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.

Regions

 * Charlevoix Regional Municipality County
 * Charlevoix-Est Regional Municipality County

Cities
From southwest to northeast:
 * — a charming small town with several art galleries
 * — the gateway to Parc national des Grands-Jardins and the Charlevoix hinterland
 * — a group of villages in the centre of the Charlevoix crater


 * — home of the historic Manoir Richelieu Hotel, the town has been drawing visitors since 1760
 * — 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

 * — an island in the St. Lawrence River about 6 km south from the mainland known for its historical sites, tourist accommodations, and craftspeople
 * — part of the Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve, popular with anglers, hikers, campers and vacationers
 * &mdash; hamlet in Saint-Siméon municipality
 * &mdash; 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.

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, or.
 * Baie-Sainte-Catherine—Tadoussac, duration: 8 minutes, free,.

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

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.

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:



Do

 * Alpine skiing: Massif de la Petite Rivière Sant-Francois, (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.
 * Hiking: Des Grands-Jardins National Park, Hautes-Gorges-de-la-rivière-Malbaie National Park

Sleep

 * Les Mésanges, Baie-St-Paul

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