I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t really know this French archipelago existed. I blame it on my western roots and the fact that I was a pretty sheltered kid. I’m sure I’d heard of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, but it might as well have been across the Atlantic instead of mere kilometers from Newfoundland. That’s how distant and foreign it felt.
It wasn’t until the last few years that I started to hear more about it. Given that the islands are reachable in just over an hour flight from Halifax, my interest grew. France? In an hour? We have to see this.
So when the invite came for us to explore and report back on our journey, we jumped at the chance. And the result was more than we could have ever expected: the islands wowed us, surprised us, and left us plotting our to-do list for our inevitable future visit.
Four Days on Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
First…The Practical Information
Getting to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
There are two ways to arrive to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon from Canada: by plane or ferry.
We flew from Halifax with Air Saint-Pierre and the flight took less than 90 minutes. These flights are thrice weekly, all year long. There are also direct flights from St. John’s, Newfoundland and from Montreal, QC. The ferry to Saint-Pierre operates out of Fortune, Newfoundland; it takes 90 minutes and runs multiple times per week.
How to Get Around
The easiest way to get around Saint-Pierre is to rent a car. The island is only 25 square kilometres, so don’t expect long drives to anywhere. We, however, didn’t have a car and also managed fine by booking independent tours and walking a lot! There are also taxis, but we didn’t need one during our four days and we enjoyed getting our steps in.
On Miquelon and Langlade, it’s a different story. The islands are much bigger and a car would be helpful if you want to explore. The town is quite walkable, but most hiking and other adventures, especially if you want to see the isthmus connecting Miquelon to Langlade, require a drive.
We spent four nights on Saint-Pierre and then ferried to Miquelon for one night. Below, we’ve divided our recommended activities into sections for each of the two islands.
Our Time on Saint-Pierre
Things to Do
Sightseeing
Saint-Pierre, despite being quite small, is very beautiful and there is much to see. We started off our trip taking a sightseeing taxi tour offered by Logan from Taxi Salomon. A local from Saint-Pierre, Logan drove us to some his favourite spots and lookout points to get us aquainted with the island. It was a perfect way to start off a trip and get an idea of where we wanted to explore over the next few days.
After we had the lay of the land, Pete was eager to explore more on foot on his morning walks. He scoped out spots to take photographs and each morning, he set off to find something new (while getting his steps in).
Hiking
For being such a small island, there are so many different hikes that you can take on Saint-Pierre. And with a maximum elevation of just over 200 metres, nothing is too strenuous. Over the four days we visited we did two different hikes: Le Diamant and La Vallée des 7 Étangs (Valley of Seven Lakes).
Le Diamant was a short 3 km hike (more like a walk) along the south-western coast of Saint-Pierre. Most of the trail is a boardwalk that twists and turns along the shores. This hike gives sweeping views of the coastline, one of its many lakes, and in the distance, the bluffs are dotted with colourful homes.
On our last day on Saint-Pierre, We joined Gilles from Escapade Insulaire for a 4 km hike to see the seven lakes. Along the way we took a short detour to climb to the highest peak on the island (only 207 ms) for a 360 degree view of the island and to enjoy a coffee. It was a perfect morning hike and the weather agreed with us.
Gilles offers multiple hike options depending on capability; from quick and easy walks to multiple day treks on both Saint-Pierre and Langlade. He also runs tours to south eastern Newfoundland for more adventurous hikers.
Visit L’ Île aux Marins (Sailor Island)
Right across from the island of Saint-Pierre is another that we couldn’t take our eyes off of: L’ Île-aux-Marins. From afar, it looked like buildings on the island were frozen in time. We weren’t wrong! Île-aux-Marins was formerly home almost exclusively to cod fisherman and their families.
At its peak, the island had over 600 inhabitants. Now, it is largely abandoned, while some of the buildings on the island are protected; others serve as summer cottages. There is no running water or power and homeowners either have to rely on solar or generators for power.
It was a rough life during the prime fishing days (up until the 1960s). Winters were harsh, and without powered boats, getting to Saint-Pierre for provisions and services wasn’t an easy task. And when they fished, their catch (mainly cod) needed to be laid out on large rock beds to dry, which required 8 full days of sun. On non-sunny days, the fish needed to be covered in salt. Because they often worked barefoot, the fishermen were called “La Pieds Rouges” (the red feet) as their feet were often covered in cod blood.
Visiting L’ Île-aux-Marins is a must-do when visiting Saint-Pierre. It was helpful to be led by Eléa Guided Tours because our guide was able to get us into locked buildings. However, there are informative placards along the walking paths if you want to visit on your own.
Don’t miss Ligne Verte
This stop was an unexpected highlight for us. Ligne Verte started out simply as a hydroponic lab to fill the need for fresh produce on the rocky island that is typically inhospitable for plants. With the ability to grow up to 9,000 plants at once, the team are helping to elevate the food scene on the island by experimenting and producing items otherwise not available.
It then grew to include a mycology lab with the ability to produce 2 tonnes of mushrooms a year, and finally, Distillerie du Goéland was added. Our tour of the entire facility included sampling everything from Japanese basil to the distillery’s excellent potato vodka and Gin n’ Roses (be still my Gen X heart!). The enthusiasm of our guide and owner, Alex, was convincingly palpable, and his eagerness to bring gourmet options to the residents of islands (and to us, the visitors!) is already making a difference.
Learn about the Dories with Les Zigotos
One of the things that Pete was eagerly looking forward to while visiting Saint-Pierre was learning about the history of the dory fishing boats, and taking one over to Grand Colombier to see puffins and other seabirds. Pete’s grandfather was a dory fisherman on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, and had visited Saint-Pierre numerous times before Pete was even born.
Les Zigotos are a group of friends who are passionate to keep the history of the Saint-Pierre dories alive. Their small boathouse museum along the waterfront gives visitors an idea of the importance Saint-Pierre held in the construction of the wooden fishing boats. These friends give dory tours that include sightseeing and fishing. We hopped into the boat with the hopes of making it to Grand Colombier to see the seabirds, but unfortunately it would not be possible, as the seas were too rough for us to go very far. Instead we toured inside the break wall and heard stories about the dories of Saint-Pierre.
Where to Eat and Drink
Restaurants
What excited us the most about visiting Saint-Pierre and Miquelon was our desire for French cuisine! We made the most of our four days on the island, visiting some of the top-rated restaurants. Some highlights from our trip include:
- Scallop crudo from Auberge Quatre Temps.
- A pea and mint cold soup with cracker and cream and Octopus in red wine reduction from Le Bar a Quai. Other patrons around us also lauded the cod burger (we didn’t try it).
- French onion soup, escargot, and seafood salad from Le Select.
- A gallette filled with smoked bacon, eggs, onion jam, cream from Le Roc Cafe.
- My fave was the steak frites from Les Petits Graviers (I’m still drooling about it), while Pete loved the duck breast there as well.
It’s highly recommended to make reservations at all these spots.
Cafes and Boulangeries
We whole-heartedly took advantage of being able to pop into cafes for a quick espresso and French pastry treat as we wandered. Our favourite cafe (we went twice!) was L’Essentiel, the vibes and decor of this place made it very attractive. We sipped on cappucinos and Dalene tried one of their tarts generously filled with chocolate ganache.
As for French bakeries, our go-to was Boulangerie Patisserie des Graves that was located right next to our hotel. Their mille-feuiles and eclairs were to die for. And the choco-pains. And the… well you get the point.
Shops and Markets
It’s no shock that we went home with several French delicacies tucked into our suitcases. We bought onion confit, fig jam, and duck pate, just to name a few. There are a number of shops throughout Saint-Pierre and if it was Pete’s choice he would have come home with a lot more goodies. One shop not to miss is Chez Julien. Being both a deli and grocery, this shop had all the French cheeses, meats, and other delicacies the island had to offer.
Where to Stay
Les Terrasses du Port
Sitting just around the bend from the downtown core of Saint-Pierre, our stay at Les Terrasses du Port was comfortable and luxurious. Not only were the rooms spacious and agreeable, but there is even a small spa onsite we took advantage of. It’s a mini, indoor version of a Nordic spa, with a variety of temperate stations to rotate through. The best part is that it is built for four people max, and with our two-hour booking, we had it all to ourselves.
From the hotel, it’s a pleasant ten-minute walk along the waterfront to all the action downtown.
Miquelon and Langlade
The islands of Miquelon and Langlade are bigger in size, but much smaller population-wise. Miquelon is the more populated of the two, Langlade home to only summer cottages and little infrastructure. There are two ways to arrive here: by ferry or plane. We took the ferry to Miquelon from Saint-Pierre and the journey took about 1.5 hours; it was quite relaxing, with WIFI on board, and a cafeteria with coffee and snacks in case we got hungry.
When we arrived to the sleepy town of Miquelon, we quickly found out there is one way to get around independently: walking! There are no taxis, and car rentals are difficult to come by (if you want to be sure to have a car, rent one in Saint-Pierre and bring it on the ferry).
Just a few steps from the ferry terminal, we made a stop at the Nature Centre (see below) before walking to our hotel.
Things to Do
Visit the House of Nature and the Environment
It was quickly evident to us how much the locals cherish the pristine nature of the islands, and there are many steps being taken to ensure that they are around for generations to enjoy. The Nature Centre is a worthy visit, there are interactive displays throughout along with a video (subtitled in English) to learn about the nature and animals of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.
Be forewarned: a lot of the information in the Centre is in French. The subtitled video was what we enjoyed the most.
Take a Gourmet Tour with Patricia
Since we didn’t have a rental car to tour ourselves on Miquelon, we took a Gourmet Tour with Patricia to see the sights and taste the foods native to Miquelon. The tour starts at the Auberge de L’Ile (where we also stayed), with a typical lunch that included creamed lobster while watching a video that gives insight into some history on Miquelon.
After lunch, our group hopped into vans and were showed some of the fantastic viewpoints of Miquelon. Aat each stop, we were treated to a small snack of local flavours.
We sampled goat cheese at a goat farm that serves both islands. We tasted locally brewed Miqu’ale atop a peak looking out over the town and landscape of Miquelon. And finally, we tried local macaroons while resting along the Isthmus that separates Miquelon and Langlade. The tour was a great way to see the island.
Walk Around Town
Like in Saint-Pierre, Pete was determined to get all his steps in and continued his morning routine by capturing images throughout the town of Miquelon. There were two main streets that ran in and out of town, and the colourful pallet of houses gave way to a cute fishing town. Life here felt quiet, simple and relaxing.
Hiking and Cycling
The nature and solitude of Miquelon is appealing; when it came time to leave after just night, we were disappointed we hadn’t allowed oursevles more time to explore the hiking trails. We didn’t even get to see Langlade, which our guide from Saint-Pierre hike said is his favourite area to spend a few days exploring. Next time!
We did see quite a number of people cycling; ebike rentals are possible on the island.
What and Where to Eat
Restaurants
In the evening we dined at Chez Adrien, a casual, family-run bistro with excellent food and a really good beer menu.
Morgan, the owner and Miquelon local, served up a juicy cheeseburger for me and Pete enjoyed the evening special (a rice bowl with chicken). The food was fresh and had very good flavour, and the local beers were cold and delicious.
Boulangeries and Shops
As mentioned, there isn’t too much on Miquelon to serve the ~600 redsidents, but they do have a fairly new boulangerie serving up tasty pastries and breads. You can’t miss it: it’s right in the centre of town, next to the House of Nature and Environment. I recommend getting there early in the morning, because it seemed all the locals do so for their morning breakfast.
There were also a couple markets in town that were stocked with delicious French cheese and most staples in case we needed anything.
Where to Stay
There are not too many places to stay on Miquelon, but we were quite pleased with our one-night stay at Auberge de L’Ile. The rooms were spacious, clean and comfortable. And the breakfast the next morning before catching our ferry was quite generous with fresh bread, cheese and goat milk yogurt from the local farm.
Another option on Miquelon is to stay at Les Cabanes du Cap. These tiny homes are perched along the cliff-side at the beginning of Du Cap and are owned by the same folks operating Chez Adrien restaurant. The cabins are eco-conscious while providing a bit of luxury to their guests and they also have a sauna on site to rest aching bodies after hiking.
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