Cayenne: the gateway to French Amazonia

Capital of French Guiana, the only territory of the European Union situated in South America, Cayenne was for over a century a destination for French penal colonies.

The colonial center is comfortably explored on foot in a few hours.

The Market of Cayenne, bustling from early morning, blends Amazonian products with spices and tropical fruits brought by local Hmong communities, who arrived as refugees in the 1970s.

Just steps away, the Alexandre Franconie Museum tells the story of the colonial and natural history of French Guiana, from colonization to the present.

Moving along the coast, you observe the Fort Cépérou, the site of Cayenne's original foundation in the 17th century on a hill that overlooks the bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

Towards evening, the Palm Square, shaded by tall royal palms, closes the day in the heart of the city's administrative center, among well-preserved colonial buildings.

French Guiana, being a French department in every sense, is also the European Union territory closest to the equator, with an equatorial climate that has nothing in common with metropolitan France's.

The French penal colonies in Guiana, including the famous Devil's Island, held prisoners until 1953, leaving a historical legacy still visible across several sites in the region.