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For other places with the same name, see Charlevoix (disambiguation).
Charlevoix is known for its hilly landscape

Charlevoix is a tourist and historic region in Quebec on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River and in the Laurentian Mountains area of the Canadian Shield. This dramatic landscape includes rolling terrain, fjords, headlands and bays; the region was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1989.

Regions

Map
Map of Charlevoix
  • Charlevoix Regional Municipality County
  • Charlevoix-Est Regional Municipality County

Cities

  • 1 Baie St-Paul — a charming small town with several art galleries
  • 2 La Malbaie — home of the historic Manoir Richelieu Hotel, the town has been drawing visitors since 1760
  • 3 Les Eboulements — a group of villages in the centre of the Charlevoix crater
  • 4 Baie-Ste-Catherine — a gateway to the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park and to the Saguenay Conservation Park, and a starting point for whale-watching cruises

Other destinations

  • 1 Ile-aux-Coudres — an island in the St. Lawrence River about 6 km south from the mainland known for its historical sites, tourist accommodations, and craftspeople
  • 2 Port-au-Persil hamlet in Saint-Siméon municipality
  • 3 Baie-des-Rochers Municipal Park in Saint-Siméon municipality, it offers marine and forest environments, marine mammals such as seals, beluga whales and whales can sometimes be seen

Understand

Landscape just outside Tadoussac

Covering 6000 km² in the Canadian shield, Charlevoix has a magnificiant mountain scenery caused by a 6.8-million-tonne meteor 350 million years ago. The earliest vacationers came to Charlevoix as early as 1760.

The region was named after Pierre François-Xavier de Charlevoix, a French Jesuit explorer and historian who travelled through the area in the 18th century. The community of La Malbaie was known as the first resort area in Canada. For much of its history, Charlevoix was home to a thriving summer colony of wealthy Americans, including President William Howard Taft.

Get in

By car

Baie St-Paul and La Malbaie are the major cities of this region. You get in by car using Highway 138. It is about 4 to 5 hours from Montreal and 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes from Quebec City.

By ferry

Rivière-du-Loup—Saint-Siméon, duration: 65 minutes, +1 418 638-2856 or +1 418 862-5094.

Baie-Sainte-Catherine—Tadoussac, duration: 8 minutes, free, +1 418 235-4395.

Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive—Isle-aux-Coudres, duration: 15 minutes, free, +1 418 438-2743.

By bus

Intercar, +1-800-806-2167 (toll free), offers the service from Quebec City (Gare du Palais, 320, rue Abraham-Martin) to Baie St-Paul and various cities in Charlevoix along the St-Lawrence River. Discounts for students and seniors. Reservations are mandatory for some cities.

By train

Get around

The best way to go around in Charlevoix is by car. However, you can get to many locations by bus with Intercar (see above).

See

For those interested in history and art, there's the Musée d'art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul, a contemporary art museum, and the Musée de Charlevoix, dedicated to folk art, regional history and culture in La Malbaie.

National parks

There are two Quebec national parks in this region:

Do

  • Alpine skiing: Massif de la Petite Rivière Sant-Francois, +1-877-536-2774 (toll free). Alpine skiers, don't miss out this mountain, the highest drop east of the Rockies Mountains. Incredible ski conditions. $41/day for 1 adult. Discounts available for students and large groups.
  • Hiking: Parc National des Grands Jardins, Parc National des Hautes-Gorges de La Malbaie
  • A visit to Les Quartre Vents (The Gardens of the Four Winds), La Malbaie, . by reservation - see website. One of the finest residential gardens in North America and an object lesson in how to relate a garden to the landscape and create a viable growing condition within. $35 per person.

Sleep

Go next

The two regions to see after visiting Charlevoix are Quebec Region and Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean.

This region travel guide to Charlevoix is a usable article. It gives a good overview of the region, its sights, and how to get in, as well as links to the main destinations, whose articles are similarly well developed. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.