Saint Pierre and Miquelon French TerritoryCruise Port Guide

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is a small French territorial collectivity comprising two main islands located just 25 km off the southern coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Despite its proximity to North America, the archipelago is indisputably, exuberantly French: the architecture is Breton and Norman, the food is French bistro cuisine, the language is French, the currency is the Euro, and the population of about 6,000 maintains a European character that feels almost absurdly out of place in the middle of the North Atlantic.

Saint-Pierre, the larger and more populated island, is where all cruise activity is centered. The town of Saint-Pierre is a charming compact port city of colorful buildings, narrow streets, and French cafes with sidewalk seating. The history of the islands is dramatically illustrated at the Musée de l'Arche, which explores the rum-running era: during US Prohibition (1920–1933), Saint-Pierre became a massive transshipment point for illegal alcohol heading to the United States. Al Capone himself visited the islands at the height of the trade.

The islands' most poignant history predates Prohibition: the tragic wreck of the Titanic's sister ship, the Empress of Ireland, is commemorated here; more importantly, the islands retain the memory of the execution of the last person guillotined in North America, in 1889, and commemorate the unique Franco-North American culture that evolved here over centuries.

The landscape of the islands is stark and beautiful — treeless moorland, rocky coastlines, dramatic sea views. Miquelon (the second island) features the remarkable Langlade isthmus, a narrow sand bar connecting two landmasses, where over 600 shipwrecks lie just offshore. Walking the Langlade is a wild, remote experience.

The resident Basque cultural influence is evident in place names and traditions; Basque fishermen pursued cod here for centuries before permanent French settlement.