Cayenne is the largest city in and capital of French Guiana. Cayenne lies on the Atlantic coast, on marshland surrounded by hills. It is an important seaport in South America.
The city was founded in 1643 by the French and was part of the Dutch, English and Portuguese colonial empire during the following century. Today a third of the department's inhabitants live in Cayenne. Downtown is small and the houses are typically Caribbean. Although it looks on some maps like the city is surrounded by open water and would have a waterfront promenade, in fact it's surrounded by a swamp of tall mangrove trees, and the ocean isn't visible from the downtown except from certain high points or long piers. The beaches are located outside of the town proper, in the suburbs. On Sundays, almost everything is closed.
Cayenne has a public bus network of five lines. The fare is €1,10. Your other options are car, taxi, foot or bike.
1 Place des Palmistes. A park with high palm trees, lively in the nighttime. 2 Fort Cépérou. Remains of a historic fort on a hilltop right on the west side of downtown Cayenne. Great views, and probably the best (only?) place to see the ocean and Cayenne River from downtown, as well as an overview of the city itself. Well lit into the evening. Free. (updated Dec 2025) Place des Amandiers. A square frequented by young couples in the evening. Jardin botanique (The botanical garden). The well-kept botanical garden of Cayenne is worth a visit. Cayenne city hall. 3 Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur de Cayenne (Cayenne cathedral).
There are sand beaches in the eastern part of the Cayenne area, and the sea is good for surfing. The water is rarely, if ever, clear enough for snorkeling, but is often more green/blue than in the neighboring countries of Suriname and Guyana (the whole region tends to have brownish seawater due to the large amount of mud coming down through the many rivers). Hiking. There are some nice hikes right around Cayenne. One of the easiest to access is the Sentier de Montabo, which connects Cayenne proper with the nearest beach, and on the way gives you close-up views of both of French Guiana's two major native ecosystem types: the mangrove swamp and the Guianan tropical rainforest.
The restaurants of Cayenne reflects the ethnic mosaic of the Guyanese society; you will find Creole, French, Chinese, Lebanese and Javanese restaurants here. In general the Chinese restaurants are the most affordable places to have a meal with dishes for €15-20. On Place des Palmistes there are also carts selling hamburgers and Javanese dishes. Jin Le Yuan, 33 rue Lieutenant Brasse, ☏ +594 43 17 88. Chinese restaurant. Le Vrai Régal, 60 bd Jubelin, ☏ +594 27 16 31. A sandwich joint. Iceberg, rue Lalouette. La Taverne de Cayenne, 26 rue Mole, ☏ +594 694 23 41 54. French restaurant. Mille Pâtes, 52 rue Justin Catayée, ☏ +594 28 91 80. French restaurant.
Except for the carnival weeks, the nightlife isn't as wild as in many other Latin American destinations. There are some nice bars in Cayenne downtown. Nightclubs are generally located in the periphery of the city. Le Moonlight Discothèque, route de Montabo chemin Grant. Le Bar des Palmistes. A bit expensive, for instance a Ricard is €5. This is however one of the few places open on Sunday.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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