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Amériques · 2026

Guadeloupe eSIM 2026: Grande-Terre, Basse-Terre, Marie-Galante

📖 8 min•🌺 Guadeloupe•The Alosea team•Updated 2026-05-26

Planning Guadeloupe trip (« Karukera » in Kalinago = « island of beautiful waters ») — French overseas department-region in the Caribbean Antilles, 6,800km from Paris (8h30 direct flight from Orly/CDG). Butterfly-shaped archipelago: GRANDE-TERRE (east, limestone, beaches, Sainte-Anne resort) and BASSE-TERRE (west, volcanic, tropical forest, La Soufrière volcano 1,467m), linked by 2 bridges. + dependent islands: Marie-Galante (« Big Galette », agricultural rum, more peaceful), Les Saintes (Terre-de-Haut, one of world's most beautiful bays), La Désirade, Petite-Terre. FRENCH TERRITORY since 1635. Population: 380,000. For French: EUR, no visa, type C/E plugs (same as France), French Social Security valid, direct Paris-Pointe-à-Pitre flight. For USA/Canada: passport + 90 days visa-free. Cuisine: bokit, accras, colombo, dombre, ti-punch. HEADS-UP: for French, since 2017, Free/Orange/Sosh/Bouygues plans INCLUDE Guadeloupe FREE as metropolitan France — no travel eSIM needed. Alosea Caribbean eSIM useful for: foreigners (USA, Canada, Germans, Brazilians), French with operators WITHOUT DOM-TOM inclusion.

› WHY AN eSIM

Why an eSIM for Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is FRENCH overseas territory. FOR FRENCH: Free Mobile, Orange/Sosh, Bouygues/B&You, SFR RED operators INCLUDED FREE the DOM-TOM in metropolitan plans since 2017 — check your contract, in 95 % of cases you DON'T need a travel eSIM. EXCEPTIONS: some low-cost MVNOs. FOR NON-FRENCH FOREIGNERS: EU roaming since 2017 (German-Italian-Spanish-etc in Guadeloupe = same rate as metropolitan France if EU-inclusive plan). For Americans/Canadians/Brazilians: Alosea Caribbean eSIM useful as non-EU roaming expensive. And concretely on arrival at Pointe-à-Pitre (PTP)? If you're with a non-DOM-TOM-inclusive carrier (most non-French carriers), an Alosea Caribbean eSIM connects you directly without surprises. French carriers Free/Orange/Sosh/Bouygues/SFR INCLUDE Guadeloupe as metropolitan France since 2017.

› HOW MUCH IT COSTS

Travel eSIM pricing

A Caribbean travel eSIM (incl. Guadeloupe) sits in an accessible price range. For French with Free/Orange/Sosh: UNNECESSARY (included in metropolitan plan since 2017). For foreigners: price depends on data volume (7-10 GB for 2 weeks), validity (7/15/30 days).

› DATA GUIDE

How many GB do you need?

Short stay 5-7 days Sainte-Anne

WhatsApp, photos, Maps

5 GB

2 weeks (Grande-Terre + Basse-Terre + Les Saintes)

Full archipelago tour

7-10 GB

3 weeks (+Marie-Galante + Désirade)

Comprehensive archipelago

15-20 GB

Long stay / residence

Daily life, remote work

Unlimited

› COVERAGE & OPERATORS

Network coverage and local carriers

Guadeloupe has good mobile coverage — 4G everywhere, commercial 5G in Pointe-à-Pitre, Basse-Terre, Saint-François since 2022-2023. Four operators: Orange Caraïbe (Orange France subsidiary, ~45 % market, BEST archipelago + dependent islands coverage), Digicel Antilles (~30 %, Irish Digicel group), Free Mobile Caraïbe (~20 %, since 2020), SFR Caraïbe (~5 %). For French with Free/Orange/Sosh/Bouygues, DOM-TOM roaming = metropolitan plan (since 2017). Excellent Grande-Terre coverage. More variable in Basse-Terre tropical forest + dependent islands (Désirade, Petite-Terre). An Alosea travel eSIM automatically picks the best available carrier.

Local operators

› PRACTICAL TIPS

Practical travel tips

Visa & passport

Guadeloupe is FRENCH TERRITORY — overseas department-region. FOR FRENCH: NO visa, ID card OR passport. FOR EU: passport or ID card. FOR USA/CANADA/AU/JP: 6-month passport, ≤ 90-day stay visa-free. FOR OTHERS: Schengen visa + overseas territory authorisation.

Source ↗

Currency

Euro (EUR €)

Time zone

GMT-4 year-round. NO DST. Same time zone as Martinique, Saint-Barth, Saint-Martin.

Power outlets

Type C and E plugs (same as metropolitan France) — no adapter needed for EU equipment. UK/US need adapter. 230 V, 50 Hz.

Climate & best season

Tropical hot humid YEAR-ROUND 24-32°C. Dry season (« carême ») December-June (ideal, pleasant trade winds). Rainy season (« hivernage ») July-November (hot humid, hurricane risk, especially August-October). Sea water 26-28°C year-round.

Health & vaccines

No mandatory vaccines for French (French territory). French Social Security VALID in Guadeloupe (carte vitale works). For EU foreigners: EHIC valid. For other foreigners: travel insurance. Dengue and chikungunya present — DEET 30 %+.

› CULTURE & ETIQUETTE

Culture and best practices

Greetings

« Bonjour », « Salut ». In Guadeloupean Creole: « Bonjou », « Sa ou fé? » (« How's it going? »), « An ka byen » (« I'm fine »), « Mèsi » (« thanks »). WARM Caribbean society, frequent physical contact.

Tipping

Tip not mandatory (service often included in France) but appreciated. 5-10 % at restaurant if no service. Small change for porters/housekeepers.

Dress code

Casual cosmopolitan Pointe-à-Pitre/Sainte-Anne. Beaches: swimwear OK (NO traditional toplessness in Guadeloupe vs metropolitan, more conservative than French Riviera).

Religion

Majority Catholic 95 % (French colonial heritage), but Afro-Caribbean syncretic beliefs (« quimbois », traditional medicine, popular witchcraft). Carnival (January-March, Mardi Gras + Ash Wednesday = peak).

Languages

French (official language, administration and school language) · Guadeloupean Creole (mother tongue for 95 % of Guadeloupeans, French-based lexicon with African syntax + grammar, officially written since 1990s) · English (spoken in tourist zones)

Useful phrases

Bonjou — Hello (Creole)
Sa ou fé? — How's it going? (Creole)
Mèsi — Thanks (Creole)
Ti-punch! — Cheers! (rum-lime-sugar)
Doudou — Darling (cult affectionate term)

› MUST-SEE PLACES

Top iconic places

Grande-Terre — Sainte-Anne + Saint-François + Le Moule

Flat limestone island east. Iconic beaches: SAINTE-ANNE (Guadeloupe's most famous beach, 1.2km white sand, calm turquoise waters, reef-protected lagoon), SAINT-FRANÇOIS (resort, international golf, colourful market), POINTE-À-PITRE (economic capital 16,000 inhab, Mémorial ACTe 2015 slavery, Saint-Antoine market), POINTE DES CHÂTEAUX (eastern tip, spectacular Atlantic cliffs). LE MOULE: former slave port (1659).

The MÉMORIAL ACTE (Caribbean Memorial for Slave Trade and Slavery Expression and Memory), inaugurated 2015 in Pointe-à-Pitre, is the WORLD'S LARGEST MUSEUM dedicated to SLAVERY and TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE — 7,000 m² permanent exhibition. Inauguration by François Hollande. On former Pointe-à-Pitre slave port site — strong symbol of Antillean memory.

Wikipedia ↗

Basse-Terre — La Soufrière + National Park

Volcanic island west. LA SOUFRIÈRE (1,467m, ACTIVE volcano, last phreatic eruption 1976-77 = 72,000 people evacuated for 4 months, largest French 20th-century evacuation), hike to crater (3h round trip). GUADELOUPE NATIONAL PARK (created 1989, 17,300 ha on Basse-Terre, tropical jungle, Crayère waterfalls, Carbet Falls 110m). CAPESTERRE-BELLE-EAU, DESHAIES (Mort de la Comète botanical garden).

The 1976 SOUFRIÈRE ERUPTION (15 August - 1 November) triggered the LARGEST CIVIL EVACUATION IN 20TH-CENTURY FRENCH HISTORY: 72,000 people evacuated from Basse-Terre to Grande-Terre for 4 months. Disputed decision by prefect Jean Bouvier supported by volcanologist Haroun Tazieff. Eruption was PURELY phreatic (steam plumes without lava flow) — many considered evacuation excessive. Volcanologist Claude Allègre accused Tazieff of « inventing a risk ».

Wikipedia ↗

Marie-Galante (« the big galette »)

Round island south-east of Grande-Terre (158 km², ~10,000 inhab), 1h ferry from Pointe-à-Pitre. Nickname: « island of 100 windmills » (formerly 106 sugar cane mills 18th-19th centuries, ~70 still visible). 3 AGRICULTURAL RUM DISTILLERIES classified AOC: Bielle (family 1769), Bellevue (1821), Père Labat (1769). Wild beaches.

Marie-Galante is the WORLD CRADLE OF AGRICULTURAL RUM — direct distillation of FRESH cane juice (not residual molasses like industrial rum). 3 AOC Guadeloupe distilleries still active. Martinican agricultural rum got AOC in 1996 (1st and only AOC for alcohol outside French continent). « Père Labat 70° » (rum undiluted at 70° alcohol) is one of world's most powerful rums.

Wikipedia ↗

Les Saintes (Terre-de-Haut + Terre-de-Bas)

Small archipelago south of Basse-Terre (9 islands, 2 inhabited). TERRE-DE-HAUT (~1,600 inhab): Bourg Bay + Pain de Sucre + Fort Napoléon. Classified ONE OF WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL BAYS (with Naples and San Francisco), 30 min ferry from Trois-Rivières. Pompierre, Marigot beaches. Creole-Breton architecture (Breton sailors' descendants). No cars (only scooters/golf carts). TERRE-DE-BAS: more authentic, less touristic.

LES SAINTES BAY (Terre-de-Haut) is classified among the « WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL BAYS » by the « Club des Plus Belles Baies du Monde » founded 1997 — alongside Naples Bay (Italy) and San Francisco Bay (USA). It hosted the BATTLE OF THE SAINTS (9-12 April 1782), decisive BRITISH NAVAL VICTORY against French fleet during American War of Independence — Captain Hood under Rodney beat Admiral de Grasse. Without this defeat, France would likely have kept all Antilles.

Wikipedia ↗

Iconic Guadeloupe beaches

GRANDE ANSE BEACH (Deshaies, Basse-Terre): 1km, golden sand, palms — often in world top beaches. CARAVELLE BEACH (Sainte-Anne): white sand, lagoon. BOIS-JOLAN BEACH (Sainte-Anne): less crowded. PETIT-HAVRE BEACH (Gosier): family. PAIN DE SUCRE BEACH (Terre-de-Haut): black + white sand gradient. LA FEUILLÈRE BEACH (Marie-Galante): wild. Surf at Le Moule.

DESHAIES GRANDE ANSE BEACH was VOTED ONE OF 10 BEST BEACHES IN THE WORLD by TripAdvisor 2024 — golden sand + sunsets + coconut palms + mountains background. It's ALSO the filming location of the British hit series « DEATH IN PARADISE » (BBC since 2011) which fictionally takes place on tropical « Saint-Marie » island — actually almost entirely filmed in Deshaies Guadeloupe. The commissioner's house/police station is in Deshaies. Mandatory visit for series fans.

Wikipedia ↗

› OFF-THE-BEATEN-PATH

Unique experiences to live

Visit an agricultural rum distillery in Marie-Galante (Bielle, Bellevue, Père Labat — free, tasting included) — world cradle of AOC agricultural rum.
Climb La Soufrière (1,467m, active volcano, 3h round trip) — one of rare active French volcanoes.
See Les Saintes at sunrise from Fort Napoléon (Terre-de-Haut) — one of world's most beautiful bays.
Visit Mémorial ACTe in Pointe-à-Pitre (world's largest Atlantic slave trade museum, 2015).
Guadeloupean Carnival (January to Mardi Gras) — Sat-Sun parades, gwoka traditional drum.

› GASTRONOMY

Traditional dishes to try

Colombo (Creole curry)

Iconic Antillean dish: meat (chicken, pork, lamb) or fish marinated in Guadeloupean curry paste (« colombo powder » = turmeric + coriander + mustard + cumin + garlic + chili), slow-simmered, served with rice and plantains. Indo-Caribbean origin (1850-1880 indentured Indian workers heritage).

Wikipedia ↗

Bokit + accras + Creole boudin

BOKIT: oil-fried Creole sandwich, filled with cod, ham, chicken or prawns — Afro-Amerindian origin. #1 street food. COD ACCRAS: crumbled cod + flour + garlic + chili + parsley fritters. CREOLE BOUDIN: black with Creole spices (clove + bay rum + thyme), pork + blood.

Wikipedia ↗

Ti-punch + agricultural rum + planteur

TI-PUNCH (« little punch »): national Antillean cocktail = white 50° agricultural rum (Guadeloupe or Martinique) + cane syrup + lime + 0 ice (ritual: « everyone prepares their own death »). Served before meals. AOC GUADELOUPE AGRICULTURAL RUM (old Bologne rum, Père Labat). PLANTEUR: sweet version with tropical fruit juices.

Wikipedia ↗

Grilled fish + dombre + christophine

GRILLED FISH (snapper, sea bream, captain) with « dog sauce » (onions + chili + garlic + oil + lime juice). DOMBRES: flour balls cooked in bean broth/court-bouillon. GRATINÉED CHRISTOPHINE (chayote, tropical vegetable). Fried breadfruit. Baked yellow plantain.

Wikipedia ↗

Tropical fruits + coconut sorbet

MANGO (Julie, francisque, péquette varieties), GUAVA, STAR FRUIT, PAPAYA, BOTTLE PINEAPPLE, PASSION FRUIT, BREADFRUIT. Coconut sorbet (« coco fil » grated coconut + milk + crushed ice — street food). Cane syrup (« batterie syrup », for ti-punch).

Wikipedia ↗

› INSTALLATION

How to install your eSIM

On iPhone

1.Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM
2.Scan Alosea QR
3.Label (« Guadeloupe »)
4.On arrival at PTP, switch data to Guadeloupe line

On Android

1.Settings → Connections → SIM Manager → Add Mobile Plan
2.Scan Alosea QR
3.Confirm and switch to Guadeloupe line
4.Enable data roaming

Troubleshooting

No signal in tropical forest? Check data roaming. A restart fixes 90 % of cases. Otherwise, Alosea support (7 languages).

› OUR TIPS

Tips for Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe = FRENCH TERRITORY — for French Free/Orange/Sosh/Bouygues: INCLUDED in metropolitan plan since 2017

Alosea eSIM useful for: foreigners (USA, Canada, Germans, Brazilians), French with low-cost MVNO

Orange Caraïbe = 45 % market, best coverage

NO visa for French (French territory), ID card OR passport sufficient

Time difference: GMT-4 year-round, -5h vs metropolitan France winter

Adapter NOT needed for EU equipment (type C/E plugs same as metropolitan)

French Social Security VALID in Guadeloupe (carte vitale, French health insurance OK)

Direct Paris-PTP flight 8h30 (Air France, Air Caraïbes, Corsair, French Bee)

Ideal dry season: December-June. Potential hurricanes August-October

Car rental recommended (1,700 km² island, limited public transport)

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› FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Guadeloupe FAQ

Is Guadeloupe in the EU?+

YES technically (EU outermost region RUP), BUT specific DOM-TOM roaming. Free/Orange/Sosh/Bouygues include DOM-TOM since 2017.

Do I need an eSIM if I'm French?+

NO in 95 % of cases — Free/Orange/Sosh/Bouygues include Guadeloupe as metropolitan since 2017. eSIM only useful for low-cost MVNO.

Do I need a visa as French?+

NO. Guadeloupe = French territory. ID card OR passport.

Does eSIM work well in Guadeloupe?+

Yes, 5G in Pointe-à-Pitre/Basse-Terre/Saint-François since 2022-2023.

Which carrier does Alosea use?+

Orange Caraïbe (~45 %), Digicel Antilles or Free Caraïbe — automatic selection.

How much data for 2 weeks?+

7-10 GB. Hotels have included WiFi.

Time difference?+

GMT-4 year-round.

Power adapter?+

NO for EU equipment — type C/E plugs identical to metropolitan France.

French Social Security valid?+

YES — Guadeloupe = French territory, carte vitale works.

Is my iPhone eSIM-compatible?+

iPhone XR (2018)+. Android: Pixel 3+, Samsung S20+, Xiaomi 13+.

› IN SHORT

Wrapping up

Guadeloupe = FRENCH TERRITORY — Free/Orange/Sosh/Bouygues include in metropolitan plan since 2017
Alosea Caribbean eSIM useful for: foreigners, MVNO without DOM-TOM inclusion
No visa, ID card OR passport for French

Get a Caribbean eSIM if you don't have DOM-TOM inclusion

› SOURCES