Boischatel is a town of 8,200 people (2021) on the east of Quebec City, in the Quebec Region of Quebec. The village lies along the North Shore of St Lawrence River and faces the Île d'Orléans. It is the gateway to the Côte-de-Beaupré.

Apart from the two golf clubs, Parc de la Chute Montmorency, recreational tourism activities along the St. Lawrence River and local businesses, the town is mainly residential.

Understand

History

Boischatel was incorporated in 1920 from part of the territory of L'Ange-Gardien. The beginning of the colonization of this area began around 1664. Its territory corresponds to the stronghold of Charleville. Agriculture used to be the main economic activity, with about twenty farms. Then its economy diversified in the 19th century thanks to its hydraulic power: notably the Patterson saw and the Dominion Textile spinning mill. Then came the development of a hydroelectric power station at Montmorency Falls. At the start of the 20th century, the Montmorency-Charlevoix railway served as rail transport with the industries of Sault-Montmorency and the city of Quebec.

Before November 23, 1991, this municipality was designated "Saint-Jean-de-Boischatel".

Geography

The municipal territory includes plateaus arranged in stairs and sandy valleys between the Laurentians to the north and the St. Lawrence River. Montmorency Falls is located partly in Boischatel.

The heart of the municipal territory is the Royal Quebec Golf Club. The municipal territory is generally wooded.

Get in

By car

• From Quebec City (17 km, time: 19 min), take Highway 440 eastbound to Boischatel, then take Côte de l'Eglise; Royal Boulevard (westbound); rue Bédard (northbound); chemin des Mas (eastbound); rue des Rochers (northbound); River Street (West).
• From Montréal (279 km, time: 2 hr 53 min), take Autoroute 20 eastbound to Quebec; Highway 73 North; Highway 40 East to the Boulevard des Chutes exit (route 360) which becomes Boulevard Royal in Boischatel; take rue Notre-Dame (northbound); take rue des Onyx to rue des Marais.

By bus

• 1 Intercar, Stops at 5572, boulevard Sainte-Anne, ☏ +1-418-547-2167, toll-free: +1-800-806-2167, serviceclient@intercar.ca. Operates bus routes within Quebec. (updated May 2022) Operates a daily route between Baie-Comeau and Montreal including stops in Forestville, Tadoussac, Baie-Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Siméon, La Malbaie, Clermont, Saint-Hilarion, Baie-Saint-Paul, Saint-Tite-des-Caps, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Boischatel, and Quebec City. Trips toward Baie-Comeau start from Quebec City and do not include a stop in Montreal.

Get around

Boischatel is crossed from east to west by avenue Royale (route 360) and by boulevard Sainte-Anne (route 138) which runs along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. While in the north-south direction, the municipality is crossed by rue Notre-Dame, rue des Saphirs, rue des Rochers and boulevard Trudelle.

See

• 1 Montmorency Falls Park (Parc de la Chute-Montmorency), 5300, boulevard Sainte-Anne, Beauport, ☏ +1 418-663-3330. Park between river and cliffs, located at the limits of the cities of Quebec and Boischatel, highlighting the Montmorency Falls (83-m drop), the highest fall in Quebec. This park is administered by SÉPAQ. This park has 950,000 visitors a year. The walk in the park is spectacular and pleasant facing the panorama of the falls, the surrounding cliffs, the bay and the river. The via ferrata and zip line will stimulate adrenaline seekers. The park offers activities in all seasons. The park can be explored from various angles: on foot, by cable car, from the Manoir Montmorency, the park along the Montmorency River or the park on the side of Boischatel (accessible by Avenue Royale, at the height of the bridge). (updated Feb 2022)
• Caves of Boischatel (Grottes de Boischatel). Explored for approximately 3,000 m and which are the longest in Canada east of the Rockies. The underground network includes roughly parallel galleries which drain from north to south the waters of the Ferrée River towards the Montmorency River. The known underground network covers an area of 450 m by 300 m. The gauge of the underground conduits varies from 30 to 50 cm, including rooms whose height varies between 8 and 12 m, and sometimes wide of more than 7 m. The Boischatel cave is operated under the aegis of the Société québécoise de spéléologie (☏ +1-800-338-6686). (updated Feb 2022)
• Anse Park (Parc de l'Anse) (accessible via Sainte-Anne Boulevard, near the Irving roundabout.), ☏ +1 418-663-3330. Daily, depending on the season. Parc de l'Anse is the first waterfront park to have been developed on the Côte-de-Beaupré. This park gives direct access to the St. Lawrence River. Various facilities (e.g., picnic area, street furniture, local historical interpretation panels, parking lot) promote family activities or outdoor relaxation. (updated Feb 2022)
• 2 Vézina House (Maison Vézina), 171, rue des Grenadiers. Built at the time of New France, the Maison Vézina is a historical heritage because eight generations of Vézina lived there, before this building was acquired by the municipality. Today, this house is a place of socio-cultural life in Boischatel, and even in Côte-de-Beaupré. Two podcasts have been created to inform the public about the history of this historic building. (updated Feb 2022)
• 3 River Domain (Domaine de la Rivière), 135, rue des Émeraudes (along the Montmorency River on a peninsula), info@atelierpare.com. The Domaine de la Rivière offers several types of activities: outdoor tennis court, inground pool, water games for children, a floating dock on the river. (updated Feb 2022)
• Ferrée River (Rivière Ferrée). The course of the Ferrée River becomes underground at the level of the Royal Québec Golf Club; the water comes out further away, near the courses of the Le Montmorency golf club. Then, the course of the river flows into the Montmorency River. The course of the Ferrée River also presents a dry bed of a fossiliferous nature that the spring flood passes through. (updated Feb 2022)

Tourist circuit

• Circuit of the creators of the Côte-de-Beaupré (Circuit des créateurs de la Côte-de-Beaupré), info@circuitdescreateurs-cdb.com. As part of the Regroupement des Intervenants culturel de la CBD, local artists offer a tourist circuit comprising 28 stations, between Boischatel and Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, linked to various forms of art, meeting the creators in their respective workshops. and to visit exhibition sites and interpretation sites. This circuit concerns as much professional artists in current, traditional arts or crafts; it also includes a visit to an economuseum, a museum, a library, interpretation centres, art galleries or distribution partners. The creators' circuit website displays the map of La Côte-de-Beaupré and the 28 recommended resorts. (updated Feb 2022)
• Route de la Nouvelle-France (New France Road). Heritage, cultural and nature trail. Departing from Quebec, this route takes place on the Côte-de-Beaupré. In Boischatel, visitors can stop to see the Vézina, Jacob and Pageau ancestral homes, as well as the Manoir de Charleville. Opposite, the river offers a panorama full of life: passing boats, pleasure craft, fog, and clouds. (updated Feb 2022)
• BaladoDécouverte Vivre la Côte-de-Beaupré - Excursion patrimoniale (BaladoDiscovery Live the Côte-de-Beaupré - Heritage excursion), toll-free: +1-877-611-6145, info@cotedebeaupre.com. Visitors can independently experience the cultural and tourist experiences of La Côte-de-Beaupré through a podcast (French and English). This guided tour of 80 km is made up of 16 places, and includes two stops per municipality. At each place visited, participants listen to relevant themes related to the municipality and the territory. Participants must download the podcast before starting the circuit to discover the Côte-de-Beaupré. (updated Feb 2022)

Do

• 1 Royal Quebec Golf Club (Club de golf Royal Québec), 65, rue Bédard, ☏ +1 418-822-0331. Founded in 1874 (and established in Boischatel since 1925) and therefore one of the oldest in America. It has two courses of 18 holes each for an area of 1.5 km² (0.58 sq mi): the Royal and the Quebec. The club has set up a women's section. Several tournaments are organized. It has a golf shop and a dining room. The club also has a golf academy, especially for private lessons or coaching, as well as corporate professional courses; it can be reached at: info@wisdomingolf.com. In winter, the club offers the public free access to its grounds for the practice of winter sports, in particular more than 16 km of double classic cross-country ski trails and 10 km of snowshoe trails. 
• Véloroute Marie-Hélène Prémont. Cycle route of 55 km (34 mi) approved for the Route verte since June 2010. The cycle path starting in Boischatel up to the Cap-Tourmente National Wildlife Reserve, offers the landscape of the Route de la Nouvelle-France: Montmorency Falls, Moulin du Petit-Pré, hundreds of rustic and well-renovated houses. The Véloroute has cycle paths and designated roads. It has 11 rest stops. (updated Feb 2022)
• 2 Le Montmorency Golf Club (Club de golf Le Montmorency), 2700 avenue du Sault, Québec, ☏ +1 418 661-8713. Golf course bordered on the west side by the Montmorency River. The club offers an 18-hole course (including 9 on Boischatel territory), for a par of 72. In addition to its regular members, the public is open to the public. The club can host tournaments for up to 200 participants. 

Events

• Boischatel in snow (winter festival) (Boischatel en neige (festival d'hiver)). Annual winter festival since 1999, with the mascot Bouli. (updated Jan 2022)

Cope

Municipal services

• 1 Aréna de Boischatel, 5770, boulevard Sainte-Anne, ☏ +1 418-822-5311. (updated Feb 2022)
• 2 Sport Centre (Centre sportif), 160, rue des Grès. (updated Feb 2022)

Go next

• 1 Quebec City Capital of the province of Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain. She is one of the oldest cities in North America.
• 2 L'Ange-Gardien Municipality on the north shore of the Île d'Orléans canal, on La Côte-de-Beaupré, whose history began in 1655 with the arrival of the first two settlers, in the Boischatel sector.
• 3 Île d'Orléans The tour of Île d'Orléans is a must: hiking trails, wide range of accommodation (hotel, manor, inn, bed and breakfast, chalets.), local food shop, agrotourism, magnificent rural and river landscapes, art shops, museums, and great island history. The island was one of the first parts of the province to be settled by the French, and a large percentage of French Canadians can trace the ancestry of the island's earliest residents. The island has been described as "the microcosm of traditional Quebec and the cradle of French speakers in North America".

Routes through Boischatel

Montreal ← Quebec City ←	W  E	→ Château-Richer → Baie-Comeau
END ← Quebec City ←	W  E	→ Château-Richer → Beaupré