Kourou is a small, well-kept town on the coast of French Guiana, best known as the home of the Guiana Space Centre — Europe's spaceport, from which Ariane rockets are launched. The space centre dominates the local economy and gives the town a more modern, planned feel than most settlements in the region.
The main attraction for visitors, however, is the Îles du Salut — the Salvation Islands, including the notorious Devil's Island, which served as a French penal colony until 1953. Boats depart from the dock at Vieux Bourg. The islands are now a nature reserve, with ruins of the prison buildings scattered among coconut palms and howler monkeys.
The town itself has a decent beach (though it can be littered with debris carried by currents from the Amazon basin), a lively fish market in Vieux Bourg, and a handful of restaurants and bars. The French Foreign Legion has a base here, and legionnaires are a common sight around town. Prices are high — French Guiana uses the euro and the cost of living reflects its status as a French overseas department. Be prepared to pay metropolitan French prices for groceries and everyday items.