Matane

Matane is a small city on the Gaspesian Coast which serves as one of the main points of entry into the Gaspé region.

Understand
Nominally in eastern Québec's Bas-Saint-Laurent administrative region, Matane is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence where it serves as a gateway to the Gaspé Peninsula. A charming seaside community known for its excellent shrimp, Matane is the seat of "La Matanie" MRC (regional municipal county) and the largest economic centre serving the Gaspé region to the east. The town has about 15,000 inhabitants and the urban area nearly 25,000.

The Matane River, 101 km (63 miles) in length, is well-known as a good place to learn to fish.



By car
Matane is on Québec Route 132, a road which makes a wide loop around the entire Gaspé coast, ultimately intersecting itself.


 * [[Image:Quebec Autoroute 20.svg|18px]] and [[Image:Qc132.svg|18px]] from Montréal, Québec City, Rivière-du-Loup and Rimouski: Take Autoroute 20 east to Route 132, continuing downriver. A T-intersection in Sainte-Flavie shows "Route 132 East" intersecting with itself; continue straight ahead. If taking the second portion of A-20, at the roundabout in Mont-Joli take Route 132 towards Matane. (From Québec City, Matane is about 4 hours 20 minutes by car.)
 * [[Image:Qc132.svg|18px]] from Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, take Route 132 west to Matane (a little over one hour drive).
 * [[Image:Qc198.svg|18px]] and [[Image:Qc132.svg|18px]] from Gaspé, take Route 198 west to its end, then continue on Route 132 west to Matane (about 4 hours). As an alternative, take Route 132 west directly from Gaspé; it is more scenic as it follows the St. Lawrence (but takes a little over 4 hours).
 * [[Image:Qc195.svg|18px]] from Amqui, take Route 195 north to Matane (approximately an hour by car).

By boat

 * Operates a ferry route that crosses between the St. Lawrence River's south shore and north shore. The ferry travels between Matane and Baie-Comeau (2 hours 20 minutes crossing), and between Matane and Godbout (2 hours 10 minutes crossing). The ferry operates daily throughout the year, except certain public holidays. Between mid-June and early September, the ferry makes one round trip to Baie-Comeau and one trip to Godbout. During the remainder of the year, depending on the day, the ferry makes a round trip to either Baie-Comeau, to Godbout, or to both. Advance reservations are recommended, especially if you plan to bring a vehicle.
 * A marina at Matane serves those cruising on small craft.

By bus

 * Operates a route daily between Gaspé and Rimouski including stops in Grande-Vallée, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Matane, and Mont-Joli. Route follows the St. Lawrence River along the north side of Gaspé Peninsula. Travel time to Matane from Gaspé is 5.25 hours, from Mont-Joli is 1 hour, and from Rimouski is 1.5 hours.
 * Same day transfers are possible to and from Quebec City (involving a transfer at Rimouski) and Montreal (involving transfers at Rimouski and Quebec City). Travel time to Matane from Quebec City is 6.25 hours and from Montreal is 9.5 hours.

By plane
The closest regional airport is in Mont-Joli, a little under an hour west of Matane by road. As flights to regional airports can be expensive, consider other means of transport before booking a flight.

Cope
For all emergency services, dial 9-1-1.