MARINE ISLAND
Read moreUninhabited since the 1960s, Île aux Marins once had a population of nearly 600 and was an important economic center for cod fishing. To visit this island, its landscapes and its restored fishermen's houses, an accompanied excursion is preferable and allows you to spend a very pleasant moment (departures are from the shuttle dock to the island in Saint-Pierre). Don't forget your picnic! The Notre-Dame-des-Marins church is a curiosity, but is only accessible through a guided tour. For those who wish to extend their stay on the island, it is possible to stay in the SPA house (capacity of 15 persons) and the Marie-Ange house (capacity of 20 persons), both fully equipped (rental available only from May to mid-October, rates per person, reservation required).
To learn more about this small island transformed into a sort of ecomuseum of the fishermen of the past, a visit to the Archipelitude museum is a must. It presents a collection of everyday objects used at the time. You can also visit other rehabilitated buildings, such as the Maison grise (kitchen of the past and a room dedicated to dory engines) and the Maison Jézéquel, which is now a cafeteria on the island but also an exhibition place (sail making tools and salt works of the past), the town hall, the school, the wash house, the Garage des Pompes or the municipal workshop.
You can also see the bow of the Transpacific wreck, a cargo ship whose carcass moves with the tides.