Lorient
One of the island's oldest settlements, on the north coast with a reef-backed beach.
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Lorient on the north coast is where French settlers established themselves in the seventeenth century and it is among the oldest inhabited parts of the island: a church, a walled cemetery of white tombs decorated with conch shells and flowers, a school, a few shops, and a beach behind a reef that keeps the water calm at one end and lets surf through at the other.
What you actually see
- The cemetery - white tombs decorated with shells and flowers.
- The church - the building at the centre of the old settlement.
- The reef-backed beach - calm at one end, surf at the other.
- The settlement history - among the first French ground on the island.
When to go
December to April is the dry high season. Surf on the beach is best in winter. June to November is the hurricane season.
Honest expectations
It is a working village and not laid out for visitors. Parking near the beach is limited. The cemetery is in use and should be treated accordingly.
Nearby
Saint-Jean is west, and Grand Cul-de-Sac is east.
What to pack for Lorient
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.