The colorful buildings of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.
Did you know there’s a little slice of Europe in the North Atlantic? Saint-Pierre and Miquelon might fly under the radar for most budget travelers, but it’s worth a look if you’re ready to see something totally different.
Here’s how to visit this self-governing French territory off the coast of Canada without breaking the bank.
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Getting toSaint-Pierre and Miquelon
Getting to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon from Europe (or from most places in North America, for that matter) has, until recently, been very expensive. Air traffic to and from Saint-Pierre is dominated by local airline Air Saint-Pierre, which charges exorbitant fares for most of its routes. The one exception to their pricing is the short, 45-minute flight between St. John’s, Newfoundland and Saint-Pierre. A curious budget-minded traveler might then think, fine, let’s get to St. John’s cheaply and proceed from there.
Not so fast, budget warrior! Fares from Europe and most of North America to St. John’s are terribly expensive. I have wanted to visit Saint-Pierre for many years. I’ve spent loads of time pricing out journeys, discouraged time and time again by prices more than $2,000 — both from New York and from Europe.
Until recently, that is. The Canadian low-cost airline WestJet has now made the transatlantic journey between London and St John’s affordable. A flight from London to St. John’s, Newfoundland costs around £350, and the connecting flight on Air Saint-Pierre from St. John’s to Saint-Pierre is just over €200. And just like that, presto! Saint-Pierre and Miquelon enterthe ranks of places that can be visited within a reasonable budget.
I find it ironic to suggest a North American low-cost carrier I’ve often tipped here for affordable travel in the other direction, that is, for getting from Europe to North America — odder yet to a bit of North America that is, jurisdictionally speaking, Europe.
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A view of Saint-Pierre from the water.
Here are five tips for seeing the best of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon on a budget.
1. Stay in a gîte
The French version of the bed & breakfast, agîte, is a high-value proposition in the islands. On Saint-Pierre, I stayed at Pension Dodeman (€65 per night), a cute gîte on the edge of town. The owners occupy the ground floor, and three guest rooms are upstairs. The breakfast (a basket of baguettes and croissants) was included in the price.
On Miquelon, I stayed at L’Anjélie, where my basem*nt room was €50 per night, and of course, included a very French bread-based breakfast.
2. Visit Miquelon, too — and go for long hikes
The larger of the archipelago’s inhabited islands is far more sparsely populated than Saint-Pierre. There are great hiking trails here through hardy wooded areas and low-lying scrub. There is also a fantastic, brand-new, state-of-the-art nature museum, called La Maison de la Nature et de l’Environnement (€10). You can fly to Miquelon on a tiny Air Saint-Pierre plane (€29 round trip) or on a ferry. Some ferries sail to Langlade, the uninhabited island south of Miquelon (round trip €17). Avoid these, as they require additional (and expensive!) ground transportation to Miquelon. The direct Saint-Pierre to Miquelon ferries cost €24 round trip.
3. Visit Saint-Pierre’s Arche Museum
Check out the territorial history museum (Arche Museum) to learn about the territory’s unusual status, its migration history, and its economic booms and busts. Here you can also check out the island’s guillotine — once put to use, now sitting on its grisly own. Admission is €7. Here’s another cultural tip: take in the territory’s pronounced Basque heritage. Visit the pelota court in the middle of the town of Saint-Pierre. For dedicated Basque culture lovers, every summer there is an annual Basque Festival on Saint-Pierre.
4. Eat croissants
You are in France, after all. Do not forget this, and do not fail to take advantage of the ubiquity of delicious croissants.
5. Take a tour
If you want to get a taste of local culture, book a tour with Frenchi’s Tours by Steve Le Bars. I took his culinary tour, which allowed me to try all sorts of traditional island grub. He took me to a local shack, full of creaky furniture and 30-year old magazines. We ate tuna pâté (canned tuna with boiled potatoes, mayonnaise, ketchup, and shallots), some other local pates, dried fish, and a ludicrously rich île flotante, a merengue splattered with hardened caramel, sitting in cream. Everything was washed down with red wine and birch beer. Delicious! Steve’s tours begin at €30. My only caution: be very clear about what you want in terms of tour length — in other words, about what you can afford. On longer tours, Steve charges by the hour.
