Step ashore on the hauntingly beautiful Île aux Marins — a deserted fishing village frozen in time — with a private local guide who brings its vanished community back to life. Utterly bucket-list and unlike anywhere else on earth.
What to expect
A short boat crossing from Saint-Pierre deposits you on an island that France evacuated in 1965, its colourful wooden houses, church, and cemetery left almost exactly as residents left them. Éléa navigates you through fog-laced lanes, pointing out family names still legible on mailboxes and the tiny school where children once learned French at the edge of the North Atlantic. The landscape is wild and windswept, with seabirds wheeling overhead and the distant silhouette of Saint-Pierre as your only reminder of the modern world. You return to port with photographs and stories that will outlast any souvenir.
Good to know
Book Éléa well in advance — she is the island's most sought-after guide and fills up fast on cruise days. The boat to Île aux Marins runs regularly from the Saint-Pierre ferry dock; confirm all-aboard time and allow at least 3 hours total. Wear layers and waterproof shoes — the island paths are unpaved and the Atlantic wind is relentless even in summer.
Sail there
Luxury cruises that call at St Pierre et Miquelon — book through us, the fare is identical and your concierge stays on your side.