Travel and Tourism

Travel and Tourism in French Guiana

Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to French Guiana.

Practical Information

Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.

Travel Alert Status: Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
Currency: euro (EUR)
Climate: Tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Ethnic Groups: Black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%
National Holiday: Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); Note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July)
Geographic Coordinates: 4 00 N, 53 00 W
Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname
Airports: 11

Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.

Medical Facilities and Health Information: Medical care within French Guiana is limited, and hospital facilities are available only in major urban areas. Patients' rooms in hospitals are primarily open-air facilities; instead of glass panes, hospital windows are fitted with wooden slats. The Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne Andr&eacutee Rosemon is the only full-service hospital in French Guyana. It has the only intensive care and trauma units in the country. Prescription and over the counter medicines can be purchased from pharmacies in the larger cities, however U.S. brands or names may not be available. Portions of French Guiana periodically experience outbreaks of malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever. Appropriate precautions, including mosquito nets, are recommended outside of the major cities.
Accessibility: While in French Guiana, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from what is found in the United States. However, as a member of the European Union, French Guiana has obligations to provide proper handicap access and parking for the disabled. In French Guiana's main cities there are access ramps and parking spaces, but no accommodations exist for the blind. Outside the main cities, there are no facilities or infrastructure to support accessibility for the disabled.