Île aux Marins

Île aux Marins, a small islet just across the water from the town of Saint-Pierre, is one of the archipelago's most charming and evocative places, a beautifully preserved former fishing community now uninhabited but frozen in time. Once home to a thriving village of cod fishermen and their families, it was gradually abandoned in the twentieth century, but its colourful wooden houses, its church, schoolhouse and the traces of its hardy island life have been lovingly maintained. Today visitors reach it by a short boat trip and wander its grassy lanes among the old buildings, visiting a small museum that tells the story of this vanished way of life. Peaceful, poignant and picturesque, it is a lovely window on the archipelago's maritime past.

What you actually see

• The colourful houses - the preserved old fishermen's homes.
• The church - the historic island church.
• The museum - the story of the vanished fishing community.
• The grassy lanes - the peaceful, time-frozen village.

When to go

June to September, the northern summer, is the season to visit, when boat trips run, the weather is mildest and the island's grassy lanes are green and inviting; the islet is quiet and largely inaccessible in the cold, foggy off-season. Summer offers the most reliable crossings.

Honest expectations

Île aux Marins is a small, quiet islet reached by a short boat trip, mainly accessible in summer, and its appeal is gentle atmosphere and heritage rather than grand sights or activities. As a beautifully preserved and poignant former fishing village frozen in time just off Saint-Pierre, though, the island is a genuinely charming and evocative place to explore.

Nearby

The town of Saint-Pierre lies just across the water.