How to enter Guadeloupe.
The Caribbean island belongs to France, so it will be sufficient to show a valid identity document (a valid identity card for expatriation is perfect).
We went in times of covid, when restrictions and PCR were the order of the day, but now the situation is back to normal.

Language. 
The official language is French.
English is little spoken, Italian almost unknown: arm yourself with patience.

Currency and exchange.
The official currency is the Euro. ATMs are practically everywhere, and electronic payments are the most used.

Getting to Guadeloupe.
The fastest solution to reach the French island is to take a plane with a stopover in Paris (we flew with Air France). On average, a journey from Milan Malpensa takes 18 hours, including a stopover at Paris airport.

Internal Travel.
To explore the island we rent a car at the airport. To reach the rental shops, you will have to leave the airport and head to the dedicated car park where the shuttles of the various rental companies arrive: they will take you in front of the vehicle pick-up offices.
As always, we recommend taking out a all inclusive insurance protection, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises (mostly on vacation!)

Safety.
Overall, the island seemed safe to us, especially in the most famous and crowded tourist places.
Some residential areas in towns outside the tourist circuit of Grande-Terre seemed degraded to us, perhaps due to the pandemic. We have no feedback from Pointe-à-Pitre, the capital of the island, since we have not visited it.

Food.
Being in Guadeloupe is like being in France: you will find many supermarkets, grocery stores and restaurants.
At the restaurant commands the Creole cuisine, consisting of a fusion between the European taste of the settlers and the African and indigenous recipes, very rich in particular ingredients such as ginger, vanilla, garlic, peanuts, nutmeg, chilli and the cinnamon.
Creole cuisine generally provides for a single and abundant course full of fish or meat, always accompanied by sauces, vegetables and rice.

Accomodation.
For the whole holiday we decided to stay in an apartment near the Caribbean beach of Le Goisier for the following reasons:
- Being in the middle of the island, it was the ideal starting point to spend the days between visits, the sea and excursions.
- It is just a few minutes from the airport from Point-à-Pitre, the capital of the island.

Climate.
The climate of the island is tropical, with heat and humidity always present, and in this general context two distinct seasons can be identified: a relatively cooler and drier one, which runs from January to mid-April, and another warm one, very muggy and rainy which runs from July to mid-November, where real downpours are often unleashed.
The least recommended period is from September to November, when the island could be exposed to hurricanes.
The water temperature is always above 25°C.

What to pack.
Pack your suitcase with summer clothes, perhaps a sweatshirt and a waterproof jacket for sudden downpours.
Bring flip-flops, a swimsuit, a mask, fins and a snorkel for snorkelling, and trekking shoes combined with a windbreaker if you want to reach Soufrière, the highest volcanic peak on the island, where you will be enveloped in damp, rainy clouds.

Power outlets.
The electric current is 220 volts, 50 HZ AC. The electrical outlets have two plugs, type C and type F, the same as the Italian one.
Useful link power sockets.

Telephone / internet coverage.
The telephone picks up very well on most of the island