Aerial view of the village of Verchères

Verchères is a town with a great history, in the regional county municipality (RCM) of Marguerite-D'Youville, in Montérégie, in Quebec, in Canada.

Verchères is an agricultural, residential, resort and recreational tourism destination. Its rural, forest and river landscape is a reflection of the full nature of the St. Lawrence Valley. The main attractions of this city are, in particular:

• its 10.1 km (6.3 mi)) shoreline on the St. Lawrence River, generating numerous nautical activities and resorts;
• its six main islands on the St. Lawrence River, the largest of which is Marie Island (length: 4.0 km (2.5 mi));
• its Vieux-Verchères, endowed with a picturesque built heritage, the Parc des Pionniers and the Madeleine De Verchères monument;
• its fifty artists and craftsmen who annually present the Salon des métiers d'art de Verchères, at the Fête du Québec, celebrated on June 24th.

Understand

Vieux-Varennes is located between the shore of the St. Lawrence River and the route of Route 132; the rest of the city has a generally more modern built heritage.

Its shore with the St. Lawrence River gives it a character of river navigation. Boating and nautical activities are very popular on the St. Lawrence River, around the islands facing Varennes.

The first concession of a seigniory in Verchères and Contrecoeur was made in 1668. The municipality of Verchères was incorporated in civil law in 1672, while Calixa-Lavallée was incorporated in 1878.

Get in

By car

• From Montréal (43 km, time: 44 min). Take the Jacques-Cartier bridge (east); take route 132 (eastbound) to the village of Verchères.
• From Quebec (255 km, time: 2 hr 36 min). Take Highway 20 (westbound); take highway 30 (direction north); take Montée Picardie (westbound); take Route 132 (westbound); take Montée Calixa-Lavallée to the village of Verchères.

See

Verchères Village Front Range Lighthouse

• 1 Verchères Village Range Rear Lighthouse (Phare arrière du village de Verchères), 457, route Marie-Victorin. Lighthouse established on May 1, 1902 to serve as marker lights for navigators of a new dredged shipping channel between Bouchard Island and the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, Verchères. This lighthouse was strategically erected to complete the Contreceour-Verchères range lights. This line of navigation lights includes a front light (tower raised 14 m (44 feet) above the summer water level of the river) and a rear light at the village of Verchères (tower 20 m) which is visible up to 25 km (15 m) away. In 1929 the front tower was rebuilt as a skeleton tower topped with an enclosed lantern. (updated May 2022)
• 2 Monument of Madeleine-De Vercheres (Monument de Madeleine-De Verchères), 15, rue Madeleine, ☏ +1 450-583-3307. Historic site and monument. Monument erected in memory of Madeleine de Verchères, heroine of Verchères, who at the age of 14 had defended the Fort de Verchères with her two young brothers, an elderly servant, and two soldiers, against the Iroquois. (updated May 2022)

Worship centres

Church of Saint-François-Xavier in Vercheres

• 3 St. Francis Xavier Catholic Parish (Paroisse catholique Saint-François-Xavier), 569, route Marie-Victorin, secretariat@paroissevarennes.ca. Parish founded in 1709. The first chapel was built in 1710 on the initiative of the Seigneuress of Verchères, Marie Perrot. In 1724, a church was erected. It was replaced in 1787. A fire damaged the church on November 1, 1818. The current interior of the church was shaped during finishing works carried out in 1961. (updated May 2022)

Events

• 4 Fine Crafts Fair (Salon de métiers d'Art), 581, route Marie-Victorin. June 24 11:00–17:00. Every year, at the annual Fête du Québec, some fifty artists and artisans exhibit their works to the public in Jean-Marie Moreau Park, opposite the town hall, at Route 581 Marie-Victorin. These artists/craftsmen present a wide variety of art: painting, jewellery, precious stones, sewing, weaving, knitting, ceramics, porcelain, country delicacies, sculpted furniture etc. (updated May 2022)

Do

The islands of Beauregard, Desmarais, Bayol, à Chalut, Marie and Île aux Prunes are famous for boating and water activities (e.g.,fishing, water skiing).

• 1 Club de golf de Verchères inc, 250, montée du Moulin (coming from Longueuil: A30 East (exit Montée de la Baronnie); take chemin de la Pointe aux Pruches (heading northeast); take the Montée du Moulin (east direction)), ☏ +1 450-583-3319. The golf club offers two 18-hole courses with a par of 72: Le Verchères and Le Madeleine. (updated May 2022)
• 2 Équi-libre Équin, rue Flora-Bouvier, ☏ +1 450-652-3720. Riding stable. (updated May 2022)
• 3 Pioneer Park (Parc des Pionniers), 1, rue Madeleine (along the St. Lawrence River, in the heart of the village), ☏ +1 450-583-3307. Municipal park with a large parking lot and access to the Quai du Parc de la Commune where a boat launch has been set up. This park is connected to the Frayère St-Charles. (updated May 2022)

Buy

Specialized food

• 1 Bleuetière Elsa et Robert, 317, rang Haut des Terres Noires, ☏ +1 450-583-3741. Agricultural producer. (updated May 2022)
• 2 Les délices de Laurence. (updated May 2022)

Art

• 3 Richard Viau, 226, rue Flora-Bouvier, ☏ +1 450-849-1041. Sculptor. (updated May 2022)
• 4 Galerie d'art SucsanArt, 132, route 132, ☏ +1 450-849-0581. Art gallery of Charles Sucsan, born in Paris (France) of Hungarian parents. He has a permanent artistic production since 1960 in Montreal. His production totals more than 1000 oil paintings which he has presented in multiple annual exhibitions. (updated May 2022)
• 5 Place des Artisans, 92, montée Calixa-Lavallée, ☏ +1 450-583-3658. Free admission.. (updated May 2022)

Others

• 6 Brocante Le Pigeon d'Or, 556, route Marie-Victorin, ☏ +1 450-583-3640. Souvenir gift shop. (updated May 2022)

Eat

Several restaurants or dining rooms in the Montérégie have transformed the mode of meals at the tables into take-out or delivery service. In general, restaurateurs have demonstrated great resilience by updating their website, integrating interactive and automated applications for remote orders, as well as the display of the menu, opening hours, their mode of operation (e.g. by reservation, drive-thru service), required health measures, other services (e.g., caterer, shops, accommodation, access for disabled, wi-fi, take-out, delivery), contact details and often the history of the restaurant or site. It is recommended that customers inquire with each establishment by consulting their respective websites.

• 1 Aki Sushi, 617, rue Duvernay, ☏ +1 450-849-0550. Sushi restaurant. (updated May 2022)
• 2 Au Gueuleton, 652, route Marie-Victorin, ☏ +1 450-583-3481. Cafe-style restaurant. (updated May 2022)
• 3 Lcafetal, 617, route Marie-Victorin, ☏ +1 514-607-5758. Restaurant. (updated May 2022)
• 4 Crèmerie de Verchères, 307, route Marie-Victorin, ☏ +1 450-583-6939. Restaurant. (updated May 2022)
• 5 Pizza Verchères, 599, route Marie-Victorin (opposite the Parc des Pionniers which is on the banks of the river), ☏ +1 450-583-0010. Restaurant with varied menu: skewers, fish, langoustines, submarine, pasta, and burgers. Speciality: pizza. Table d'hôte formula available. (updated May 2022)
• 6 Pizza Welat - Verchères, 609, rue Duvernay (across from Parc des Pionniers on the riverbank), ☏ +1 450-583-5233. Restaurant offering a varied menu: BBQ chicken, salad plates, submarines, snack-type dishes, with pizza specialty. (updated May 2022)

Go next

Routes through Verchères

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield ← Brossard ←	W  E	→ Sorel-Tracy → Lévis
Vaudreuil-Dorion ← Brossard ←	W  E	→ Contrecoeur → Sorel-Tracy

• 1 Contrecoeur Riverside municipality of the St. Lawrence River, Contrecoeur is renowned as a site to admire the shows offered by the river and the magnificent sunsets. Visitors can admire the countryside and river landscapes, while participating in recreational tourism activities in the great outdoors, including hunting, fishing, boating, relaxation, vacationing, as well as the observation of flora and fauna. Contrecoeur has a great history to discover.
• 2 Calixa-Lavallée This rural municipality has a great history in the middle of the land between the St. Lawrence River and the Richelieu River. Its main attractions are its annual agricultural fair, its equestrian centers, its art forge, its rural landscapes, its environment conducive to cycling, its local products and its picturesque built heritage.
• 3 Saint-Amable A city with a mainly agricultural, residential, industrial and recreational tourism vocation. Located in the middle of the land, between the Richelieu River (to the east) and the St. Lawrence River (to the west), Saint-Amable enjoys accelerated residential development, especially due to its proximity to Montreal, the industrial parks of the region and telecommuting. Recreational tourism activities are varied, including cycling, hiking, camping, sugar shacks, municipal parks, etc.
• 4 Varennes Pré-Vert Park is a place of celebration and outdoor activities in the heart of the city. The new Polydôme houses a covered ice rink with open walls in winter; it offers a sheltered community area in summer. The Parc de la Commune provides good access to the river. Varennes displays an ancestral and modern component, as well as a variety of recreational and tourist activities (hiking, golf, cycling, nautical activities on the river, etc.). Sugar shack enthusiasts are well served on the Chemin des Sucreries.