Mayotte: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Mayotte feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 25 written places.
A French department with a Comorian soul - easy-going, devout and centred on family.
✓ Considered polite
- Cover shoulders and knees away from the beach, especially in villages and at the market
- Say Bonjour as you would in mainland France - greetings open every exchange here too
- Shop the Mamoudzou market in the morning for fruit, spices and street snacks
- Eat and drink discreetly in public during Ramadan - most of the island is fasting
✗ Better avoided
- Sunbathe topless or wander beyond the beach in swimwear - the island is conservative despite the French flag
- Expect alcohol in every restaurant - supermarkets stock it but many local places do not serve it
- Photograph people without asking, particularly women
- Plan big errands for Friday midday - mosques fill and much of daily life pauses
Worth knowing
- The euro is the currency, but carry cash - card machines are patchy outside Mamoudzou
- Prices run high - most goods are shipped in, so expect mainland-France costs and above
- The barge shuttles constantly between Petite-Terre and Grande-Terre - the airport sits on Petite-Terre
- Life starts early - markets are liveliest well before the midday heat
Plugs and voltage: not in Wikipedia's «Mains electricity by country» table - shown as for France, whose grid it uses; check locally.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.