Outside the major centers of population in the southwest, Canada’s largest province consists of hilly agricultural land along the banks of the St Lawrence and vast tracts of barren mountains in the north. The one-hour drive along St Lawrence from Québec to the outskirts of Charlevoix follows a breathtaking route of towering rock faces, looming canyons and craggy fjords. More than 100,000 lakes provide excellent fishing (chiefly for trout and salmon), whilst in the northern tundra of Québec’s Far North (Nouveau-Québec), caribou and other game are hunted. Information
on itineraries, equipment, transport and accommodation in this region can be obtained from La Fédération des Pourvoyeurs du Québec Inc, Suite 270, 5237 Boulevard Hamel, Québec G2E 2H2 (tel: (418) 877 5191; fax: (418) 877 6638; e-mail:
fpq@fpq.com; website:
www.fpq.com).
MontréalCanada’s second-largest city, on a 48km- (30 mile-) long island, is a sophisticated cosmopolitan metropolis with a 65 per cent francophone population. Careful central planning for Expo ’67 and the 1976 Olympic Games have produced a spacious and beautiful modern city. A series of underground shopping and recreation complexes, linked by walkways and the metro, is centered on Place Ville-Marie. The Place des Arts is the home of the Montréal Symphony Orchestra and several theaters offering year-round drama, music, ballet and opera. Both the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Arts have good collections. Vieux-Montréal, the historic waterfront section, has been carefully restored. Main places of note here are: Place Jacques-Cartier, the former French governor’s residence; Château Ramezay; the city’s oldest church, Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecour; and Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History. Another museum of note is the Stewart Museum, which is dedicated to the exploration and discovery of the New World. It is located on the Ile Sainte-Hélène, in Montréal’s only fort. Mont-Royal Park is the city’s highest point, offering an excellent vista from the center of Montréal. Behind-the-scenes tours of the Olympic Park, site of the 1976 games, are available. The park is also home to the world’s tallest leaning building, the Botanical Gardens and the Biodôme. The area around St-Denis is renowned for its many jazz cafes and small restaurants.
Québec CityWith its old city walls, the characteristic green copper roofs and fortified Citadel, the provincial capital is one of the most European cities in North America; in 1985 it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is the cradle of French culture in Canada with a 95 per cent French-speaking population. The city is split into two levels, connected by stone stairways and a municipal lift. Surrounded by the old city walls is the ‘Upper Town’ with some fine 18th- and 19th-century architecture, notably the Place D’Armes and the Château Frontenac. The latter is a first-class hotel. In front of the Château Frontenac is a wide promenade with 310 wooden steps leading up to the Citadel which affords incredible views across the St Lawrence River. Small street cafes, cobblestoned streets and shaded squares emphasise the European air of the ‘Upper Town’. In the ‘Lower Town’, the network of 17th-century streets centered on Place Royale has recently been restored.
The Rest of the ProvinceSainte-Agathe-des-Monts, 100km (60 miles) north of Montréal, is the hub of a resort area providing some of the best skiing in North America. Further north, the Mont-Tremblant Park provides boating, hunting and camping as well as wintersports. Northwest of this is La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve, a protected lakeland wilderness; and further on, the mining territory centered on Rouyn-Noranda. L’Île d’Orléans, east of Québec City, is a region of picturesque Québécois villages. In front of the Ile d’Orléans are the Montmorency Falls and further east, the Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and Mont Sainte-Anne. The latter is the main ski resort in the famous Laurentians (or Laurentides) skiing region, which is also a provincial park.
Heading northeast from Québec along the southern bank of the St Lawrence, the main route leads first through the farming region of Bas-Saint-Laurent and from there to the Gaspé Peninsula. The major attractions here are the Rocher Percé in the Gaspé Provincial Park and Forillon National Park.
Across the mouth of the river is the Duplessis Peninsula, site of some of the earliest landfalls in the New World. Remains left by these Viking sailors can be seen in the museum at Sept-Îles, the largest city in the area. The bizarre geological formations of the nearby Mingan Archipelago are best explored by boat.
The Magdalen Islands, 215km (134 miles) east of the Gaspé peninsula in the Gulf of St Lawrence, offer miles of white sandy beaches and a host of unspoilt fishing villages.
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