Saint Pierre and Miquelon Travel Guide & Community
Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a travel destination in North America. Its capital is Saint-Pierre. August and July are its two best months to visit, ranked on 1991–2020 climate averages.
Top places to visit in Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint-Pierre Town (city) — The colourful capital and only urban centre of the French archipelago — cobblestone streets lined with brightly painted Breton-style houses, a lively harbour where trawlers unload alongside the Newfoundland ferry, bistros serving duck confit and regional French wines; entirely French in language, currency, and culture despite being 25 km from Canada.
Île-aux-Marins (Île aux Chiens) (landmark) — Evocative ghost island a short boat ride from Saint-Pierre — a former fishing village of 600 people, now almost deserted; the wooden houses, chapel, cemetery, and school stand intact as a living museum of the archipelago's cod-fishing heritage; a handful of summer residents revive the lanes during July and August.
Grand Colombier (natural) — Dramatic basalt sea stack off the western coast of Miquelon — an isolated pillar of rock rising 25 m from the sea, colonised by thousands of northern gannets, black-legged kittiwakes, and razorbills; the surrounding waters are a prime humpback whale feeding ground from July through October.
Langlade Island (natural) — The wild southern island of the Miquelon-Langlade isthmus — a sparsely inhabited moorland of bogs, lakes, and dramatic Atlantic cliffs; the 15 km sandy isthmus connecting it to Miquelon is a constantly shifting landscape of dunes and lagoons; the island harbours large populations of moose and Arctic foxes.
Cap aux Basques Lighthouse (natural) — Iconic red-and-white striped lighthouse on the windswept northern tip of Saint-Pierre Island — one of the most photographed landmarks in the archipelago; the rocky cape below is battered by North Atlantic swells and offers spectacular whale-watching from the cliff-top path in summer.
Étang de Mirande (natural) — A large freshwater pond in the northern interior of Saint-Pierre Island — a migratory bird staging area visited by shorebirds, ducks, and geese during the Atlantic flyway migration in spring and autumn; the surrounding bog and heathland are home to breeding snipe, the only woodcock in French territory.
Prohibition Heritage Trail (landmark) — Saint-Pierre's unique role in Prohibition-era history (1920–33) — the archipelago became a massive liquor transshipment hub, with Al Capone personally visiting; warehouses bulging with Scotch and rum supplied rum runners crossing to the US; guided tours recount the swashbuckling era remembered in local museums and café stories.
Miquelon Village (city) — The quiet main settlement of Miquelon Island — a cluster of wooden Acadian-style houses, a Basque-influenced church, and a small museum of local maritime history; the shallow Baie de Plaisance beach in front of the village is one of the few calm-water bathing spots in the archipelago.
Pointe Plate Lighthouse (natural) — Remote lighthouse on the flat southeastern tip of Miquelon Island — the striking white tower guides vessels through the treacherous rip tides of the Grand Barachois tidal lagoon entrance; the surrounding wetlands are the archipelago's most important habitat for harbour seals and Atlantic grey seals.
Grand Barachois Tidal Lagoon (natural) — Vast tidal lagoon between Miquelon and Langlade — the dynamic estuary of shifting sandbars and eelgrass shallows supports a resident colony of grey seals and is a critical nursery habitat for cod and capelin; a favoured site for kayaking and seal watching guided tours departing from Miquelon village.