St. Pierre – A Little Piece of France in North America

Visiting all countries and territories in the world includes visits to little known places. Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is one of those places. Located close to Newfoundland with bad climate most of the year and furthermore a very expensive place to reach as only the national airline, Air Saint-Pierre operates flights from Canada. French will have to first fly into Montreal before being able to reach the territory they own.

Where to stay? St. Pierre does not have any luxury hotels, but the closest you get is the small 4-room, Nuits with comfortable rooms and complimentary Wi-Fi access. I stayed at Nuits for one night due to lack of availability and for two nights at the much cheaper B&B called Bernard Dodeman located in a private house just outside the town center.

What to do and where to eat? The main reason to visit St. Pierre is the feeling of a French town in North America, and with that comes good food. There are only a handful of restaurants in St. Pierre with L’Atelier Gourmand Restaurant being the best. It is very difficult to operate a restaurant in St. Pierre where almost everything has to be imported. An exception is, however, the lovely local lobsters I highly recommend selecting from their menu. For other things to do, I highly recommend a guided tour by car and visiting the smaller local islands. The guided tour is organized by English-speaking Jean-Claude Fouchard and can be booked at jcfouchard@cheznoo.net

For more information about Saint-Pierre and Miquelon visit the tourist board’s website at www.tourisme-saint-pierre-et-miquelon.com/en/