The church of Saint Laurent

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is a city in French Guiana. It is also the name of the commune. It is the second most populous city of French Guiana, with 50,250 people.

Understand

Originally Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni was an arrival point for prisoners. Eventually it became a special prison commune. In 1949, it became a regular commune.

The official tourism office maintains a pretty up-to-date website.

Get in

By bus

Buses from Cayenne and Kourou take you to Iracoubo, from where there are buses to Saint-Laurent. There are also direct minibuses that don't run on fixed schedules. A minibus ride will cost you around €35.

By car

Route Nationale 1 from Cayenne ends in Saint-Laurent. From the Surinamese side you can take your car with you on the ferry.

By boat

From Albina, Suriname, you can cross the Maroni river by ferry to Saint-Laurent.

By plane

Saint-Laurent is a hub for Air Guyane Express, which has flights from Cayenne, Paramaribo, and some inland settlements.

Get around

The town isn't particularly large and you can get everywhere by foot.

See

The Camp de la Transportation on rue Tanon is Saint-Laurent's reason for being. It's where prisoners (including the famous Papillon) arrived for processing. Guided tours only (90 minutes, €9). Most guides speak some English. The tour includes the cells and public execution areas.

There are also other buildings from that age - in the 19th and early 20th century the region was first and foremost a penal colony.

Do

• Rent a canoe from Maroni Club on Esplanade Baudin ☏ +594 23-52-51.

• Tropic-Cata give boat tours ☏ +594 34-25-18.

• The city serves as the point of departure for several ecotourism circuits, most notably journeys upriver to explore the many creeks as well as the Amazonian rainforest.

• Hike to Voltaire Falls Though challenging, this 12.5-mile out-and-back trail lets you experience the largest waterfalls in French Guiana.

Sleep

Budget

• Gîte Amazonie Accueil, 3, rue Rolland Barrat, ☏ +594 34 36 12, am.ac@orange.fr. Wi-fi, shower, laundry machine. €10 for a hammock, €15 for a hammock with mosquito net. (updated Jan 2016)

Other

• Hotel Tentiaire, ☏ +594 34 26 00, contact@latentiaire.fr. Swimming pool. €65 for a double. 
• Hotel Star, ☏ +594 34 10 84. Swimming pool, restaurant nearby; wifi, AC. from €68. 
• Hotel des Trois Lacs, ☏ +5 94 34 05 05. Swimming pool, restaurant. €75 for a double. 

Go next

Most visitors go either west to Suriname or east, further into French Guiana. Another alternative is to travel upstream by boat. 17 km south you will find another penal colony, Saint-Jean. 50 km upstream there's the village of Apatou and a further 20 km south there are the Voltaire Falls.