Roseau

Introduction

Roseau is the capital and largest city of Dominica and has about 20,000 inhabitants. It is located in the southwest of the country within the Saint George parish and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, the Roseau River and the Bruce mountain. It is a pleasantly small and charming little town, combining modern and French colonial building styles. The people are a colourful mix as well and the town has good facilities for travellers, with some fine small family hotels, restaurants and a good nightlife for such a small place.

Sights and Activities

• French Quarter - The most historic section of the city, the streets are lined with picturesque wooden buildings; most with beautiful balconies. Roseau boasts some of the best examples of Caribbean vernacular architecture and much of this is in the French Quarter.
• Botanical Gardens - Just east of downtown, the garden boasts landscaped green fields and many labelled tropical trees. There is a hike from the botanical garden up the hill to the east, which offers a wonderful view of Roseau and the Caribbean Sea. The hike is of easy-to-moderate difficulty and will take a novice hiker perhaps 40 minutes one-way. The hike allows for up-close exploration of many native Caribbean plants, many of which are common house plants outside of the tropics. A small shrine is located at the top of the hill, near a look out. Free.
• Government House
• Old Market Plaza
• Roman Catholic Cathedral - A beautiful black stone cathedral, built in the Gothic style.
• Dominica Museum - A small but excellent museum on Dominica's natural history and ancient history. Exhibits include pre-Columbian artifacts as well as local art from different eras.

Events and Festivals

Carnival

A major highlight of the island, Carnival is celebrated a week before Ash Wednesday. Unlike other Caribbean islands, Dominica’s celebration is less commercialized. You can expect local pageants, dancing, and music during the festival.

Dominica Festival of the Arts

Every year from April through June, Dominica celebrates its Festival of the Arts. Gallery openings, theatrical performances and concerts take place throughout the island on a weekly basis.

World Creole Music Festival

Held annually in October, this is one of the most anticipated festivals in the entire Caribbean. Windsor Park Stadium in Roseau is the center of the action which invites different bands to perform live each night.

Weather

Roseau has a tropical climate with generally hot and humid weather year round. Temperatures average around 31 °C during the day and 23 °C at night. Although rainfall is possible during most of the year, December to April is the driest period and therefore the best time to visit. June to November is rainy season and from August onwards hurricanes are possible but not very common.

Getting there

Plane

International flights arrive at Melville International Airport (DOM) near Roseau receives a number of international flights. Airlines are Leeward Islands Air Transport (LIAT) and American Eagle. Destinations are mostly within the Caribbean region, with hubs at Antigua and Barbados for example, although Dominica also has flights from the neighbouring islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique which is your best bet when flying from Europe, for example with Air France from Paris.

By Boat

Dominica - Guadeloupe vv
L'Express des Iles operates 3 weekly services between the islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe. They leave Roseau on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 3:00pm (Saturday 1:00pm) and take about 2,5 hours. In the opposite direction, they leave the capital Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe at Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 8:00am (Sundays 10:00am) and take under 2 hours.

Dominica - Martinique vv
L'Express des Iles has 3 weekly services between Dominica and Martinique at 10:15am Wednesdays and Fridays and 12:15pm on Sundays, travelling between Roseau and Fort-de-France. From Martinique they leave on Mondays at 1:00pm and Saturdays at 11:30am. It takes about 1.5 hours in both directions.

Getting Around

By Public Transport

Very reasonably priced buses, (in the form of mini buses) that travel around most of the island can be boarded in Roseau. Destinations are not usually posted on the front, but local people are very helpful and can tell you where the bus stops are for each town.

Eat

Dining in Roseau is centered around Creole fare with an emphasis on fresh local herbs and freshly caught seafood. Even the French, Italian and Chinese dining includes a little creole flavor to satisfy the local palette.

Fast food franchise restaurants KFC and Pizza Hut each have one branch in Roseau.

Drink

Roseau is littered with establishments colloquially called "Rum shops" that mostly sell beer, but also have rum and whisky. The local beer is Kubuli, but other Caribbean brands like Carib and Red Stripe are also very popular.

Many restaurants in the city boast well-stocked bars with liquor from around the globe and tropical cocktail menus.

Fresh juice is also popular and is usually dictated by whatever fruit is in season.

Sleep

Upscale

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

External Links