Basse-Terre

Basse-Terre is the administrative capital of Guadeloupe, a quiet town of colonial streets squeezed between the sea and the flank of the volcano that stands directly above it. Fort Delgrès looks down from a bluff at the river mouth, built by the French, taken by the British twice and named after the officer who blew himself up rather than accept the return of slavery. The cathedral and the old prefecture line the streets below. Roads from here climb into the national park and to the trailhead for La Soufrière. The town has fewer than twelve thousand people.