The Guianas - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 669

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
January 1 New Year's Day
February Ash Wednesday (varies)
March/April Good Friday (varies)
March/April Easter Monday (varies)
May 1 Labour Day
May 8 WWII Victory (VE) Day
May/June Ascension Day (varies)
May/June Whit Monday (varies)

June 10 Abolition of Slavery Day
July 14 Bastille Day
15 Aug Assumption Day
1 Nov All Saints' Day
October Cayenne festival (varies)
November 11 Armistice (Remembrance
Day)
December 25 Christmas Day

FESTIVALS AND NATIONAL CELEBRATIONS
The major festival in French Guiana is Carnival , which begins after Epiphany in the first
week of January and goes on for about two months until Ash Wednesday. On Friday and
Saturday nights during Carnival you can witness the tradition of Touloulou balls , when
women ( Touloulou ), heavily disguised and wearing masks, are given the sole, non-reciprocal
right to ask the men to dance; guys are not allowed to refuse. Women disguise their faces,
bodies and voices so the men are incapable of recognizing even their own wives. Mardi Gras
(Carnival Monday and Tuesday) takes place during the last five days of Carnival, which ends
on Ash Wednesday. It features colourful street parades with music, dancing, exotic costumes
and merriment.

7

Express). Few banks have foreign
exchange facilities; Cayenne has more
than one bureau de change but
St Laurent has none. At the time of
writing, US$1.34=€1, £0.86=€1.

Rémire, west of the Place des Palmistes,
is the best place to get your bearings
before exploring.

Place des Palmistes and around
Place des Palmistes , on Avenue du
Général de Gaulle, is a refreshing green
space covered sparsely with palms,
where you can catch an impromptu
football game or live music performance
some weekends. It includes a statue
of Felix Éboué (1884-1944), a black
French Guianese who governed various
French territories in Africa and the
Caribbean. Just off the square, the
Musée Départemental , at 1 Avenue du
Général de Gaulle (Wed 8am-1.15pm
& 3-5.45pm, hurs 8am-1.45pm,
Fri 8am-1.45pm & 3-5.45pm, Sat
9am-1.15pm; €3.50), offers exhibits
on French Guiana's history as a penal
colony, paintings by local artists
and some particularly impressive
taxidermied examples of local fauna,
as well as an impressive butterfly
collection.

OPENING HOURS AND HOLIDAYS
Many businesses and shops shut for two
to three hours over lunch. Most shops
are open Monday to Saturday 8/9am to
1pm and 3/4 to 6.30/7pm. Supermarkets
remain open until around 9pm and open
on Sunday 9am to 12.30pm. Banks open
Monday to Friday 7.30am to noon &
2.30 to 5.30pm.

CAYENNE
In your travels around French Guiana
CAYENNE is likely to be your base for
exploration of the surrounding sights.
This sprawling city of a myriad
roundabouts has a compact centre with
an attractive central square, vibrantly
painted cathedral and eighteenth-century
colonial buildings, a lively market (see
box, p.677), and a more continental feel
than the rest of the country.

Fort Céperou
For a sweeping view of Cayenne,
climb up the hill at the end of Rue de
Rémire to the crumbling remains of
Fort Céperou , the first building to
appear in Cayenne after the Compagnie

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
The view overlooking Cayenne and the
ocean from the hill at the end of Rue de