Guadeloupe's main airport sits in Les Abymes, about 3 kilometres north of Pointe-a-Pitre, and although many travellers and booking sites still call it Pole Caraibes, it has officially been Aeroport Guadeloupe Maryse Conde since 26 September 2024, named for the Guadeloupean novelist who died that April. For your phone, three local details matter more than the name. The terminal's own shop directory lists no mobile operator, so there is nowhere obvious to buy a SIM after landing. The arrivals kerb is closed to cars every day from noon to 8 pm, which means a pickup has to be coordinated in the car park by message. And the airport buses run about every half hour at best. EU contracts roam here at home rates. For other visitors, an eSIM installed before departure takes all three problems off the table.
What This Guide Covers
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Two Terminals on the Edge of Les Abymes
The airport is reached from the N11 and lies on the northern side of the Pointe-a-Pitre urban area. Long known as Le Raizet after the district, and later branded Guadeloupe Pole Caraibes after its 1996 international terminal, it took the name of Maryse Conde in September 2024. The IATA code remains PTP, and you will see all three names on signs, taxis and booking confirmations. It handled 2,149,887 passengers in 2024, which makes it the second-busiest airport in France's overseas regions after Reunion's.
Passengers use two buildings. Terminal 1, the 25,000 square metre international terminal opened on 18 February 1996, handles the long-haul and main routes, including Air France and Air Caraibes flights to Paris, and services from North America such as American Airlines to Miami and Air Canada to Montreal. Terminal 2, a 5,191 square metre regional terminal opened on 30 June 2014, handles flights around the Caribbean. The runway, at 3,505 metres, is long enough for the widebodies that dominate the Paris routes.
What is on the arrivals level of Terminal 1
The public hall on level 0, where you exit after baggage claim, holds a Carrefour Express open seven days a week from 7 am until the last flight, the airport pharmacy open from 9 am to 9.30 pm, the Karukera Change currency desk, and a La Poste cash machine with a self-service banking kiosk. The Hudson News shop and the Espace Madras craft stand are upstairs on level 2 in the departures hall, and the 800 square metre Dufry duty-free store is airside in both terminals. Car rental desks are also in the terminal, and only rental companies approved by the airport may hand over vehicles on site.
Terminal WiFi: What We Could Confirm
The airport is listed as offering free WiFi to passengers, and its business and VIP lounges advertise their own connections. What we could not do is confirm the current network name, the sign-in process or any time limit from the airport operator's own pages, which do not describe the service. We would rather tell you that than print an SSID that may be out of date.
If you still need to install an eSIM on arrival
1. After baggage claim, open your WiFi settings in the public hall on level 0 and look for the network with the airport's name, accepting any portal page that appears.
2. Open the email or app from your eSIM provider and add the plan, then give it a minute to finish downloading.
3. Choose the new line for mobile data, switch on data roaming for that line only, and keep your home line for calls and texts if you want them.
4. Step outside toward the car parks and confirm the eSIM has attached to Orange if you bought Nomad, or to Digicel if you bought Airalo or Holafly.
5. Message your driver or rental agent with your exact location in P1 or at the bus stop before you walk anywhere.
Because the portal and its limits are unknown, do not leave the purchase itself until you land. A card payment that triggers a bank verification text, which your home SIM may not receive while roaming, can leave you stuck in the hall. Buy before you fly and use the terminal WiFi only as a fallback for installation.
No Operator Counter on the Shop List
Neither the airport's shop directory nor its services page lists Orange Caraibe, SFR Caraibe, Digicel or Free Caraibe, and we found no reliable recent report of a staffed operator desk in either terminal. If you want a local line, the nearest large shopping centre is Milenis in Les Abymes, a short taxi ride away and a stop on the AE5 bus, with the bigger Destreland centre further out in Baie-Mahault. Operator stores in Guadeloupe often close for lunch, so time an afternoon visit accordingly, and bring your passport, since French prepaid lines are registered to an identity document.
| Option | Cost | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Card Orange plus 10 GB recharge | About 30 euros, or 35 dollars | Shop visit off-airport, ID check, and a tariff sheet that reserves the Card for residents |
| Orange internet recharge only | 15 euros for 10 GB, 30 days | Only useful once you already hold an Orange line |
| Nomad eSIM | 19 dollars, about 16 euros | 10 GB for 30 days on Orange, active as you taxi to the stand |
| Airalo eSIM | 13.50 dollars, about 11.50 euros | 5 GB for 30 days on Digicel |
| Holafly eSIM | 11.90 dollars for 3 days | Unlimited data on Digicel, suited to a short stopover |
| EU contract roaming | Included in your plan | Home-rate use within your plan's fair-use allowance |
For a stay of a few weeks the eSIM is both cheaper and faster, because it avoids a detour to a shopping centre and the question of whether a boutique will sell a resident-only prepaid card to a visitor. The Guadeloupe SIM card guide lists the full Orange recharge range for anyone staying long enough for a local line to pay off.
The Noon-to-Eight Kerb Closure, AE Buses and Taxis
The detail that catches most arriving passengers is posted on the airport's access page: the arrivals kerb is closed every day from 12.00 to 20.00, and anyone dropping off or collecting passengers in that window is directed to the short-stay P1 car park. Since many flights from Paris land in the afternoon, the person meeting you will almost certainly be waiting in P1 rather than at the door. The first ten minutes there are free, the next five cost 1 euro and an hour costs 3 euros under the tariffs in force from 1 April 2026, so a quick message saying which exit you are at saves your host money as well as time.
| Option | Where it goes | Cost and timing |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi | Pointe-a-Pitre centre, under 10 minutes without traffic | Roughly 24 to 27 euros by day and 32 to 35 at night, metered and regulated |
| Karu'lis AE5 | Gare de Bergevin 2 in Pointe-a-Pitre, via Milenis | Weekday departures from about 6.00 until early evening |
| Karu'lis AE1 and AE3 | Pointe-a-Pitre, Bas-du-Fort and Le Gosier | Alternating services, roughly every 30 minutes on the Saturday timetable |
| Karu'lis AE4 | Les Acacias in Baie-Mahault and central Les Abymes | About eight runs a day on weekdays |
| Rental car | Anywhere on the island | Collect from an approved company; phone navigation is close to essential |
The bus timetables are PDF files on the Karu'lis website, and the operator itself notes that its times are indicative because of heavy traffic. Download the one you need before you fly, since standing at the stop with no data and no timetable is the worst version of an airport arrival. The Karu'lis information line is 0590 24 26 06.
Onward to the Outer Islands and Beyond
Many visitors do not stop in Pointe-a-Pitre at all. The ferry to Marie-Galante leaves from the Bergevin terminal in the city, reached directly on the AE5 bus, and takes about an hour to Grand-Bourg. Les Saintes are served from Pointe-a-Pitre in about an hour and a quarter, or in 20 to 25 minutes from Trois-Rivieres on the south coast of Basse-Terre, roughly an hour's drive from the airport. La Desirade is reached from Saint-Francois at the eastern end of Grande-Terre. If you have a same-day ferry, keep the booking QR code on your phone offline, because you may be in a taxi or on the quay when you need it.
Heading on to another island by air
Terminal 2 handles the regional network, including flights to Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthelemy and neighbouring islands. Your Guadeloupe eSIM will not follow you there: all three providers' Guadeloupe plans list Guadeloupe alone, and Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy have been separate territories since 2007. EU visitors keep home-rate roaming on French Saint-Martin, but not on St Barts, which left the EU in 2012. Our Caribbean island hopping guide covers regional plans that span several islands.
Drivers heading to Deshaies, the Traversee or La Soufriere should load offline maps of Basse-Terre in the terminal or at the hotel, because mobile coverage in the national park interior is patchy on every network.
Sorting Data at Home Versus in the Terminal
For a PTP arrival the case for setting up before departure is stronger than at most Caribbean airports, simply because there is no phone shop to fall back on.
Installed before departure
Left until after landing
The Guadeloupe eSIM guide compares verified plans from Nomad, Airalo and Holafly, and the eSIM Finder will match one to your trip. If you are weighing unlimited data for a short, busy stay, the Holafly review sets out the trade-offs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pole Caraibes the same airport as Maryse Conde?
Yes. Guadeloupe Pole Caraibes, Pointe-a-Pitre Le Raizet and Aeroport Guadeloupe Maryse Conde all refer to the same airport, code PTP, in Les Abymes. It was officially renamed on 26 September 2024 in honour of the novelist Maryse Conde. Airlines and booking sites have been slow to update, so expect to see the older names on tickets and taxi signs for some time.
Why can't my driver pick me up outside arrivals?
Because the arrivals kerb at PTP is closed to vehicles every day from noon until 8 pm, according to the airport's access page, and drivers are sent to the short-stay P1 car park instead. The first ten minutes in P1 are free. Agree a meeting point by message before you land, and make sure you will have data or roaming working in the hall so you can share your location.
Where is the nearest place to buy a SIM card from PTP?
Off the airport. The terminal's shop directory lists no mobile operator, so the realistic options are the Milenis shopping centre in Les Abymes, a few minutes by taxi or on the AE5 bus, or Destreland in Baie-Mahault. Bring a passport and be aware that Orange's prepaid Card is officially reserved for residents. An eSIM bought before departure avoids the trip entirely.
Which bus goes from the airport to the Marie-Galante ferry?
Karu'lis line AE5 runs between the airport and the Gare de Bergevin 2 stop, next to the Bergevin maritime terminal where the Marie-Galante ferries leave. Weekday departures on the July 2025 timetable run from about 6.00 until early evening, roughly every half hour or so. Traffic can add a lot of time at peak hours, so leave a generous margin before your sailing.
Do I need an eSIM if I have a French or German phone plan?
Usually not. Guadeloupe is part of the EU for roaming purposes, so a French, German or other EU contract should connect at home rates as soon as the aircraft reaches the stand, within your plan's fair-use limits. Check your roaming data cap before you travel, and add a small eSIM only if it looks too tight for your stay or if you are continuing to St Barts, where EU rules no longer apply.