Baie-Saint-Paul is a town of 4,500 people (2011), 7,100 in the area, in the Charlevoix region of Quebec.
Understand
Baie-Saint-Paul has a very attractive town centre along Rue Sainte Anne and Rue Saint Jean Baptiste. Joining at Place de l'Église, the town square where the town church stands, both streets form a narrow continuous main street lined with attractive small town buildings. The business district with art galleries and restaurants is along Rue Saint Jean Baptiste between Place de l'Église and Rue Forget/Rue Saint Pierre. The town is known for its art galleries, shops and restaurants.
- Bureau d'Information Touristique de Charlevoix (Tourist Information Office of Charlevoix), 444 Boulevard Mgr de Laval. Daily 09:00-16:00.
History
The place gained some prominence in the 1770s when Doctor Philippe-Louis-François Badelard named a disease he was researching the "Baie-Saint-Paul maladie". This illness was the subject of one of the first medical publications done in Lower Canada.
It is also where Cirque du Soleil began in the early 1980s, and the location of the first show using the name Cirque du Soleil during "La Fete Foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul" in 1984.
Climate
Baie-Saint-Paul has a humid continental climate with vast seasonal differences. Summers are mild and moderated by its proximity to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. In winter, interior Canada influences the climate with frequent cold waves.
Get in
- Train de Charlevoix, ☏ +1-844-737-3282, info@traindecharlevoix.com. Seasonal service. This tourist train runs between Montmorency Falls and La Malbaie with a shuttle bus [dead link] between Quebec City (Gare de Palais) and Montmorency Falls leaving Gare de Palais 40 minutes before train time. The train schedule would allow a 5-hour stopover at Baie-Saint-Paul on a day trip from Quebec City.
- Intercar (bus), ☏ +1-800-806-2167. Intercar offers bus service from Quebec City (Gare du Palais, 320, rue Abraham-Martin) to Baie-Saint-Paul.
Get around
- Taxi 5000, ☏ +1 418-435-5000.
- Fortin Real, ☏ +1 418-435-3860.
See
- 1 Église de Baie-Saint-Paul (Église de Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul), 1 Place de l'Église, ☏ +1 418-435-2118. The town's church dominates the central town square.
- 2 Le presbytère de Baie-Saint-Paul, 1 Place de l'Église (behind the church). The central portion of the church presbytery was built in 1859, and the wings were built in about 1890.
- 3 Espace Muséal et patrimonial des Petites Franciscaines de Marie, 61 rue Ambroise-Fafard. mid-June - early Sep: 11:00-17:00; early Sep - mid-Oct: 13:00-16:30. A museum about a religious order is housed in a large attractive institutional building.
- 4 Musée d'art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul, 23 Rue Ambroise Fafard (across the street from the town church), ☏ +1 418-435-3681. 10:00-17:00. Contemporary art museum.
Do
- Route du Fleuve. 78-km scenic drive along Route 362 from Baie-Saint-Paul to La Malbaie. Breathtaking scenery. Stop for a walk or picnic in one of the and the small villages: Les Éboulements, St.-Irénée, St.-Joseph-de-la-Rive.
Buy
- Économusée du Fromage (Cheese museum), 1167, Boul. Mgr-de-Laval. Sep-Jun: M-F 08:00-17:30, Sa Su 08:00-17:00; Jul Aug: daily 08:00-19:00. Shop selling cheese from Charlevoix and other regions, honey, cold cuts, breads and pastries, maple products. See cheese being made. Museum of bottles and packaging for all dairy products.
Art galleries
Art galleries are a specialty of this small town.
- 1 Galerie d'Art Yvon Desgagnés, 1 Rue Forget (at 23 Rue Ambroise Fafard).
- 2 Galerie d'art Beauchamp, 16 Rue Saint Jean Baptiste.
- 3 Galerie d'Art Iris, 30 Rue Saint Jean Baptiste.
- 4 Galerie Diamant Peinture, 70 Rue Saint Jean Baptiste.
- 5 Galerie L'Harmattan, 82 Rue Saint Jean Baptiste.
- 6 Galerie d'Art Clarence Gagnon, 61 Rue Saint Jean Baptiste.
Eat
- Ah La Vache! (Oh, the cow!), 73 rue Saint Jean Baptiste, ☏ +1 418-760-8383. W-Su from 18:00. A Swiss restaurant serving raclettes and fondue. You can bring your own beer or wine.
- Le Diapason, 1 rue Saint Anne at rue Ambroise-Fafard, ☏ +1 418-435-2929. Su 17:00-21:00, M Th-Sa 11:30-14:00 and 17:00-21:00. Mains $21-32, 3 courses $35-46.
- Restaurant Les Labours, 50 Rue de la Ferme, ☏ +1 418-240-4100, toll-free: +1-8446240-4700. M-F 07:00-10:30, Sa 07:00-11:00, Su 07:00-14:00; daily 17:30-22:00. Local products, seasonal cuisine.
Drink
- Microbrasserie Charlevoix, 6, rue Paul-Rene Tremblay, ☏ +1 418-435-3877. F Sa 10:00–18:00, Su-Th 10:00–16:30. Brewing Belgian-inspired beers since 1998.
- Restaurant Le Saint-Pub MicroBrasserie, 2, Rue Racine, ☏ +1 418-240-2332. Daily 11:30-22:30. Brewery and bistro.
Sleep
- 1 Gîte TerreCiel B&B, 113, rue Sainte-Anne, ☏ +1 418-435-0149, gite@terreciel.ca. Check-in: 16:00, check-out: 11:00. $137-152.
- Motel des Cascades, 907 Boulevard Monseigneur de Laval, Route 138, ☏ +1 418-435-6603, toll-free: +1-866-435-6603. Air-conditioned rooms equipped with microwave, fridge, coffee maker and free Wi-Fi service. Utensils, crockery and toasters are available free of charge at the reception. Balcony with chairs. Access to a BBQ, swings, picnic tables, and a fireplace (seasonal only). From $79.
- Auberge La Muse Baie-St-Paul, 39 rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste, toll-free: +1-800-841-6839. Free Wi-Fi, coffee machine, tea and hot chocolate, free parking, on-site bistro restaurant, bike rental, electric vehicle connection terminal, air conditioning. Rooms $105-165.
Go next
Routes through Baie-Saint-Paul |
Quebec City ← Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré ← | W E | → La Malbaie → Tadoussac |