Baie-Saint-Paul

Baie-Saint-Paul is the cultural, economic, and administrative centre of the the Charlevoix region of Quebec. It is known for its art galleries, shops, restaurants, accommodation and its offer of recreational tourism activities.

Baie-Saint-Paul has a very attractive town centre along Rue Sainte Anne and Rue Saint Jean Baptiste. Joining at Place de l'Église, the town square where the town church stands, both streets form a narrow continuous main street lined with attractive small town buildings. The business district with art galleries and restaurants is along Rue Saint Jean Baptiste between Place de l'Église and Rue Forget/Rue Saint Pierre.

Baie-Saint-Paul is a gateway to the region's natural attractions (grandiose landscapes of valleys and mountains, its superb border of the river, its maritime space, its streams and bodies of water, its magnificent forests), its picturesque architecture, its regional history (in particular the astroblème of Charlevoix), its artistic and cultural life, as well as the products of the soil, the regional services and its artists and craftsmen.

Understand
Baie-Saint-Paul is a town of 7,400 people (2021). Baie-Saint-Paul was designated as one of the "Cultural Capitals of Canada" of 2007 by the Department of Canadian Heritage (along with five other communities), in the category of less than 50,000 inhabitants. In addition, the municipality of Baie-Saint-Paul is a member of the Federation of Villages-Relais du Québec.



History
Almost 400 million years ago, the fall of a meteorite significantly modified the relief of Charlevoix, creating a crater 54 km in diameter; it is the eleventh largest impact site identified on earth. The impact zone was along the St. Lawrence River; 60% of the astroblème covers the north shore of the river and 40% is located under the river's water. The astrobleme begins on the southwest side a few kilometres west of Baie-Saint-Paul, up to Cap-à-l'Aigle, on the east bank of the Malbaie River, in La Malbaie. The centre of the astrobleme was Mont des Éboulements (summit at 768 m), formed by the effect of the raising of the crater bottom following the impact. Since this impact, the crater has undergone significant metamorphosis under the effect of various erosion agents, making it more difficult to recognize its outline, particularly the part submerged in the St. Lawrence River. Consequently, experts define this ancient impact structure as the astrobleme. Inaugurated in 2014, an interpretation centre dedicated to the Charlevoix astrobleme is open to the public; this interpretation centre is housed in the former Club House of the Manoir Richelieu in La Malbaie.

The place gained some prominence in the 1770s when Doctor Philippe-Louis-François Badelard named a disease he was researching the "Baie-Saint-Paul maladie". This illness was the subject of one of the first medical publications done in Lower Canada.

It is also where Cirque du Soleil began in 1982 under the name "Club des Talons Hauts" (High Heels Club), and the location of the first show using the name Cirque du Soleil during "La Fete Foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul" in 1984.

Geography
The mountain at Amédée, and Cap-aux-Corbeaux overlook on the east side the lower valley of the Gouffre river; while the "montagne des Florent" (400 m), Les Tourelles and La Pointue overlook the west side. In the western part of the territory which stretches as far as Savane Lake, the main summit is the Montagne du Lac à l'Ange (1071 m) and the Montagne à Roch (513 m).

The main hamlets of Baie-Saint-Paul are:
 * west side of the Gouffre river: Saint-Placide-Nord, La Mare, Saint-Placide-de-Charlevoix, Dufour and Bas-de-la-Baie;
 * east side of the Gouffre river: Cap-aux-Corbeaux.

Most of the municipal territory is zoned agricultural, except the urban area in the southern part. Hors de la vallée de la rivière du Gouffre, le territoire municipal est surtout forestier et montagneux.

Climate
Baie-Saint-Paul has a humid continental climate with vast seasonal differences. Summers are mild and moderated by its proximity to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. In winter, interior Canada influences the climate with frequent cold waves.

By car

 * From Tadoussac (122 km, time: 1 hr 56 min), take the Tadoussac-Baie Sainte-Catherine ferry; take route 138 (westbound) to the village of Baie-Saint-Paul.
 * From Quebec (93 km, time: 1 hr 7 min), take route 138 eastbound, to the village of Baie-Saint-Paul.

Train operator

 * Route:
 * Operates a daily train between Quebec City and La Malbaie with stops in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Baie-Saint-Paul, Les Éboulements, and Saint-Irénée. The trains departs in the morning from Quebec City and in the afternoon from La Malbaie. This tourist train runs 125 km with views of the Saint Lawrence River and mountains. In Baie-Saint-Paul, the train stops at both 50 rue de la Ferme and 104 rue Sainte-Anne stations.

By bus

 * Operates a daily route between Baie-Comeau and Montreal including stops in Forestville, Tadoussac, Baie-Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Siméon, La Malbaie, Clermont, Saint-Hilarion, Baie-Saint-Paul, Saint-Tite-des-Caps, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Boischatel, and Quebec City. Trips toward Baie-Comeau start from Quebec City and do not include a stop in Montreal.

Viewpoints

 * East side of rivière du Gouffre
 * West side of rivière du Gouffre
 * West side of rivière du Gouffre
 * West side of rivière du Gouffre
 * West side of rivière du Gouffre

Art galleries
Art galleries are a specialty of this small town.

Eat
Since March 2020, in the context of health measures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, several restaurants or dining rooms in Charlevoix have transformed the mode of meals at the tables into take-out or by delivery service. In general, restaurateurs have shown great resilience by updating their website, integrating interactive and automated applications for remote orders, as well as displaying the menu, opening hours, their mode of operation (e.g., by reservation, car service), health measures required (e.g., vaccination record, mask, distancing), other services (e.g., caterer, shops, accommodation, access for the disabled, wi-fi, take-out, delivery), contact details and often the history of the restaurant or site. Considering the evolving context of the pandemic and government measures, it is recommended that customers obtain information from each establishment by consulting their respective website.