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North America > Canada > Quebec > Central Quebec > Charlevoix > Baie-Saint-Paul

Baie-Saint-Paul is a town of 4,500 people (2011), 7,100 in the area, in the Charlevoix region of Quebec.

Baie St-Paul from the surrounding hills

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.

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

Map
Map of Baie-Saint-Paul

  • Train de Charlevoix, +1-844-737-3282, . 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. Train de Charlevoix (Q3536579) on Wikidata Charlevoix tourist train on Wikipedia
  • 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

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.

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

Sleep

  • 1 Gîte TerreCiel B&B, 113, rue Sainte-Anne, +1 418-435-0149, . 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


This city travel guide to Baie-Saint-Paul is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.