Roseau

Ships berth at Roseau Cruise Ship Berth in the capital's centre, close to shops, restaurants and transport.

Market stalls occupy the street beside the pier.

Taxis, minibuses and tour operators can be found at the berths.

Roseau follows an easy-to-understand grid, and many visitor facilities cluster around the cruise berth; both the tourist office and Old Market are nearby. It is Dominica's most frequently used cruise dock.

Pack a printable map for your visit.

Roseau is a colourful West Indian capital with streets of old stone-and-wood buildings. Reggae music can be heard everywhere during the day.

The Dominican Botanical Gardens are within walking distance and offer a chance to glimpse the rare Sisserou parrot.

Dominica is often called “The Nature Island of the Caribbean” because of its spectacular, lush and diverse flora and fauna, protected through an extensive natural park system. It is the Lesser Antilles' most mountainous island; its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the world's second-largest thermally active lake.

Morne Trois Pitons National Park takes its name from its highest mountain, Morne Trois Pitons, meaning mountain of three peaks. This is an important volcanic area; features within the park include the Valley of Desolation, with boiling mud pools and small geysers, as well as Boiling Lake, Titou Gorge and Emerald Pool.

Travelling around Dominica is straightforward. Taxis are readily available, while small buses and vans follow the highways and collect or set down passengers on request. Official taxi prices are posted, with the figures shown in Eastern Caribbean dollars.

Taxis cost about $30 per hour. Confirm the itinerary and exactly what is included, and ensure the driver is certified.

Almost 300 miles of paths provide access to some of Dominica's most impressive scenery, making the island a haven for hikers and nature lovers. Trails across nearly every part of the country pass through gorges and valleys and climb mountains reaching 4,000 feet.

Every level of fitness has an appropriate trail, with a spectacular attraction waiting at the end of each.

For novice hikers, a gentle fifteen-minute walk to Trafalgar Falls opens onto photographic views of dense rainforest, twin waterfalls, warm pools and rushing streams.

Dominica provides numerous options for water sports and scuba diving. Kayak across cool mountain lakes, swim in secluded rainforest river pools, travel by river tube into the calm West Coast waters or snorkel above pristine reefs; the island really does offer something for everyone.

A couple of miles south of Roseau, shortly beyond Pointe Michel, Champagne Beach is a narrow pebbled shore backed by a wooden boardwalk. If the sea is calm, the water is crystal clear and the snorkelling excellent. The beach is named for volcanic vents on the seabed a short way offshore, which release bubbles so that swimming feels like moving through a glass of champagne

Numerous shops and markets lie within an easy walk of the cruise pier, selling a wide variety of local products such as rum, baskets, batiks, wood carvings, scented soaps and postcards. For an authentic sense of Dominica, visit the colourful Old Market, formerly a slave-trading market, where fruit, vegetable and flower stalls create a vivid scene.

Dominica uses the Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$), trading at EC$2.67 to US$1.00. Island businesses also accept United States Dollars, British Pounds and Euros.

English is the official language, alongside French patois.

Call 999 in an emergency for the Police, Ambulance or Fire Department.

From Monday to Friday, businesses operate between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., pausing for lunch from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. Banks close on Saturdays, but merchants trade from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.