La Malbaie

La Malbaie (population 8300, 2016) is a small city in regional county municipality (RCM) of Charlevoix-Est, on the north shore of St. Lawrence River, in administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in Quebec, in Canada.

La Malbaie is advantageously located along Route 138 which runs along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. Straddling the Malbaie River, this charming town has a large reception capacity, a diversified offer of recreational and tourist activities, a great hospitality and natural attractions. These characteristics make La Malbaie the jewel of Charlevoix and a city of entertainment.

Two sectors of La Malbaie are part of the Association of the most beautiful villages of Quebec: the sector Pointe-au-Pic and Cap-à-l'Aigle. In 2016, La Malbaie obtained quota 4 as part of the "Fleurons du Québec" program, thus recognizing the efforts of sustainable horticultural beautification of the municipal territory. In 2019, the city even reached a 5th flagship in terms of community and sustainable development initiatives.

History
In 1608, Samuel de Champlain denounced this location as Malle Baye (the bad bay) upon finding no suitable anchorage for his ships. It didn't help that the bay was dry at low tide. The region where the Malbaie River meets the St. Lawrence has been a travel destination since 1760, an era when Scottish feudal lords John Nairne and Malcolm Fraser owned much of the area's land. On June 8-9, 2018, La Malbaie hosted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and world leaders at the G7 Summit.

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 would be located along the St. Lawrence River; 60% of the astroprobleme covers the north bank of the river and 40% under the water of the river. The astroprobleme begins on the southwest side a few kilometers west of Baie-Saint-Paul, up to Cap-à-l'Aigle, located on the east bank of the Malbaie River in La Malbaie. The center of the astrobleme would be Mont des Éboulements (summit at 768 m), formed by the effect of raising the bottom of the crater 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 center dedicated to the Charlevoix astrobleme is open to the public; this interpretation center is housed in the former Club House of the Manoir Richelieu.

Geography
Its territory along the north shore of the St.Lawrence River stretches from the Montagne des Boies (northeastern limit of La Malbaie and southwestern side of the Port-au-Persil hamlet), to Le Gros Ruisseau (southwest of La Malbaie) which delimits Saint-Irénée and La Malbaie. The territory of La Malbaie includes several villages or hamlets, each offering a picturesque character:
 * west side of the Malbaie River: Pointe-au-Pic, Jean-Noël, Butte à Caron, La Gadelle, Sainte-Agnès-de-Charlevoix, Rivière-Mailloux;
 * east side of the Malbaie River: Rivière-Malbaie, Fraserville, Sainte-Mathilde, Cap-à-l'Aigle (village), Mont-Murray, Bas-de-l'Anse, Courcellette, Le Remous, La Butte-à-Julie, Saint -Fidèle (village), Les Sept-Côtes, Port-au-Saumon (hamlet) and Grand-Fonds.

The main mountains of La Malbaie are:
 * west side of the Malbaie river: mound at Caron, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, mountain of the Fairy, mountain of Joseph-à-Johnny, mountain of Calvaire and mountain of Petit Lac;
 * east side of the Malbaie river: montagne Noire (where a fire-guard post had been set up at an altitude of 855 m), Mont Grand Fonds (732 m), montagne de Glace, le Grand Por, Mont Thérèse-Casgrain (700 m), Mont à Peine (728 m).

By car

 * From Tadoussac (, 1 hr 17 min), take the Tadoussac-Baie Sainte-Catherine ferry; take route 138 (westbound) to the village of La Malbaie.
 * From Quebec City (, 1 hr 43 min), take route 138 eastbound to the village of La Malbaie.

By train

 * 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. Travel time is 4 hours one way, departing 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.  A shuttle bus operates between its Quebec City and Québec City (Gare de Palais) station.
 * 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. Travel time is 4 hours one way, departing 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.  A shuttle bus operates between its Quebec City and Québec City (Gare de Palais) station.

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.
 * The bus stops at following locations in La Malbaie:
 * Cap-à-l'Aigle sector: Irving Cap-à-l'Aigle, 170, boulevard Maldolm-Fraser;
 * Downtown sector: Restaurant Mikes, 665, boulevard de Comporté;
 * Pointe-aux-Pics sector: Familiprix Extra - Michael Bouchard, 395, boulevard de Comporté;
 * Saint-Fidèle sector: Fromagerie Saint-Fidèle, 2815, boulevard Malcolm-Fraser, La Malbaie.

By boat
La Malbaie is accessible in season by boat via some marinas.

In partnership with municipalities, the MRC, businesses and organizations, Tourisme Charlevoix showcases the region's natural attractions (grandiose landscapes of valleys and mountains, its superb border of the river, its maritime space, its waterways and bodies of water, its magnificent forests), its picturesque architecture, its regional history (in particular the astrobleme of Charlevoix), its artistic and cultural life, as well as local products, regional services and its artists/artisans. In addition, the community strives to perpetuate the reputation of La Malbaie as one of the jewels of the arts and entertainment of Charlevoix, Quebec and Canada.



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, drive-through service), health measures required (e.g., vaccination record, mask, distance), other services (e.g., caterer, shops, accommodation, access for 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.

Inns and motels

 * Sector La Malbaie


 * Sector Cap-à-l'Aigle

Connect
The federal government installed additional communications infrastructure in La Malbaie (and along Highways 138, 170 and 362 between Charlevoix and Quebec City) for the 2018 G7 Summit. This was left it in place afterwards, so cellphone and wireless Internet connections are better than they were in 2017.