guadeloupe, with Air France and Air Caraibes
- From France mainland, with Air France
By car
From Brazil and Suriname, you have to cross the rivers Oyapoque and Le Maroni.
Buses to French Guiana
From Brazil and Suriname, you can hit the frontier, then you have to cross the river.
By boat
From Brazil and Suriname, to cross the rivers Oyapoque and Le Maroni, which takes 15 minutes, it's not very expensive, but you have to haggle.
Get around
3,300 km of French Guiana's waterways are navigable by native craft; 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers.
There is limited public transportation throughout the country. Minibuses go between major towns but there may only be a few per day. Fares are fixed per route; if only going partial distance to Cayenne you may have to pay the full fare. Eg. St. Laurent du Maroni to Kourou you may have to pay the full fare to Cayenne. Fare for St. Laurent to Cayenne is 35Euros.
Talk
French is the official language of France, although Creole is widely spoken. Everyone understands French but few people understand English. Most officials, police and gendarmes understand and speak english. But they may say they do not. They comprehend the English language very well as they are taught such in schools.
See also: French phrasebook
Shopping, French Guiana souvenirs
Good restaurants and cheap meals
Place des Palmiste is a nice relaxing restaurant bar, where one can enjoy a cool drink and enjoy the view of the park.
French Guiana nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
Tafia is a local hard liquor that is widely drunk and use as medicinal purpose. one can drink it with lime juice or with salt and it is use in a drink called Planter, excellent.this is the best food ever
Hotels, youth hostels, lodging
Good hotels exist in major towns, but they can be relatively expensive.
St Laurent du Maroni
- Hotel Tentiaire
Kourou
- Hotel Ballahou
- Hotel des Roches
- Mercure Atlantis
Cayenne
- Novotel Cayenne
- Central Hotel
- Hotel la Bodega
- Best Western Amazonia
Learn
Work
For European people coming from an EU country, working in French Guiana is allowed without problem. If you're from outside the EU, you will probably need a work permit - check with the French Embassy in your country. Do not forget though that the unemployment rate is high. But if you work in the health sector (doctor, nurse), it will be much easier.
Voluntary service: Volontariat Civil à l'Aide Technique (VCAT), [1]. Conditions: you must be French or from another EU-member state or a country belonging to the European Economic Area. You must be over 18 and under 28 years old (inclusive). You must not have had your civic rights revoked by a court or have been convicted of certain offences.
Stay healthy
Vaccination against yellow fever is necessary.
Respect
Contact
More from Amazonia: French Guiana More from South America: Amazonia, Andes, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, Guyana, Los Roques, Pantanal, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Tierra del Fuego, Uruguay, Venezuela |
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