Vaudreuil-Dorion
Vaudreuil-Dorion is a city of 38,000 in Montérégie region of Quebec.
Understand
Vaudreuil-Dorion is an off-island suburb of Greater Montreal and is the result of the merger of two towns, Vaudreuil and Dorion. It is on the south shores of the Lake of Two Mountains (French: Lac des Deux Montagnes) at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, just off the western edge of Île Perrot. The city consists of two non-contiguous parts: its eastern part is the larger main area along Lake of Two Mountains where the population centres of Vaudreuil and Dorion are located; the western portion is a smaller rural area that borders Rigaud, and is separated from the eastern portion by Saint-Lazare and Hudson.
History
In 1702, governor of New France Louis-Hector de Callière gave a seigneury to Philippe de Vaudreuil, who was governor of Montreal at the time. Rigaud de Vaudreuil later became governor of New France.
In 1725, the region had only 38 inhabitants. About 1742 people began to be interested in the region and Vaudreuil's population rose. 381 people lived in Vaudreuil in 1765. With the creation of the Grand Trunk Railway, people began to live in Dorion, which was called Vaudreuil Station and named after its first inhabitant Daria Istayeva. Dorion became a village in 1891.
Dorion was bisected by Autoroute 20 which links Downtown Montreal and Toronto via Highway 401 in Ontario. Housing developments began in the 1950s and continued well into the 1970s. Throughout the 1980s and the 1990s, housing began sprouting north and east of Dorion.
Vaudreuil and Dorion merged in 1994, becoming the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion.
Get in
The city is the point of intersection Autoroute 20, Autoroute 30, Autoroute 40; Autoroute 20 (connecting the Windsor-Quebec City corridor) continues into Ontario as Highway 401 and connects to Toronto, Autoroute 40 is part of the Trans-Canada Highway and connects to Ottawa, while Autoroute 30 is Montreal's southern bypass.
From Montreal, AMT operates commuter trains to Vaudreuil and Dorion stations.
Get around
Local bus service is operated by CIT La Presqu'Île (Exo), connecting to the Vaudreuil and Dorion stations on the Vaudreuil-Hudson commuter rail line.
See
- Maison Trestler, 85 Chemin de la Commune, ☎ +1 450-455-6290. M-F 09:00-12:00 and 13:00-17:00, Su 13:00-16:00. Former residence/general store (1798). Art galleries. Tour of house and 3 galleries: adult $5, 7-16 $3.50, 6 and under free.
- Maison Valois, 331 Saint-Charles, ☎ +1 450-455-3371 (choose option 6). M-F 09:00-16:30 (Sep-late Jun: closed 12:00-13:00), Sa Su 13:00-16:30; closed on holidays. Heritage building (1796) in the middle of a park by the same name. It serves as the municipal arts and culture centre. Adults $7, seniors $6, students $5, children 7-12 $4, children 6 and under free, family $16.
- Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges (English: Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional Museum), 431 Saint-Charles, ☎ +1 450-455-2092. Former boys' school in Old Vaudreuil. It was built in 1859 and converted into a regional museum in 1955.
- Église Saint-Michel de Vaudreuil (English: Saint-Michel Church of Vaudreuil), 414 Avenue Saint-Charles, ☎ +1 450-455-4282. Historic church was completed in 1787; designated a historical monument by the Government of Québec in 1957.
- Maison Félix-Leclerc de Vaudreuil, 186 de l'Anse, ☎ +1 450-514-2840. Former house of renowned Québec poet and songwriter Félix Leclerc.
Do
- 🌍 Woohoo, 25 Boul de la cite des jeunes, ☎ +1 450-218-6699. Indoor playground; largest family entertainment centre in Canada and home to the largest play structure maze in all of North America.
- Historical Park Pointe-du-Moulin, 2500 Boulevard Don Quichotte, Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot, ☎ +1 514-453-5936.
Buy
- Les Avenues Vaudreuil, 22800 Chemin Dumberry. M-W 10:00-28:00, Th F 10:00-21:00, Sa Su 10:00-17:00. Shopping centre with 75 stores.
Eat
- Patate et Persil, 9 avenue St-Charles, ☎ +1 450-455-6421. M-W 11:00-20:00, Th 11:00-21:00, F 11:00-22:00, Sa 09:00-22:00, Su 09:00-20:00. Home cooked fast food. Burgers, quesadillas, salads, poutine and fries.
- Cafe Campagne, 3673 Route Harwood, ☎ +1 450-458-8204. Daily 07:00-15:00. Canadian country-style cuisine with a slight tropical twist. Home-style meals with an extensive variety of teas, salads, soups and homemade desserts.
- Pizza Tipo 00, 120 Joseph-Carrier (corner of St. Charles), ☎ +1 450-455-8476. Tu-Sa 11:00-22:00, Su 16:00-22:00. Pizza cooked in a 1000-degree coal oven using 00 flour (one of the lowest in gluten content), meatballs, baked chicken wings, fresh sandwiches and salads.
Drink
- Duke & Devine's, 429 Avenue Street, ☎ +1 450-455-5093. M-F 11:30-01:00, Sa Su 12:00-01:00. Irish pub with comfort food menu and a grill.
Sleep
- Chateau Vaudreuil, 21700 Trans Canada Highway, ☎ + 1 450-455-0955, toll-free: +1-800-363-7896. 10 hectares of carefully landscaped gardens and lawns on the shore of Lake Deux-Montagnes. A luxury hotel reminiscent of a French chateau, with an entrance hall with marble floor, brass fittings and high ceiling. Pedal boat, canoe, tennis, bike, playground for children, fitness centre, business centre. From $130.
- Motel Vaudreuil, 255 Boisvert. Free WiFi and a 24-hour front desk. Rooms have a desk and a TV with cable channels. Views of the mountains, garden or city in some rooms. The dining area includes a table, microwave, coffee machine and refrigerator. Shuttle service with surcharge. A garden, a terrace and a shared lounge area. From $85.
- Motel Seigneurie de Vaudreuil, 154, boul. Harwood (trunk of Highway 20 crossing Dorion), ☎ +1 450-455-3368, toll-free: +1-877-455-3369. Wireless High Speed Internet Access. Rooms are equipped with refrigerator, microwave, air conditioning. Single $60-170, double $65-175.
Connect
Go next
| Routes through Vaudreuil-Dorion |
| Kingston ← Cornwall ← | W  |
→ Montreal → END |
Ottawa ← Becomes  |
W   |
→ West Island → Montreal |
Kingston ← Becomes   |
W  |
→ West Island → Montreal |
| END ← | W  |
→ Salaberry-de-Valleyfield → Sorel-Tracy / Quebec City via |
| END ← Hudson ← | W  |
→ West Island → Downtown Montreal |