Quebec getaways
Travel beyond Montreal to find a treasure of unique attractions
There’s plenty to see and do beyond Montreal’s city limits.
You don’t have to stay in Montreal to have an amazing Quebec experience. The province produces enviable cheese, chocolate, foie gras, wine and beer. It has mountains and forests, rivers and lakes, and the Orford Express and the Train du Charlevoix rolling through those splendid landscapes. There is terrific food, from the folksy mechoui at the Festival du Cochon in St-Perpetue to the handful of Relais & Chateaux. If you like the sea — and seafood — can you possibly do better than Gaspe or Iles-dela-Madeleine? Here are some of Quebec’s most accessible and affordable summer highlights outside of Montreal.
SLEEP
I’m in awe of the majestic, 405-room Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu, which overlooks the St-Lawrence River and the Charlevoix mountains. It has 27 holes of picturesque golf, a full spa and an outstanding indoor-outdoor pool system. A battery of charging stations for electric vehicles is new. Divine delicacy: General manager Jean-Jacques Etcheberrigaray owns a duck farm, so expect the finest foie gras in Le Manoir’s gastronomic dining room, Le Charlevoix.
SIP
Choosing the best beer in Quebec is difficult, so I’m voting for an exceptional beer encounter. The lively Les Brasseurs du Temps in Gatineau embraces a micro-brewery, a brasserie and a first-rate minimuseum exploring the history of brewing. The menu features bison sausage, filet mignon and lamb stew, delicately and deliciously flavoured with beer. Carb alert: The double-decadent chocolate cake is made with stout.
ADVENTURE
Sea-kayaking has both thrills and chills. Mer et Monde Ecotours organizes whale- watching excursions in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, where the water temperature dips to 4 C, the waves and currents are capricious and the occasional 50-ton whale splashes by. Kayakers start with a lesson on whale habits, safety measures and paddling techniques. Close encounters: Whales have been spotted as close as two metres.
DINE
La Traite restaurant near Quebec City blends First Nations inspiration and ingredients from farms, lakes, forests and hunts. Chef Martin Gagne uses rare herbs, roots and edible flowers to spice dishes such as wapiti with hand-foraged mushrooms, rabbit confit with apple cider, pheasant with haskap berries, lobster and scallops in sorrel soup and trout perfumed with essence of black spruce. Lodging news: The stylish, contemporary Hotel Premieres Nations is opening a new Long House.
S PA
BALNEA spa + thermal reserve, one of more than 40 Nordic spas in Quebec, is bliss in Bromont-sur-le-Lac. BALNEA — it uses capital letters to stand out — is a striking getaway with a splendid hillside setting tucked into a forest and overlooking a tiny lake.
In addition to steam rooms, saunas and bubbling baths, BALNEA adds paddle-boarding yoga and air mattresses that float among lily pads.
Among the 55 spa treatments are the new Ayurvedic series and the Abenaki Native Ritual.
MARVE L
The Aquarium du Quebec in Quebec City presents a rare chance to see polar bears, walruses and seals — without paddling to their natural habitat.
The aquarium is home to 10,000 marine animals — fish both large and small, snakes, turtles, frogs, invertebrates such as octopus or jellyfish and the big sea mammals, all living in super-sized tanks or watery outdoor environments. The aquarium is a sprawling park with picnic areas and water games for the children — a blessing in sweltering weather.
RIDE
Jacques Cartier was seduced by the beauty of Ile d’Orleans and you will be, too. You can drive or cycle through along the St. Lawrence River and through historic villages. Ile d’Orleans is 90-per-cent agricultural so there are many farm stands selling products made from berries, apples, grapes and vegetables. The ultimate summer lunch is a lobster “guedille” at Panache Mobile, a gourmet truck stop run by Auberge Saint-Antoine, a Relais & Chateaux. It’s nestled in the Ste-Petronille vineyard with a spectacular view of Montmorency Falls.
PARTY
The Festival International du Blues de Tremblant will rock the Laurentians with 150 shows July 5-14, starring headliners like James Cotton, Buckwheat Zydeco and Jonas & the Massive Attraction. And Les Rythmes de Tremblant will present free concerts every weekend until Aug. 25
Summer in the city is like a candy store of entertainment. Heavyweights Celine Dion (July 27) and Paul McCartney (July 23) will light up the Plains of Abraham. On the rainbow beat, there is the Fete Arc-en-ciel in Quebec City on Labour “Gay” Weekend? Arc-en-ciel will continue the shindig with outdoor shows, parties in bars and a community fair, mostly in the Old Port and along rue SaintJean. You don’t have to be gay. The scene is LGBTA, with “A” standing for “allies.”