Saint Pierre

The commune

Get to know Saint Pierre

The commune of Saint-Pierre includes the island of the same name, about 26 km², and the islets around it: Île aux Marins, Grand Colombier, Petit Colombier, Île aux Pigeons and Île aux Vainqueurs. Nearly the entire archipelago population lives here—about 5,200 people—and this is where the airport, the ferry port and the seat of the French territorial collectivity are located.

The town of Saint-Pierre climbs up sloping streets from the harbor, with wooden houses painted in bright colors. Near Place du Général-de-Gaulle are the quay, the tourist office and the cathedral, rebuilt from 1905 to 1907 after a fire. Further north, the Fronton Zazpiak Bat, dating from 1906, is a Basque pelota court, a reminder of the Basque fishermen who populated the islands alongside Bretons and Normans.

Two museums recount local life. L'Arche houses the collectivity’s archives and collections, from cod fishing on the Grand Banks to the Prohibition era in the United States, when Saint-Pierre was a hub for smuggled alcohol; the Musée Héritage gathers everyday objects from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Opposite the harbor, about a ten-minute boat ride away, Île aux Marins was a fishing village until 1963. The church Notre-Dame-des-Marins, the school, the former town hall and restored houses form an open-air museum, with the hull of the ship Transpacific stranded on the beach. Guided visits depart from the L'Arche museum.

Outside the town, the Anse à Henry trail passes an archaeological site with signs of occupation going back thousands of years and offers views to Grand Colombier, a reserve where seabirds nest, including the Atlantic puffin. At the harbor entrance, the red-and-white lighthouse of Pointe aux Canons, from 1862, and the cannons of the old battery are the island’s postcard sights; in Les Salines are the colorful fishermen’s huts.