Charlevoix

Charlevoix is a tourist and historic region in Quebec, Canada.

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

Regions

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

Cities

• 🌍 Baie St-Paul
• 🌍 La Malbaie
• 🌍 Les Eboulements
• 🌍 Baie-Ste-Catherine

Other destinations

• 🌍 Ile-aux-Coudres
• 🌍 Port-au-Persil — hamlet in Saint-Siméon municipality
• Baie-des-Rochers — in Saint-Siméon municipality

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.

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

Rivière-du-Loup—Saint-Siméon, duration: 65 minutes, [phone] or [phone].

Baie-Sainte-Catherine—Tadoussac, duration: 8 minutes, free, [phone].

Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive—Isle-aux-Coudres, duration: 15 minutes, free, [phone].

By bus

Intercar, [phone] (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

• Train de Charlevoix, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Seasonal service. This tourist train runs between Montmorency Falls and La Malbaie with a shuttle bus between Québec City (Gare de Palais) and Montmorency Falls leaving Gare de Palais 40 minutes before train time. (updated Jul 2017)

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

National parks

There are two Quebec national parks in this region:

• Parc national des Grands-Jardins, Route 381, km 31, ☎ [phone]. 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. $3.50 per person. 
• Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie, Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs, ☎ [phone]. Spectacular sight for canoeing or kayaking on the river. Nice hiking on Acropole des Draveurs. $3.50 per person. 

Do

• Alpine Skiing: Massif de la Petite Rivière Sant-Francois, [phone] (toll free). Alpine skiers, don't miss out this mountain, the highest drop east of the Rockies Mountains. Incredible ski conditions. $41/day for 1 adult. Discounts available for students and large groups. http://www.lemassif.com
• Hiking: Parc National des Grands Jardins, Parc National des Hautes-Gorges de La Malbaie
• A visit to Les Quartre Vents (The Gardens of the Four Winds), La Malbaie, e-mail: [e-mail]. by reservation - see website. One of the finest residential gardens in North America and an object lesson in how to relate a garden to the landscape and create a viable growing condition within. $35 per person. (updated Jan 2018)

Buy

• Les Ateliers DeBlois. Discover work by artists Joan and Marc DeBlois, pottery, raku and paintings, in St-Irénée. 

Eat

• Les Saveurs Oubliées, Les Eboulements, 350, Rang Godefroy, ☎ [phone]. Exquisite country and Charlevoix regional cuisine. Famous for their lamb meals. Bring your wine. Reservation must be made well in advance. Around $40 per person. 

Drink

Sleep

• Les Mésanges, Baie-St-Paul
• Fairmont Manoir Richelieu. Hotel and casino overlooking the St. Lawrence River. 
• Hôtel-Motel Castel de la Mer. Located in the historic district of Pointe-au-Pic in La Malbaie. 
• Immeubles Charlevoix (Immeubles Charlevoix), 20, rue Leclerc, toll-free: [phone]. For a weekend or a longer stay. Villas, country homes, and four-star cottages available. $180+. 

Go next

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