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Rigaud

Rigaud is a town in the Montérégie region of Quebec about 75 km west of Montreal. While in many ways a typical rural Quebec town, it features Mont-Rigaud, a small mountain in the otherwise flat Ottawa River valley. The mountain attracts skiers, hikers, maple syrup and beer enthusiasts and religious tourists. It can make for a pleasant stop for an hour or two on the way between Montreal and Ottawa.

Understand

Visitor information

Get in

By car Rigaud is within sight of exit 9 of Quebec Autoroute 40 (aka the Trans-Canada Highway). Turn left after the exit onto St-Jean-Baptiste street and drive about 1km to town centre.
From Montreal, this takes 45-60 minutes except at evening rush hour, when it can take up to 2 hours.
From Ottawa, take Highway 417 east, which becomes Autoroute 40 at the Quebec border. Turn left after the exit onto St-Jean-Baptiste street and drive about 1km to town centre. The trip takes around 90 minutes.

By bus From Montreal, Greyhound busses depart daily at noon and midnight from Montreal's central bus station on Berri Street for Ottawa, which will stop in Rigaud if requested. From Ottawa, there are also two Montreal-bound Greyhound busses that depart at noon and 2:30am, which will stop at Rigaud if requested. Check schedules here: [1]

Effective July 1, 2010, a commuter bus run by CIT La Presqu'Ile runs twice per weekday in the evening to Rigaud, departing from John Abbott College in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue in Montreal's West Island, which also connect with Vaudreuil Train Station. It returns from Rigaud early in the morning on weekdays. The bus does not run on weekends. Check the CIT website for schedules: [2]

By bicycle If you are biking along the Quebec portion of the south side of the Ottawa River, you will pass through Rigaud. If you are coming from Ontario or the Carillon ferry, you will reach it via Chemin de la Baie. If you are coming from the Montreal/Hudson direction, you will reach it along Chemin de l'Anse.

By train Effective July 1, 2010, Rigaud no longer has direct train service. There are some busses available to Rigaud that connect from Vaudreuil train station (see the "By Bus" section above). Schedules for AMT trains from Montreal to Vaudreuil are available here.

Get around

The centre of town is very small, mainly lying along the two streets at the base of Mont-Rigaud. It can be crossed on foot within minutes. However, most of Rigaud's main attractions (ski slopes, maple sugar shacks, hiking trails, restaurants) lie scattered around the mountain. Some of Rigaud's more secluded attractions are on different highway exits than the one that leads to the centre of town. You may need to drive for 10 or 15 minutes between different sites in Rigaud.

See

  • Mont-Rigaud. This mountain is not particularly high, but covered in mixed forest, which means that the autumn leaves turn every colour in October. Bring bug repellant if you are going hiking in the forest, as there are mosquitoes and blackflies, especially in the spring and autumn.
  • Sanctuaire de Lourdes. Catholics might light a candle at this outdoor, hundred-year-old shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes built into the mountain, which operates only in the summer. Non-Catholics might enjoy the "potato fields", a strange natural clearing of thousands of small boulders in an otherwise wooded area close to the shrine. The local legend of its origin are that a potato crop was turned to stone beause the farmer worked on Sundays. The old chapel near the summit of the mountain provides a great view of the Ottawa River valley. 

Do

  • Go "sugaring off": Several "cabanes a sucre" ("sugar shacks" or maple syrup farms) cater to tourists, giving them hay rides, showing them how maple syrup is collected and prepared, serving traditional Quebec meals and playing folk music. This is most popular in March and early April, when the warmer temperatures cause the sap to start flowing through the maple trees after a long winter. The two closest to Rigaud are: Sucrerie la Montagne [3] at 30 Rang St-Georges (from town centre, turn left on Rue St Pierre, which continues as Chemin des Erables, then turn right on Rang St Georges) and Auberge des Gallant [4], 160 Chemin St-Henri (Take exit 17 off highway 40 onto Autoroute 201 nord, right on Chemin St-Henri).
  • Ski on Mont-Rigaud: the mountain is not very high or challenging, but maybe an alternative to the faraway Laurentian or Appalachian mountains for those living to the west of Montreal.
  • Hike on Mont-Rigaud: in the summer, and fall, this can be quite pleasant. In the spring or late fall, the trails get quite muddy.

Eat

There are a few fast food places in the town centre. If you want authentic Quebec poutine (french fries, gravy and cheese), you can't go wrong.

  • Restaurant Del Fiacco, 18 Rue St-Jean-Batiste Est, town centre, ☏ +1 450 451-8800. This is a very good, upscale Italian restaurant that would not be out of place in downtown Montreal. 
  • Restaurant Rube, 147 route 201 (Autouroute 40 Exit 17, route 201 nord), ☏ +1 450 458-5369. A surprisingly pleasant steakhouse, with a warm fireplace dominating the main dining room. 
  • Auberge des Gallant, 160 Chemin St-Henri (Exit 17 off autoroute 40, then take route 201 nord, right turn at Chemin St-Henri), toll-free: +1-800-641-4241. Pricey but good French cuisine (duck, chicken, veal, steak, buffalo, pork) with Quebec twists. 

Drink

  • Le Castor Microbrewery, 67 Chemin des Vinaigriers, ☏ +1 450-451-2337, . Saturday 10 AM - 5 PM. Bottles of organic beer can be purchased and enjoyed on the small terrasse. One of the top 100 breweries in the world (according to users on Ratebeer.com). $6+tax. (updated Aug 2015)

Sleep

  • Hudson Inn, 90 Route 201 (Exit 17 off Autroute 40), ☏ +1 450 458-5194. ***. Close to Autoroute 40; convenient for Rigaud and Hudson area. $90-$100.. 
  • Auberge des Gallant, 160 Chemin St-Henri (Exit 17 off autoroute 40, then take route 201 nord, right turn at Chemin St-Henri), toll-free: +1-800-641-4241. ****. An upscale hotel in the forests of Rigaud, featuring a spa, wedding facilities, and a fancy restaurant. 
  • Motel Belair, 118 rue St-Jean-Baptiste Est Rigaud QC J0P 1P0 (town centre (Autoroute 40 exit 9)), ☏ +1 450 451-5368. An older place, probably your cheapest option. 

Go next

  • Hudson (Quebec), a scenic lakeside town with many arts & crafts shops, is a 10 minute drive away (Autoroute 40 exit 22).
  • The Carillon ferry can take you across the Ottawa River to the Outaouais and Laurentian Mountain regions of Quebec.
  • Voyageur Provincial Park, a forested, riverside park is just across the Ontario border on westbound Autoroute 40 (highway 417 in Ontario). It is used for camping, hiking, cycling, canoeing, etc.
  • Montreal is a 45-60 minute drive eastbound on Autoroute 40.
  • Ottawa is a 90-minute drive westbound on Auroroute 40.
Routes through Rigaud
Ottawa ← Limoges ←  W  E  → Hudson → Montreal



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