Tourist information:

Protected by coral reefs and located on the Atlantic coast, Le François owes its fame to the beauty of its rural landscapes, composed of fields of sugar cane and banana plantations, and to the bay dotted with white backgrounds and islets .

A haven for water lovers, Le François is a remarkable place to stay in Martinique. Besides its activities oriented towards the sea, Le François has a prestigious colonial house, now a top tourist attraction: the Habitation Clément. The Francis also offers magnificent views from its hills (Morn Pitault, Bois Soldat, Morne acajou) covered with forests.

History
The first French colonists settled on the site of Le François in 1620. The site was occupied by the Caribbean.

In 1694, Father Labat landed on a swampy mosquito-infested coast to found a parish. He built the Saint Michael's Church, originally built of straw, reed and earth, partially destroyed, rebuilt, then destroyed by a hurricane in 1891.

In 1794, the British burned the village.

The eighteenth century was synonymous with cane agricultural hegemony. In 1837, Le François became a town.

The next century saw the installation of a plant for the manufacture of sugar cane and rum which gave jobs to many people and increased population. However, in 1900, the town was affected by a tragic event that marked the Martinique : a dozen people were killed and sixteen others injured during a demonstration in connection with the sugar industry general strike.

From 1900 to 1939, Le François retained a burgeoning economic activity related to the manufacture of soda and lime, the extraction of building stone, food crops, and import / export of goods from its port.

In the twentieth century, the cane itself was gradually replaced by bananas. Today, Le François extends on 5393 hectares and has 22,000 inhabitants. It also remains the resort of Bekes, white Creoles who own a significant share of the local economy.

To see / to do

Water Sports : broad shallow aquarium and privileged setting for sea lovers, the François bay is dotted with white sandy sea bottoms and natural pools to discover the seabed with masks and snorkels. Among the best known white seabeds is the Bath of Josephine, a strip of sand on the high seas where we are up to our waist in water.
Water skiing, kayaking, jet ski rides are added to the range of water activities. You can also try the baptism of rum, proposed by the fishermen and tourism companies: the crews of the boats serve one or more glasses of rum while tourists are swimming or discovering the eight islets (Thierry, Oscar, Métrente, Long, Frigate, Pele, Lavigne and Gros Islet and Lapin).

Habitation Clement: This distillery and listed house was converted into a museum. It is part of the heritage of the island and offers a journey into the past and reveals the lifestyle of the plantations in the nineteenth century.