French Guiana's capital has a relaxed tropical ambiance. It's located at the western end of a small, hilly peninsula between the Cayenne and Mahury rivers on the Atlantic coast and is the country's major port. The liveliest area is the Place de Palmistes at the northwest end of town, where there are many cafes and outdoor food stalls; the oldest area is the Place Grenoble, to the west, which is home to most of the town's public buildings. Avenue du Général de Gaulle is the main commercial street.The remains of the 17th-century Fort Cépérou may not look like much, but the views of the town, the port and the Cayenne River make a visit worthwhile. The Musée Départemental has interesting exhibits on indigenous peoples, colonial history and the penal colony. Cayenne's main vegetable market is on Place Victor Schoelcher, named after the man most responsible for ending slavery in French Guiana. The misleadingly named Village Chinois (Chinatown) has a fish market and Asian (mainly Javanese) food stalls. Some of the best music is in small clubs in Village Chinois, nicknamed 'Chicago.' Cayenne's best beach is at Rémire-Montjoly, 10km (6mi) southeast of town, where you'll also find the historical ruins of Fort Diamant and an early colonial sugar mill.

Situated on the west bank of the Kourou River, 65km (40mi) west of Cayenne, Kourou used to be little more than a moribund penal settlement. These days, thanks to the influence of the European space program, it has rocketed from the 19th century straight into the 21st. It's worth visiting the town and touring the Centre Spatial Guyanais to witness this collision of worlds.Currently, three separate organizations operate here - the Agence Spatiale Européenne (European Space Agency), the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (French Space Agency) and Arianespace (a private commercial enterprise developing the Ariane rocket). Between them, they comprise about 15% of the country's economic activity, employ about 1000 people and conduct eight or nine launches per year.

Once a reception camp for newly arrived convicts, St Laurent retains some picturesque colonial buildings and a certain backwater charm. The Camp de la Transportation has grim reminders of the harshness of life in the penal colony, including cells and shackles.St Laurent is on the east bank of the Maroni (Marowijne) River, which forms the border with Suriname. You can arrange boat trips up the river to visit the area's Maron and Amerindian settlements.

Best known for the notoriously brutal penal colony on Devil's Island, the Îles du Salut (Salvation Islands) are 15km (9mi) north of Kourou in choppy, shark-infested waters. Ironically, in the 18th century, colonists from the fever-decimated mainland regarded the breezy mosquito-free islands as a haven from disease. Later, the infamous islands supported a convict population of almost 2000. Île Royale, the largest of the three islands, was the administrative headquarters for the prison settlement. Nearby Île St Joseph was reserved for solitary confinement. Île du Diable (Devil's Island), a tiny islet now covered with coconut palms, was home to the bulk of the prisoners. Today, the atmospheric ruins are the islands' main attraction, but their abundant wildlife - including macaws, agoutis and sea turtles - provides another fine reason to visit. The Îles du Salut are accessible by boat from Kourou.