Chambly

Chambly is a historic and modern city surrounded by the territory of Carignan forming a half-donut on the west side, on the west bank of the Richelieu River. Chambly is located in the Regional County Municipality (MRC) of La Vallée-du-Richelieu, in administrative region of Montérégie, in Quebec.

Chambly had around 31,000 residents in 2021. Visitors come to the city to see the 18th-century Fort Chambly, and to go boating on the Chambly Canal. This city has above all a historical, residential, commercial (along route 112) and recreational tourism vocation. Recreational tourism activities are mainly: hiking, biking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, nautical activities on the L'Acadie River and on the Chambly Basin, etc. Resorts are developed there on the neighbouring islands, as well as along the L'Acadie and Richelieu rivers.

The main attractions of this city are its historic area around the Chambly basin: old fort of Chambly, Richelieu canal (and the locks), along the avenue Bourgogne and Martel street; and the islands located between the course of the L'Acadie river and the Richelieu river (Chambly basin): Goyer, aux Lièvres, Demers and au Foin.

History
Descendants of European immigrants have lived in Chambly since the 17th century, but Chambly was not incorporated as a city until 1965.

In 1609, Samuel de Champlain passed through the area that came to be the site of the town of Chambly. Chambly is home to the massive Fort Chambly, built with local stone between 1709 and 1711 in the style of Vauban's classic French fortifications. It was built at the mouth of a large basin, on the site of successive wooden forts dating back to 1665. Fort Chambly was the largest in a series of fortifications on the shores of what is now called the Richelieu River. It soon came to be known by the name of its first commanding officer, Jacques de Chambly, to whom the surrounding seigniory was granted in 1672. It was intended to protect New France in general (and Montreal specifically) from attack from hostile natives and the English. A small local population clustered around the fort, and the entire area eventually became known as Chambly as well. Chambly is also known for the Chambly Canal. It was built in 1843 to bypass several kilometers of successive Richelieu River rapids between the towns of Chambly and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Part of a series of waterways connecting the Saint Lawrence River and New York City, Chambly Canal was built to facilitate commercial traffic between Canada and the United States. Trade dwindled after World War I, and as of the 1970s, traffic has been replaced by recreational vessels. Today the canal is enjoyed by tourists and more than 7,000 pleasure boats in the summer, and ice skaters in the winter.

Local information

 * Town of Chambly municipal council website

By car
Chambly is about 30 km from Montreal. Take Autoroute 10 E out of Montreal, turn left onto Autoroute 30 (direction Sorel-Tracy), then right on to Route 112 (Boul. Cousineau).

By bus
From Montreal's Centre-Ville terminal, take Exo bus 400 or 401 ($7), and transfer at the Stationnement incitatif Chambly to Exo bus 13 ($4). (Dec 2018)

Get around
Its principal roads are Route 112, Route 223 (Chemin du Richelieu, along the Richelieu River) and the northern end of Highway 35 (becoming Boulevard Fréchette).



Buy
Its main commercial areas are along boulevard Périgny (route 112) and avenue Bourgogne.



Eat
Several restaurants or dining rooms in the Montérégie have transformed the mode of meals at the tables into take-out or delivery service. In general, restaurateurs have demonstrated great resilience by updating their website, integrating interactive and automated applications for remote orders, as well as the display of the menu, opening hours, their mode of operation (e.g. by reservation, drive-thru), sanitary measures required, other services (e.g. catering, shops, accommodation, access for the disabled, wi-fi, take-out food, delivery), contact details and often the history of the restaurant or site.

Go next

 * — A municipality with a rich built heritage. Thanks to the Richelieu River, its port was one of the busiest between Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River, serving local agricultural and forestry operations. In the 21st century, its economic vocation is centred on recreational tourism and agriculture.
 * — Crossed by Route 112, Highway 10 and Chemin des Patriotes, Richelieu has a heritage circuit describing the great history of the seigneury and the locality, as well as the built heritage. The building of the Oblates marked its history. Recreational tourism activities are intense on the river and the bike paths.
 * — Recreational tourism activities are mainly: hiking, biking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, etc. The city has around twenty parks (including 4 rest stops), several of which are accessible by the cycle path. The Parc de Montpellier has a magnificent body of water with a fountain.
 * — City with a great road, rail, river and military history. In the summer, boating is developed there and catering.
 * — The city of Carignan resembles an imperfect half-donut around the city of Chambly. There are many recreational and tourist activities: hiking (via the green trail that joins Saint-Hubert), cycling, nautical activities (on the Acadie or Richelieu rivers), its municipal parks, etc.