Fort Fleur d'Epee

Fort Fleur d'Épée was built in the eighteenth century on a hill above what is now Gosier to command the approaches to Pointe-à-Pitre, and it was fought over between French and British forces in the 1790s. Its ditches and galleries are cut into the limestone rather than built up, and the underground passages can be walked. The terrace gives a view over the bay to Les Saintes and, on a clear day, Dominica.

What you actually see

• The rock-cut ditches - defences cut down into the limestone rather than built up.
• The underground galleries - passages cut through the rock beneath the fort.
• The bay view - Gosier, the islets and Les Saintes beyond.
• The 1790s fighting - the contest between French and British forces here.

When to go

December to April is the dry season. Mornings are coolest. The fort is free and open in daylight.

Honest expectations

Interpretation is limited and mostly in French. The galleries are dark and a torch helps. Parts of the site are overgrown.

Nearby

Ilet du Gosier is offshore, and Pointe-a-Pitre is west.