The second largest holding in the French West Indian empire, Martinique's 1100-square-kilometre terrain is topped by a series of mountain peaks. The most imposing, the dormant Mont-Pelée volcano, wreaked devastation on St-Pierre in 1902; traipsing about the fabled city's charred ruins nowadays is an eerie experience. Botanical gardens teeming with indigenous flora evoke Martinique's original designation as Madinina (island of flowers), while the stupendous Habitation Clément distillery hosts a fascinating anti-Columbus exhibit. In between these sights, villages like isolated Grand' Rivière and Atlantic-facing Tartane steadfastly retain the customs emblematic of traditional Caribbean fishing villages; the latter, on the Presqu'Île Caravelle, is also the island's most laid-back destination, a wonderfully underdeveloped stretch that boasts some of Martinique's finest beaches.