Death in Paradise locations in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean
Where is Death in Paradise filmed? Discover the real-life Saint Marie island on a tour of Death in Paradise locations around Deshaies on the beautiful 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 BBC TV series Death in Paradise has become so popular, with its 15th series hitting UK TV screens in 2026.
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 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 luxury villa rental 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, two 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 filming season (normally April 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 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 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 look around.
In another bit of clever 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 with an ice pick here (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 €2000 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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Andro a Guadalupe a Gennaio, sei stata Fantastica !!!!! Grazie
Buon viaggio!
Thank you, I’m not sure if this is 3rd or 4th time watching DIP and love it over and over again xx
Would love to visit
You’re very welcome! Can’t wait for the new series.
Hello Lucy,
Many thanks for providing such a great insight in to all of these locations, I’m a huge DIP fan and am ploughing through all episodes right from the very start.
Having been to St Lucia twice and Antigua five times, I would love to visit Guadeloupe at some point in the future, it looks beautiful!
Thank you again and happy travels
Thanks Patrick, hope you get to make the trip someday soon!
I really enjoyed this article, and the one about expenses to visit! Thank you!
Thanks Kath, that’s great to hear!
I’ve been watching DIP for years and only now found your blog. Having lived in West Africa for 11 years (Liberia and Sierra Leone), watching DIP was like re-living many of the experiences from there, with the difference being interactions between Americans and West Africans rather than British and Islands people. That difference is less than one might imagine, and as West Africa is my second home (Connecticut now my first), each episode is like returning there for all the great memories (not the crime, however).
I have Britbox because 90% of the time, BBC and ITV productions are superior to American TV series. So much better writing and acting. You’ll never see a Don Warrington or Sarah Martins or Josephine Jobert or Danny John-Jules, or Ben Miller or Ralf Little or even Shyko Amos (who some of my DIP colleagues did not like but I thought she was great) on American TV.
Lucy, thanks so much for taking the time to give us DIP addicts a tiny community where we can go and interact with other commentors and vicariously re-live our own personal paradises.
Haven’t been to Guadeloupe yet, but you know I’ll make it one day to Honore! And the people there better be just like the characters in DIP or I’ll be sorely disappointed, hahaha. For me, it’s not the scenery so much as the people and the fabulous sense of humor.
In the meantime, am re-watching some seasons for the second and third times. Am a bit disappointed they’ve turned the Commissioner from an amazing one-of-a-kind avuncular character into a lovable Hollywoodized fraction of his former self, and seem to be emphasizing glitz more in later seasons to the greater authentic feel of street life in earlier seasons. Praying they don’t jump the shark. Love to all you other DIP addicts. Spread the word and turn others onto the series. And keep the non-DIP tourists out of Guadeloupe. My fantasies are the real thing.
Thanks so much for the comment – and great to hear that you enjoyed the post! Loved visiting the island in real-life and hope the series runs and runs.
Hi. My wife is a DIP fanatic. I’m intending to surprise her in 2024 with a visit to the Island to visit the locations preferably during filming. What would be the best time to visit to see the filming and enjoy the weather please
Filming normally takes place between May and October – July to November is rainy season though so I would recommend going around May/June before it gets too wet.
We have just returned from Guadeloupe. Very friendly and helpful residents. Scenery is amazing.
We stayed at the Fort Royal for a few days and walked through woods from the hotel to Anse de La Perle keeping an eye out for the sets on the beach. It interesting reviewing the episodes where Fort Royal is used and commenting where liberties had been taken with the locations. I’m still trying to determine the location of the airport used in the series as the main airport (Pointe-A-Pitre) is a proper international airport. The village of Dehe is unspoilt by Guadeloupean standards. The nearby Botanical Gardens are worth a visit.
The southern area of Basse-terre at Trois Riviere is more populated with amazing views across to the offshore islands of Les Saintes. South of Grand-terre by comparison is industrialised ( comparatively speaking). Beware of La Toubana hotel (great location but expensive and ‘insects’ may be a problem ).
Overall the islands are certainly worthy of a place to visit and I will remember it for years to come.
Hi can I ask a few question please ? It’s my husbands 60th in July and we are massive fans of the show, we want to come out in December , is that a good time? Is 2 weeks too long , we want to stay in Deshaies and visit locations, would we need a car ? Rough cost ? Are there plenty of restaurants to eat and shops to buy food if we go self catering ? I think that’s all for now , thank you all
Hi, I have some other posts on Guadeloupe which cover a lot of those questions and breakdown the costs – https://www.ontheluce.com/tag/guadeloupe/. If you have two weeks I’d suggest splitting it between Grande Terre and Basse Terre to see more of the island. You do need a car and there are plenty of places to eat.
Are you saying if we visit during the filming season (May to October I believe) then we won’t be able to see inside Honore police station at all?
Hi, yes it seems that the police station isn’t accessible during filming so you would only be able to see it from the outside.
This would be my ultimate dream holiday destination! As an American, I am curious about how bad the mosquitoes are in Guadeloupe?
Hi Erin, there were mosquitos but we didn’t notice it being particularly bad – though there is some risk of dengue fever so it’s a good idea to use a strong repellent to be safe.
Thank you so much for all the information you provided. It was so useful when we visited Guadeloupe a couple of weeks ago. We managed lunch at Catherine’s bar, and we saw the beach hut as it is the time of year when they are filming. Sadly, there was no-one else there when we found it, but it is a beautiful beach. We are now re-watching all the episodes!
Ah brilliant, that’s great to hear!
Greetings from Guadeloupe! Your guide has been great and essential to visit all the locations! Just wanted to give you an update with respect to some of the things you describe on your post:
1) I wasn’t able to find even the foundations of the beach hut in Anse La Perle – no surprise, though, since filming ends in October and I’m here in March, just a couple of weeks before they come back to film the next season. The foundations must be covered in vegetation that has been growing over them for 5 months, so very hard to spot. It is still awesome to have been there, and I am sure I will recogise the spot when I next see an episode.
2) Unlike your experience, I was surrounded by crowds of visitors being brought to the Honoré Police Station in taxis and buses, possibly from a TUI cruise that arrived on the island earlier that morning. I have a photo of the place with literally hundreds of people climbing the short hill. The good news for them (and for me) is that the Police Station is now a small museum where everything is set up exactly as it is in the show, including the sign outside that says “Honoré Police”, and you can walk around, take pictures of yourself at the desks where all our beloved detectives and members of the police normally sit, and in the adjacent jail that also features often in the show, all this to the sound of the theme of the show. They also sell T-shirts and tote bags. Important for travelers is to know that during filming season (April to October) the place is not working as a museum, and closed to visitors.
3) We tried to eat at Le Madras, but it was fully booked, so I would recommend making a reservation if anyone wants to eat at Catherine’s Bar. Le Kaz was closed on the day we went there. But there are several other little places to eat along the same beach, with great Créole food and a view of the port and Catherine’s Bar/Le Madras.
I hope many readers enjoy the tour!
Erik
Thanks for the updates Erik!
A great read! , my wife and I are in Paris waiting to leave for Guadaloupe tomorrow and staying just outside of Deshaies for two weeks. Thank you for helping hugely with our to do itinerary, when there.
Rgs Geoff and Tina
Hope you have a wonderful time!
Thank you for this interesting, well-written article. I just looked up the population of Guadeloupe – about 399,900. I wonder what the murder rate is if you factor in every murder in the show?
Cheers!
There have been about 100 episodes so they definitely have a bit of a crime problem!
Arriving in Guadeloupe on Wed Feb 22 on cruise ship, was hoping to do a Death in Paradise tour, but ship excursion fully booked. Are there likely to be any private tour operators at Pointe a Pitre terminal, and any in particular you would recommend?
Regards
Hi, I would definitely book ahead – there was a recent comment from someone who was unable to get a taxi to take them from Point a Pitre to Deshaies so I would either book a tour (there are a couple linked to in the post above) or prebook a taxi (unfortunately I’ve not tried any local firms myself so don’t have any recommendations).
I wanted to ask if the author took the photos or knows what camera they were taken with. The quality is amazing.
Hi Joanna, yes all the photos are mine except for the one of the Langley Fort Royal hotel and Government House – I used a Fuji XT1 mirrorless camera
Hello Lucy,
Very informative item, thank you.
Thanks to DIP we are hoping to visit later this year.
Can you give an idea as to the best place to stay to take advantage of a beach? Are there areas near Deshaies. I can see that there is basically only one main road around to Deshaies and we will try to hire a car to visit if it is necessary to stay elsewhere.
Many thanks.
Hi Jan, yes if you stay in Deshaies there are a few beaches just north of the town – Grand Anse a couple of km away and Anse de la Perle from the show is a 10-minute drive. There are several hotels and guesthouses near the beaches, including the Langley Fort Royal which has been in the show a lot and is where the cast and crew stay.
Lucy I am glad you made it to the locations. We have just come back from a cruise which stopped at Guadeloupe. We had booked the holiday because of being fans of Death in Paradise. Unfortunately no taxi driver would take us to Deshaies. We were understandably very disappointed.
Oh no! Sorry to hear that, what a shame. It seems like the island hasn’t really taken advantage of the tourism opportunities from Death in Paradise as you’d think that cruise lines would set up an excursion there.
Been a fan since I saw the pilot in season one, although I miss DI poole and the first 2 seasons cast, every DI and cast change has been awesome and gives the show forever some
thing to build on.
From Mesquite TX to the island of Guadalupe, God bless all the former and current cast and crew, and those to come for the murderously fun, funny and sometimes serious times on the fictitious small Island of Saint Marie.
And thanks Lucy for showing us where the good stuff really is.
You’re very welcome! Such a great show.
Hi…it is so great to see Death in Paradise…we spent years going to Les Saintes(Terre de Haut) every winter to paint and enjoy small island life and the show brings back many good souvenirs…my husband even became a member of the historical assoc. in Basseterre to follow his interest in the “Battle of The Saintes”,.bombards and waterwheels. I wondered if they ever shot any scenes on Terre de Haute? The Saintois are so great and welcoming.Haven’t been back since 1990’s/Love the ambiance and island accents…..can almost taste the rhum Bolonge.Thank you for sharing your experiences Take care. A domaigne Suan
Thanks Susan, I will definitely have to go back sometime and spend some time in Les Saintes. I don’t know of any filming there but it sounds like they should!
When is the best time to visit Guadeloupe?
And when do they start filming?
November to March is the most popular time when it’s hot and sunny but not too humid – filming normally takes place from May though for up to six months.
Thank you for sharing! I LOVE this show and I am not a TV watcher! I only have this as my favorite series and one day I plan to get married on Guadeloupe and visit the sites you highlighted!
You’re very welcome – hope you get to visit soon!
As a Guadeloupean expat( with family in Deshaies), it’s fun to see how big DIP is ( outside of Guadeloupe) and how oblivious my family and the rest of Guadeloupe is to that fame. My uncle is the only one a very little bit interested because his bar was used in one episode. We were lucky to fly down last April and enjoyed some drinks at Catherine’s bar, stopped the rectory/ police station so our kids ( and myself who am I kidding!) would indulge in a DIP photo shoot.
So funny I was visiting the location and had lunch in the restaurant an the beach in deshaines before I knew anything about the Serie nor that it existed.
When I was watching Death in Paradise, it i was a huuge surprised to recognize the location (restaurant) because of the same view and the lights of the place, eventhough in the film they changed the interiour a lot.
It’s also very funny to see how they have the Film sequences where they are ruuning very far and are very exhausted afterwards arriving at the ‘Police Station’, when in reality Deshaines is so small that you can reach it in literly 1 minute of walking distance. 😉
How funny! Yes Deshaies is much smaller than you imagine from watching the show!
Thank you for sharing this.
I am a Lover of the series “Death in Paradise”
After reading your write up, I went on Google Earth and had a look around, I could see the police station but could not look at the waterfront due to not many of those blue dots to look at around Deshaies
I live in Tasmania, Australia and someday when covid is at its lowest, I would like to travel to this area!
Thanks again
Death in Paradise (Murha paratiisissa) has many fans in Finland as well! We are all lookin forward to 11th season!
It’s taking over the world!
Thank you for this post. I have been binge watching the show since I first discovered it during season 5. Late boomer, I am! Finished watching season 10 and now restarting at season 1.
Guadeloupe sounds and looks enticing! Glad to hear that the island is not infested as a “tourist trap”, while still keeping the local culture real. I live in New York and would love to visit the island someday and see the locations from the show.
Thanks again for doing the legwork and the scouting report.
You’re very welcome – hope you get to make it there someday!
Thank you for the info’. My wife and I have never missed an episode! Always a tinge of sadness when a series comes to an end as it is the highlight of our Saturday evenings here in Australia. And always sad when each inspector departs. But happy again when a new series returns. Like we did with visiting Port Isaac(Doc Martin), we hope one day beyond Covid 19, we can visit this beautiful location.
Fingers crossed you can make it out there sometime soon – it really is as good as it looks!
Lockdown paradise! Thanks to you for doing the leg-work and revealing the locations – after someone has got to do it! Spent half an hour on Zoom with friends Googling Earth our way round the DiP locations. Cheers, here’s to the next cocktail…
You’re very welcome! Always enjoy a virtual revisit of this lovely island whenever there’s a new series.
This is great Lucy thanks! How did you get there? Where’s good go stay? I’ve been wanting to go for years too – and do they speak English as I don’t speak French?
Hi Janet, I have a post with lots more info on visiting Guadeloupe which should give you all the details you need: https://www.ontheluce.com/things-to-do-guadeloupe-caribbean/ But we flew with Air France from Paris, and bought a cheap flight from the UK to Paris, and stayed in a couple of AirBnB apartments on the island. It does help to be able to speak French but you should be able to get by with English in the main tourist areas like Deshaies.
Being from Guadeloupe myself and living in London since 2001, I didn’t even know about this show until people told me how much they love my island! I must say the TV show makes it absolutely gorgeous, as it is. Perfect when I can’t go back myself. *dreamy*
I feel very proud that the show is showing off my island to people from all over the world who don’t know it exists. Just remember please to be considerate and respectful of the island, it’s really beautiful (I speak for locals as well as tourists!).
What a fantastic place to be from! So many people have fallen in love with Guadeloupe from watching the show, it is a really lovely place.
I have watched Death in Paradise, Midsomer Murders and Father Brown Mysteries on my local PBS station for years. When the covid pandemic hit and the stay-at-home/lockdown began, I subscribed to BritBox through Amazon Prime and have watched every episode of every one of these shows again and again over the past nine months or so. I especially love Death in Paradise. The scenery is just the lift I need during this time and I so enjoy the mysteries. I have been saddened as characters left but came to like and enjoy the replacements, too. I’ve watched so much British TV over these months that friends swear I’m developing a British accent. I’m so pleased that I happened upon this site and really enjoy the photos and comments. I’m in upstate New York only 15 miles from the Canadian border so pictures of the Caribbean are especially welcome in January. Thank you, Lucy, for your posts.
You are very welcome! I’ve been catching up on series on Britbox this lockdown too and do love a good murder mystery – though not many have such a great location as Death in Paradise!
I love Death in Paradise! Thank you for the tour. I live in Nevada. You really don’t need a dreary winter to enjoy the show. Really liked your blog! Thanks again Lucy.
You’re very welcome – it’s such a great feel-good show!