Charlevoix

Charlevoix in Central Quebec is on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River and in the Laurentian Mountains. This dramatic landscape includes rolling terrain, fjords, headlands and bays; the region was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1989.

For other places with the same name, see Charlevoix (disambiguation).

Regions
  • Charlevoix Regional Municipality County
  • Charlevoix-Est Regional Municipality County

Cities

From southwest to northeast:

  • 🌍 La Malbaie — home of the historic Manoir Richelieu Hotel, the town has been drawing visitors since 1760
  • 🌍 Baie-Sainte-Catherine — a gateway to the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park and to the Saguenay Conservation Park, and a starting point for whale-watching cruises

Other destinations
  • 🌍 L'Isle-aux-Coudres — an island in the St. Lawrence River about 6 km south from the mainland known for its historical sites, tourist accommodations, and craftspeople
  • 🌍 Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park — part of the Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve, popular with anglers, hikers, campers and vacationers
  • 🌍 Port-au-Persil — hamlet in Saint-Siméon municipality
  • 🌍 Baie-des-Rochers Municipal Park — in Saint-Siméon municipality, it offers marine and forest environments, marine mammals such as seals, beluga whales and whales can sometimes be seen

Understand

Covering 6000 km² in the Canadian shield, Charlevoix has a magnificiant mountain scenery caused by a 6.8-million-tonne meteor 350 million years ago. The earliest vacationers came to Charlevoix as early as 1760.

The region was named after Pierre François-Xavier de Charlevoix, a French Jesuit explorer and historian who travelled through the area in the 18th century. The community of La Malbaie was known as the first resort area in Canada. For much of its history, Charlevoix was home to a thriving summer colony of wealthy Americans, including President William Howard Taft.

Get in

By car

Baie St-Paul and La Malbaie are the major cities of this region. You get in by car using Highway 138. It is about 4 to 5 hours from Montreal and 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes from Quebec City.

By ferry

Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive—Isle-aux-Coudres, duration: 15 minutes, free, ☏ +1 418-438-2743.

By bus
  • Intercar, +1-800-806-2167 (toll free), offers the service from Quebec City (Gare du Palais, 320, rue Abraham-Martin) to Baie St-Paul and various cities in Charlevoix along the St-Lawrence River. Discounts for students and seniors. Reservations are mandatory for some cities.

By train


Get around

The best way to go around in Charlevoix is by car. However, you can get to many locations by bus with Intercar (see above).

See

For those interested in history and art, there's the Musée d'art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul, a contemporary art museum, and the Musée de Charlevoix, dedicated to folk art, regional history and culture in La Malbaie.

National parks

There are two Quebec national parks in this region:

  • Des Grands-Jardins National Park (Parc national des Grands-Jardins), Route 381, km 31, ☏ +1-866-702-9202. This park has 134 lakes and 7 rivers. You can do hiking (hike on Mont du Lac des Cygnes is a must), cycling, canoeing, kayaking (rentals available on-site) and fishing (brook trout). Camping available. $9.25 per person. 
  • Hautes-Gorges-de-la-rivière-Malbaie National Park (Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie), Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs, ☏ +1-866-702-9202. Spectacular sight for canoeing or kayaking on the river. Nice hiking on Acropole des Draveurs. $9.25 per person. 

Do

Sleep

Go next

The two regions to see after visiting Charlevoix are Quebec Region and Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean.

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