Backpack and Snorkel Travel Guide for St. Pierre - St. Pierre and Miquelon Purple Travel Guide
Today, we will hike again and, as it is our last day on St. Pierre, finally do a self-guided walking tour of the town to explore its colorful buildings and some landmarks. We provide detailed information and a self-guided tour with the best things to see and we show lots of photos so you know what you can expect.
Table of contents
Discovering St. Pierre - Day 2 |
Discovering Miquelon |
Discovering St. Pierre |
Trip to St. John’s |
hike L'Anse-a-Henry
Some of the earliest items that prove human occupation of St. Pierre around 3,000 BC were found at L'Anse-a-Henry.
Today, L'Anse-a-Henry is one of the best places to hike on St. Pierre. You can either walk to the trailhead from downtown St. Pierre or take a taxi. The walk is about 45min, while the taxi ride is about 5min. More information on taxis in St. Pierre can be found here.
1 = L'Anse-a-Henry Trailhead
2 = Vue sur le Grand Colombier (Overlook)
3 = Beach
The trail starts at an unassuming bridge and then goes through beautiful scenery and rewards you with beautiful views. Shortly behind the bridge are blackberry shrubs. After 1.1 miles (1.8 km) you will come to an overlook (Vue sur le Grand Colombier) with a bench where you can rest or explore the surrounding area. Until this point, the hike is of moderate difficulty.
We relaxed on the bench and were able to see the spouts from several exhaling whales and a ship near the island of Grand Colombier of which you have a fabulous view.
After the bench, the trail narrows and goes fairly steep down to the beach for 0.4 miles (600 m). Chances are that you will share the rocky downhill trail with water that is running down the hill. This part of the trail is moderate-to-difficult.
On your way back, we propose to walk back into town for a self-guided walking tour of St. Pierre.
Self-guided walking tour of St. Pierre
This short self-guided walking tour of St. Pierre brings you to the highlights of the city. At the end, we encourage you to just walk through the streets with its colorful houses and along the waterfront to experience the beauty and peacefulness of the town.
1. Lighthouse
The Point aux Canons Lighthouse was built in 1862 and is now inactive. The place is called Point aux Canons, after the 18th century canons that are standing nearby.
Originally painted in all white, a black band was added in the 1930s and that was later changed to the red color that you see today.
You can walk up to the lighthouse, but cannot enter it.
The lighthouse can be found on many St. Pierre postcards – postcards can be bought at the Ré-Créations store.
2. Anse Coudreville
Anse Coudreville is a 0.15-mile (230 m) grass strip along the waterfront that runs between the lighthouse and the ferry dock.
Here you can see:
- the canons that gave the name to the Point aux Canons Lighthouse
- a torpedo from 1924
- the SPM (St. Pierre and Miquelon) sign
There is also a picnic table.
3. Cathedral of Saint Pierre
Construction of the original church began at some point after 1668 when French settlers started settling on St. Pierre. Completion was in 1690.
In 1902, the original church and the majority of St. Pierre were destroyed in the Great Fire. The structure that you see today was built from 1905-1907 in Basque architectural style.
As an innovative construction material at that time, cement was used for part of the exterior. Unfortunately, the cement weathered away over time and in 1975 major renovation was undertaken and the belfry was completely rebuilt.
Some of the stained-glass windows are originals from 1905, some are more modern – they were donated by Charles de Gaulle in 1967.
The church was the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of Iles Saint Pierre and Miquelon until it was dissolved in 2018 and made part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes.
4. Place du Général de Gaulle
The plaza was originally called Place Napoléon, then renamed Place de la Roncière in honor of Emile de la Roncière, commander of the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon from 1859-1863, and then changed to Place du Général de Gaulle in 1945.
It used to be the center of economic activity of the city of Saint-Pierre and it was lined with cafes, warehouses, hotels and, at one time, a tennis court (Cour Chartier).
In 1967, General de Gaulle gave a speech on this plaza.
Today, Place du Général de Gaulle is very quiet most of the year, except on the national holiday of July 14, where it once again becomes the center of town festivities and the raising of the flag ceremony.
Anywhere = colorful houses
Now that you have seen the major highlights of St. Pierre, we like to encourage you to just walk through town and enjoy the colorful houses everywhere.
Le Select restaurant
Unlike Miquelon, St. Pierre has more restaurants, and it is necessary to make a reservation in many restaurants. See more information about the restaurants here.
The Le Select restaurant opens at 7pm for dinner and serves French dishes. The restaurant was not sold out when we visited and we could have likely gotten in without a reservation. The food was good, but not as tasty as at the Feu de braise. Our server spoke good English.
This concludes your tour for today.
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