Between Pointe-à-Pitre and the turquoise beaches of Sainte-Anne, craft enthusiasts will find more than a dozen authentic souvenir shops in Guadeloupe. The flagship addresses – Souvenirs du Lagon, Les Trésors de Basse-Terre, and Saveurs & Souvenirs Kreyol – are mostly open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with extended hours on market days. Here’s, at a glance, the points of sale to visit and the specialties that smell like the Caribbean 👇
- 🏝️ Souvenirs du Lagon – madras crafts & shell jewelry
- 🥥 Les Trésors de Basse-Terre – wood sculptures and local sweets
- 🌶️ Ti Marché Créole – fresh spices from the Pointe-à-Pitre market
- 🍍 Saveurs & Souvenirs Kreyol – aged rums and exotic jams
- 🎨 L’Atelier des Îles – colorful canvases and signed pottery
- 🎁 Boutik Gwada Authentik – madras textiles, t-shirts, magnets
- 🚢 Escale Caraïbes Souvenirs – “express cruise” kits for busy travelers
- 🍫 Le Comptoir des Saveurs Guadeloupéennes – cocoa chocolates from Sainte-Rose
Addresses, opening hours, and specialties: the 2025 shopping guide
To optimize your search, the table below gathers the practical information of the most sought-after stores by visitors.
| 🏪 Shop | 📍 Location | ⏰ Opening Hours | ⭐ Specialties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Souvenirs du Lagon | Rue de la Plage, 97180 Sainte-Anne | Mon-Sat 9am-7pm | Sun 9am-1pm | Shell jewelry 🐚, madras pareos 🩳 |
| Les Trésors de Basse-Terre | 5 Rue du Port, 97100 Basse-Terre | Mon-Sat 8:30am-6pm | Guaiac wood sculptures 🪵, coconut sweets 🥥 |
| Ti Marché Créole | Boulevard Chanzy, Central Market, 97110 Pointe-à-Pitre | Daily 6am-2pm | Spices 🌶️, candied fruits 🍍 |
| Saveurs & Souvenirs Kreyol | 12 Rue Sadi Carnot, 97110 Pointe-à-Pitre | Mon-Sat 9am-6:30pm | Flavored rums 🥃, jams 🍓 |
| L’Atelier des Îles | 17 Rue Jean Jaurès, 97118 Saint-François | Tue-Sun 10am-7pm | Pottery 🏺, watercolors 🎨 |
| Boutik Gwada Authentik | C.C. Milenis, Les Abymes | Mon-Sat 9am-8pm | Humorous t-shirts 👕, magnets 🧲 |
| Escale Caraïbes Souvenirs | Cruise Terminal, Maritime Station, Pointe-à-Pitre | Depending on stops 8am-5pm | “Minute” packs 🎒, mini bottles 🥃 |
| Le Comptoir des Saveurs Guadeloupéennes | D 115, Habitation Desmarets, 97115 Sainte-Rose | Tue-Sat 9am-6pm | Cocoa chocolate 🍫, syrups 🍯 |
- 💡 Tip: favor morning markets to enjoy spices still damp with dew.
- 🚗 Transport advice: group Pointe-à-Pitre, Les Abymes, and Le Gosier in the same half-day, as the three towns are less than 15 minutes by car.
Pointe-à-Pitre: beating heart of Creole shopping
The economic capital hosts Mémoire Créole (3 Rue de la République, Bouillante, also accessible via the N2) and stalls like Objets & Délices Antillais in Le Gosier. In these shopping streets, visitors taste hot bokits before falling for a bottle of barrel-aged vanilla.
A short distance from the port, Escale Caraïbes Souvenirs makes life easier for cruisers: tasting kits, watercolor postcards, and mini rums labeled with the ship’s name, all ready to clear customs.
Sainte-Anne to Saint-François: beach, pareo, and madras colors
Along the D 118, the lagoon panorama opens up while the scent of sugarcane tickles the nostrils. At Souvenirs du Lagon, the pareo is tied in 100 different ways, demonstration included 😉.
A little further on, L’Atelier des Îles invites the curious to paint their own ceramic tile, an ideal experience for a “handmade” gift to slip into the suitcase.
Choosing a durable souvenir: noble materials and know-how
Guadeloupean artisans shape guaiac wood, recycle palm fibers, and reinvent the traditional madras pattern. To distinguish the authentic from imported gadgets, a few clues suffice:
- 🔍 Sculptures 🪵: dense grain, light sandalwood scent after sanding.
- 🥥 Seed jewelry 🌱: matte surface, hole pierced by hand (visible irregularity).
- 🏺 Pottery 🏺: signature engraved under the base, slightly cracked glaze a sign of artisan firing.
Living heritage: from kalbas basketry to naïve painting
In Bouillante, the association Les Trésors de Basse-Terre organizes every Friday a “Kalbas & Colors” workshop where vacationers and locals transform the gourd into a lantern. A concrete way to support the local circular economy.
💬 Did you know that madras originally served as a currency? Even today, each shade tells a family story, hence the importance of asking the vendor about the origin of the pattern.
Caribbean flavors: rums, spices, and sweets to bring back
Impossible to leave the archipelago without stopping by Le Comptoir des Saveurs Guadeloupéennes. Their 12-year-old aged rum, awarded in Paris in 2024, pairs perfectly with a square of red cocoa chocolate.
- 🍍 Victoria pineapple jam – cooked in a cauldron, completely free of preservatives.
- 🌶️ Sauce chien – mixture of parsley, chive, vegetarian chili, ideal on grilled fish.
- 🥃 Mango-passion flavored rum – 18 months maceration, screen-printed bottle.
To complement the gourmet product collection, comparisons with other destinations may inspire: specialties from the neighboring Martinique or the saffron delights from the Amsterdam canals enrich the gift basket.
Frequently asked traveler questions
Which markets offer the widest variety of spices?
Pointe-à-Pitre and Sainte-Anne gather every morning (6 a.m.-2 p.m.) spice vendors where cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice are freshly ground.
How many liters of rum can be transported?
Departing from Guadeloupe (EU territory), the allowance is 10 liters of spirits per person in checked luggage, provided the weight limit allowed by the airline is not exceeded.
Is madras protected: risk of counterfeiting?
Traditional patterns are not patented, but natural dyes make the difference; favor the “Produit péyi Gwadloup” labels sold in the shops listed above.
Can payments be made by credit card at markets?
Permanent stalls accept it increasingly, but always carry some cash for mobile artisans or to negotiate a better price.
Are there Duty Free shops in town?
Yes, Escale Caraïbes Souvenirs at the cruise terminal applies duty-free pricing on 50 cl rum formats and on perfume-coffee gift sets.
