Destination Canada is opening up our horizons by rail, road and boat from coast to coast to coast for jaw-dropping views, meeting welcoming locals and experiencing awe-inspiring encounters around every corner of Canada. Next stop: Québec. Allez!
Canada’s French-speaking province of Québec has a distinct style and appeal of its own – a heady mix of old and new along with natural beauty and year-round festivities. It’s steeped in history with 11 diverse First Nations cultures along with some of the oldest European settlements in North America and weaves old-world charm with storytelling traditions. It’s a place to create your own adventurous chapter on an autumn road trip.
Fast & fun facts
- How to get there: Air Canada and Qantas fly direct from Australia to Vancouver with domestic flights via Air Canada and Westjet to Montréal. It’s an easy three-hour train ride on VIA Rail from Montréal to Québec City.
- Where is it? Québec borders the provinces of Ontario, Newfoundland & Labrador and New Brunswick in Eastern Canada.
- When to go: Visit all year round for a full calendar of festivals and activities.
- Vous parlez Français? French is the official language of Québec and is spoken by 80 per cent of residents as their native tongue. Most people speak English in the major cities.
- Did you know? Montréal is North America’s number-one host city for international events, including the Festival for Laughs and Montréal International Jazz Festival while the world’s largest winter carnival, Québec Winter Festival, is held in Québec City.
- Yum fact: Canada produces around 70 per cent of the world’s maple syrup with most from Québec.
- Fun fact: Cirque du Soleil began as a street performer troupe in Baie-Saint-Paul, a small town near Québec City.
- Whale of a fact: Up to 13 species, including blue whales and humpbacks, visit St Lawrence Gulf between May and October every year.
La Fille de la Mer (Daughter of the Sea) owner and soapmaker Ariane Arsenault from Québec’s Magdalen Islands in St Lawrence in the Maritimes loves feeling connected to others and showing a surprising side of the province to visitors.
Take a scenic autumn road trip between the exciting cosmopolitan cities of Montréal and Québec City, enjoying historic sights, fall colours, mountain resorts and charming stops as you loop around the Québec countryside.
Montréal
Bookend your road trip in Québec’s largest metropolis Montréal for the perfect introduction to all things Québécois. This so-Frenchy, so-chic city is full of old and new appeal with the largest concentration of historic buildings in North America contrasted with vibrant modern culture and natural attributes.
Visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) for an aesthetic explainer of Québec and Canadian history and culture with almost 47,000 eye-catching pieces, spanning antiquity to modern times and Indigenous and international art.
Montréal is actually an island in an archipelago between the St Lawrence River and Rivière-des-Prairies and even has a mountain in the heart of downtown – Mont-Royal (Mount Royal). It’s a top spot with lush green space for picnics, hiking, biking and sweeping views from the Belvédère Kondiaronk observatory lookout and just one of many urban parks.
Trois-Rivières (159km)
From Montréal, head northeast for the two-hour drive to Trois-Rivières (Three Rivers). Dating back to 1634, stay overnight in Québec’s second-oldest European settlement where the St Lawrence and St Maurice rivers meet. Visit the 18th-century monastery, basilica foundry and other sites of the historic district as well as explore the town’s natural attributes in the parks and islands.
Québec City (129km)
Point your car northeast again to Québec City, a 1.5-hour drive away. The charming provincial capital and only walled city in North America sits on the St Lawrence River and is resplendent with classic buildings, including the world’s most-photographed hotel, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.
In Old Québec, step back in time among the cobblestoned streets, old-world architecture, historic churches and antique shops. Source some gourmet treats for a picnic in the Plains of Abraham, an urban park where you can cycle and walk in summer and snowshoe in winter.
Stay at the Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations (First Nations Hotel and Museum) in Wendake, just 15 minutes’ drive from Québec City to immerse yourself in Huron-Wendat heritage and culture. Inspired by teepees and traditional longhouses, it’s an unforgettable experience.
Shawinigan (144km)
Veer south from Québec City to Shawinigan. This dynamic French-speaking township located within the natural beauty of La Mauricie National Park is brimming with café culture, microbreweries and chic boutiques. Chase waterfalls on a one-hour walk in the Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc area to witness Les Cascades where you can swim in summer.
Mont-Tremblant (206km)
Take the almost three-hour route south to Mont-Tremblant in the heart of the Laurentian Mountains, only two hours’ drive from Montréal. Here, the winter mountain resort is ablaze with autumn colours and a sparkling lake, best enjoyed on numerous hiking and biking trails.
After your fill of fall foliage and outdoor exercise, wind down with craft beers and pub food in downtown Vieux-Tremblant, a Euro-style walkable village, or enjoy some spa time at Scandinave Spa with multiple pools and thermal treatments – bliss!
Montréal (137km)
Conclude your relaxed Québec road trip back in Montréal. In the city, soak up some of the one-of-a-kind culture. Wander through cobblestoned Old Montréal, admiring the Gothic Revival architecture, including the famous Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal in the Old Port.
Sainte Catherine Street is Montréal’s main shopping hub with everything from designer boutiques to high street brands and local wares on offer.
For foodies, don’t miss a trip to the city’s public markets with many trading for more than 150 years old. The year-round, open-air Jean-Talon Market and Atwater Market are top spots for locally grown produce, specialty items and gourmet eateries.
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