Death in Paradise locations in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean

Where is TV series Death in Paradise filmed? Discover the real-life Saint Marie island on a tour of Death in Paradise locations around Deshaies on the island of Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean.

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Outside the rain’s lashing down, the wind’s blowing a gale and the temperature is well below freezing. So you turn on the TV to be greeted with sunny skies, sandy beaches, palm trees and colourful streets (plus a dead body or two, but we’ll skate over that bit).

On air during the worst of the British winter, it’s no wonder the BBC TV series Death in Paradise has become so popular, with its 14th series hitting UK TV screens in 2025.

Yes this series about a slightly bumbling British detective solving murders on a Caribbean island might be a little bit formulaic – and you do have to wonder how many people can possibly be knocked off on one tiny island. But when it’s cold and grey outside, Death in Paradise is like a dose of virtual sunshine being beamed into your living room.

Death in Paradise filming locations

Where is Death in Paradise filmed?

The series is set on the Caribbean island of Saint Marie, which supposedly lies just off the coast of Guadeloupe. But you’ll have trouble tracking it down on any map. Saint Marie island is a figment of the writers’ imagination, but the gorgeous locations you see on screen do exist, and in reality most of them are found on Guadeloupe’s Basse-Terre island.

Death in Paradise is what first introduced me to Guadeloupe, so I couldn’t resist tracking down some of its filming locations when I visited the island. But would everything be as picture-perfect as it looks on screen or is there any TV trickery at work?

Where are the Death in Paradise locations?

On the north-west coast of Basse-Terre, Deshaies is the epicentre of all things Death in Paradise in Guadeloupe. In the show it’s Honoré, capital of Saint Marie, and it’s where the cast and crew are based when they film in Guadeloupe for six months each year.

Deshaies is the pretty town you see in the aerial shots, with a red-roofed church and colourful buildings set around a semi-circular bay surrounded by jungle-covered hills. In real life, it’s a fairly sleepy fishing port with waterfront bars and restaurants that are a favourite stop for yachties sailing the Caribbean – definitely not a hotbed of crime.

One thing I discovered when I started looking for Death in Paradise locations is just how many of them are in and around Deshaies. As well as the main filming sites, it also crops up as the harbour where people arrive or leave the island, it’s in a lot of background street scenes, and practically every posh rental villa in the area has had one murder in it.

The show’s location team have done a clever job in making a small stretch of coast in the north-western corner of Guadeloupe look like a whole island worth of different locations. Which is good news if you want to explore them yourself, as their concentration around Deshaies makes it easy to do a do-it-yourself Death in Paradise location tour.

Death in Paradise filming locations around Deshaies

Here’s where to find the main Death in Paradise filming locations – from the detective’s beach shack and Catherine’s bar to the sites of some of the most iconic murders.

It’s useful to have a hire car as several locations are outside Deshaies. But if you’re short on time or don’t have a car, you can spend the day in Deshaies (reachable by taxi or bus from the island’s biggest town Pointe-à-Pitre) and explore the main locations on foot.

If you want to see further afield without a car, a couple of guided tours are available – a four-hour tour* around Deshaies or a six-hour tour* also including the Botanic Gardens. Both offer pick ups from Pointe-à-Pitre cruise terminal if you’re visiting Guadeloupe by ship. Alternatively you could hire a taxi and driver, but make sure to book in advance.

Honoré police station

One of the show’s most important locations is Honoré police station. It’s located next to Deshaies church in the centre of town, so is really easy to find. In real life, the police incident room was Deshaies’ priest’s office and the cells next door were the church hall.

If you’re visiting outside of the filming season (normally May to October), the police station is a small museum, set up as it is in the show. You can see the Honoré Police sign, sit at the detective’s desk and buy a few souvenirs. Though there is a quite pricey €15 entry fee.

Out front of the police station there’s a car park where they park the police jeep and motorbike and sidecar, which has also been used for a street market in a few episodes.

Catherine’s bar (or bars)

Another regular location is Catherine’s bar (owned by Catherine Bordey – mayor of Saint Marie island and mother of original detective Camille Borday). It’s compulsory for each episode feature at least one drinking session in the bar, either mid-case when there’s a tricky problem to solve or to celebrate solving the murder (no one gets away with it!).

The beachside terrace used in the show is found at the northern end of the bay, outside a restaurant called Le Madras. Le Madras was closed when I visited so I didn’t get to have a beachside beer. But if you visit when it’s open, it’s advisable to make a reservation.

Instead I went for a tasty pina colada at another bar in Deshaies with a Death in Paradise connection. In the first series, a different, bigger bar was used as Catherine’s bar. This one is called La Kaz Du Douanier and is south along the waterfront from Le Madras.

Apparently filming used to block the street and hold up traffic so they had to move locations. But if you go inside La Kaz there are few photos hanging on the walls featuring scenes from the show when they used to film there – as there are at Le Madras too.

Honoré church

Being next to the police station means that Deshaies church often features in passing shots, and the interiors also appeared in a few episodes. It’s where JP got married (series 5, episode 8), where a murdered concert pianist’s funeral was held (series 10, episode 5) and the venue for a school Christmas carol concert in the 2022 Christmas special.

In real life it’s the Catholic Church of St Peter and St Paul, and is often used by local residents for services. Building work was started in 1840 but a misunderstanding between the parishioners and the bishop meant it took until 1947 for it to be finished. You can go inside to take a look around, or attend mass (in French) to listen to the singing.

The beach shack

If there was one location in Death in Paradise that sold me on visiting Guadeloupe, it has to be the beach where the detective lives in a perfectly rustic hut right on the sand. This picture-perfect spot is found at Anse de la Perle beach, three miles north of Deshaies.

In reality there are a few bars at one end of the beach and a little road running behind the sand so it’s not quite as remote as it looks on TV, but it’s every bit as gorgeous.

The actual beach shack gets dismantled between filming because a lot of the sand on the beach gets washed away in winter storms. Off-season you can sometimes see the foundations at one end of the beach. And if you do visit when the shack is in situ, it’s fenced off so unfortunately you can’t take a look inside (or meet Harry the lizard).

One thing I spotted after watching the show again is how many times this beach is used for other scenes. There are a couple of islands off-shore – a fairly big one (called Kahouanne, which was used as a private island in series 3 episode 7) and a smaller one.

Once you know they’re there, you can spot them in the background in lots of beach scenes which supposedly take place in different locations around the island!

The hotel

From the far end of Anse de la Perle beach, there’s a big white building in the next bay that looks like a pile of sugar cubes. This is the Langley Fort Royal* hotel, where most of the cast and crew stay during filming, either in the main hotel or the cute pointed-roofed bungalows. But you don’t need to stay there to have a drink in the bar and a look around.

In another bit of inspired recycling, the hotel, bar and beach in front have appeared in many different Death in Paradise episodes. Among them are when a bride was shot by a speargun (series 1 episode 8), a TV presenter drowned (series 8 episode 3) and a man dressed as Santa Claus was found shot on the beach (2024 Christmas special).

The Botanic Gardens

A mile south of Deshaies, its Botanic Gardens are a colourful riot of tropical flowers and birds – and of course there’s been a murder here too. The show’s first detective Richard Poole (Ben Miller) came to a sticky end here with an ice pick (series 3 episode 1).

Filming was done in a private villa inside the gardens, with its own swimming pool and amazing coastal views from the terrace. You can see the villa from the gardens but if you want to get closer you’ll have to rent it – it sleeps 10 and starts from €2300 a week.

The Botanic Gardens also provided the backdrop for a festive party at the end of the 2023 Christmas special, where Neville Parker (Ralf Little) gets the dress code wrong.

The zoo

Saint Marie Zoo was a location for series 8 episode 2, where a zookeeper was murdered with a tranquiliser gun. In real life it’s the Zoo de Guadeloupe au Parc des Mamelles, 30 minutes down the coast from Deshaies. The zoo is home to 85 different species from the Caribbean and Guyana, from big cats to tiny reptiles, spread over four acres of jungle.

The best part of the zoo is its treetop walkway, which also featured in the show. A network of wobbly, narrow wood and rope bridges runs 50 feet above the ground. You’re high up among the thick green tree canopy with views down to the animal enclosures.

Government House

A new location in the last few series of Death in Paradise is Government House – the building in Honoré where the Police Commissioner (Don Warrington) and other public officials work. The Commissioner is regularly seen at work there, and there was also a Christmas market held in the square in front in the 2024 Christmas special.

In reality the building is the Mairie or town hall for the town of Pointe-Noire, around 20 minutes’ drive south of Deshaies. The ‘Mairie’ sign and French national motto on the front of the building are hidden with a sign saying ‘Government House’ during filming.

Death in Paradise in Guadeloupe

With Death in Paradise being so popular – especially in the UK, but it’s also shown in the US, Canada and Australia – I was surprised how little was made of it in Guadeloupe. We spotted other people taking photos of the police station in Deshaies, but most visitors to Guadeloupe are French and many of them have never heard of the show.

So there’s not a lot of tourism around Death in Paradise and its filming locations in Guadeloupe – other than a few cruise tour groups – which makes it feel even more like you’re discovering the real-life Saint Marie island… and hopefully living to tell the tale.

Death in Paradise location map

If you’re looking for the exact position of any of the Death in Paradise filming locations, here are the longitude and latitude details for each of those mentioned above:

• Honoré police station: Church hall 16.30655, -61.79384
• Catherine’s Bar (current): Le Madras 16.30756, -61.79448
• Catherine’s Bar (early series): La Kaz 16.3057, -61.79461
• Honoré church: Church of St Peter and St Paul 16.3067, -61.79384
• Honoré harbour: 16.3051, -61.79581
• Detective’s beach: Anse de la Perle 16.34044, -61.7793
• Langley Fort Royal Hotel: 16.34707, -61.77613
• Botanic Gardens: 16.29935, -61.798
• Zoo de Guadeloupe au Parc Des Mamelles: 16.17921, -61.75114
• Government House: Mairie de Pointe-Noire 16.23266, -61.79023

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