Painting by Lord Charles Beauclerk (1813-1842) interpreting the battle of the patriots against the English army at Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu

Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu is a picturesque municipality with a riverside and rural landscape on the St. Lawrence plain, in La Vallée-du-Richelieu Regional County Municipality, in the Montérégie region of Quebec.

Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu is a recreational, nautical and agricultural destination facing Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu, on the opposite bank of the Richelieu River. The main attractions of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu are, in particular:

• its recreational tourism infrastructure and services, in particular its municipal parks, marinas, wharves and other services for travellers/boaters;
• its built heritage which displays a rustic and well-renovated character (including agricultural buildings), in particular the resort buildings along the Richelieu River or the country houses;
• its rural and riverside landscape, which bears witness to the activities of citizens in this part of the St. Lawrence plain;
• pleasure boating on the Richelieu River (11.8 km (7.3 mi) river segment) and related services for boaters;
• heritage, art and flavours, or cycle tourism circuits.

Understand

History

Front facade of the Maison Savoie, built in 1895 for Gabriel Marchand, prothonotary, deputy for Saint-Jean. He is the son of Félix-Gabriel Marchand, journalist, author, notary and politician.

On March 1, 1695, Governor Frontenac signed a decree granting a fourth seigniory along the Richelieu River to François Hertel de la Fresnière, a soldier. The latter designated the seigneury of Saint-François-Le-Neuf, which would later be designated Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu.

The first church was blessed in 1740, dedicated to Saint-Charles. In 1800, almost all the lots of land were granted; nevertheless, without any village.

From 1695 to 1877, ten lords succeeded each other as owners of the lordship, because several of them had to give up their rights due to bankruptcy.

After the 1834 election, the Parti Patriote rallied almost the entire French-speaking population. Lord Debartzch disassociated himself from Papineau and sided with the English. The battle of November 1837 took place between the English army and the Patriots.

The 300th anniversary of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu was celebrated in 1995.

Geography

Apart from the dwellings in the strip of riverside land (including the village), rue de l'Union, rang du Côteau, 3rd row (north and south), 4th row (north and south), as well as an area forest (north-south direction), the rest of the territory of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu is mainly agricultural.

Get in

By car

• From Montréal (51 km, time: 43 mins). Take the Jacques-Cartier bridge (east); take route 132 (eastbound); take Autoroute 20 (eastbound) and cross the bridge over the Richelieu River; take Route 133 (northbound) to the village of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu.
• From Quebec (218 km, time: 2 hr 14 min). Take Autoroute 20 (westbound) to Saint-Hyacinthe; take Grand Rang (north) which becomes Union Street, to the village of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu.

Get around

The Richelieu River crossing service allows you to avoid a long detour to go south to the Autoroute 20 bridge or north to the Autoroute 30 bridge in Sorel.

• 1 Ferry Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu-Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu (Traverse Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu-Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu), 463, chemin des Patriotes (accessible from the east side of the river, at the end of Union Street in the village, and from the west side, about 1.65 km north of the intersection of Montée Verchères (village) and Route 223 along the river), ☏ +1 450 584-2813. April to December. This ferry is a cable ferry used to shuttle between the villages of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu (east shore) and Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu (west shore), over a distance of 314 m between the two docks. Every winter, an ice bridge is built there for automobile traffic. (updated Jun 2022)

See

• 1 Town hall of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu (Hôtel de ville de Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu), 405, chemin des Patriotes, ☏ +1 450-584-3484. The town hall is housed in the former Catholic presbytery of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu. (updated Jun 2022)
• 2 Pierre Meunier Gallery (Galerie Pierre-Meunier), 405, chemin des Patriotes, ☏ +1 450-584-3484, loisirs@saint-charles-sur-richelieu.ca. Created in 2008, this art gallery hosts temporary exhibitions of original works. This toponymic designation of the art gallery evokes Doctor Pierre-Meunier, a learned surgeon and gynecologist; he was a history buff and very attached to his native village. (updated Jun 2022)

Worship centres

Church of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu en 2018

• 3 Church of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu (Église de Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu), 406, chemin des Patriotes, ☏ +1 450-787-2020. Historic Catholic church. The old cemetery is located at the back. (updated Jun 2022)

Tourist routes

• Cycling circuit (Circuit cycliste). Cycling enthusiasts can download the cycling network map of Montérégie at: cycling network map. (updated Jun 2022)
• Richelieu Road (Route du Richelieu), +1 450-466-4666. Circuit offering various cultural and heritage experiences, through historic sites, picturesque villages, museums, heritage churches and open-air works of art, along the Richelieu River. Main sites on the route: Blockhouse on the Lacolle River, Haut-Richelieu Museum, Canal-de-Chambly National Historic Site, Fort-Chambly National Historic Site, the Maison Amérindienne, the Museum of Fine Arts of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, national home of the Patriots and biolighthouse, Statera - the fabulous archipelago. (updated Jun 2022)
• Richelieu Arts and Flavours Route (Route des Arts et Saveurs du Richelieu), ☏ +1 438-498-9752. Creative and gourmet circuit, meeting craftsmen, art galleries and gastronomy, highlighting local products from the Richelieu Valley. Special studio visit activities (see website) at: Richelieu.pdf (updated Jun 2022)

Events

• Annual festival of "Chants de Veilles sur le Richelieu" (Festival annuel du "Chants de Veilles sur le Richelieu"). Late May. This nautical festival makes stops from one city to another, starting in Sorel (Catherine Le Gardeur wharf); then made stops successively at Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, Otterburn Park, Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, Chambly; and the festival ends in Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu (quai Fecteau). The program is posted on the festival's website. (updated Jun 2022)

Do

• Snowmobile and quad trails, ☏ +1 514-252-3076. Visitors can view the interactive map on the Fédération des clubs de motoneigistes du Québec website. (updated Jun 2022)
• 1 SH Karting inc, 2456, 4e rang Sud, ☏ +1 450-584-3843. Karting centre offering 42 karts and 2 outdoor tracks (paved and lit) on a 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) road circuit in a rural environment. Founded in 1975. In operation 12 months a year. (updated Jun 2022)
• 2 Ferme DeJordy, 472 chemin des Patriotes (Farm located facing the Richelieu River), ☏ +1 450-584-2813. Family stable founded over 30 years ago, offering riding services (classic, hunter, jumper and dressage). This stable welcomes various calibers of riders, both beginners and experienced in search of improvement. (updated Jun 2022)

Buy

• 1 Dépanneur Le Marché de la Traverse, 464 chemin des Patriotes, ☏ +1 450-584-3388. Convenient store. (updated Jun 2022)
• 2 Ferme Gilles et Constance Bousquet et fils, 646, chemin des Patriotes, ☏ +1 450-584-3304, guillaumebousquet@msn.com. Farm working in the production of fruits and vegetables since 1987. Main vegetables offered at the stand: sweet corn, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins. Specialty: summer and autumn strawberries. (updated Jun 2022)

Others

• 3 Boutique aux Mirabelles, 118, chemin des Patriotes, ☏ +1 450-584-3388. Country decoration shop. (updated Jun 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), sanitary measures required, other services (e.g. catering, shops, accommodation, access for the disabled, wi-fi, take-out food, delivery), contact details and often the history of the restaurant or site.

• 1 Restaurant du Quai, 463, chemin des Patriotes, ☏ +1 450-584-3270. (updated Jun 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Auberge la Belle aux Berges, 609, chemin des Patriotes, ☏ +1 450-787-9748, info@labelleauxberges.com. Inn housed in a rustic Victorian-style home owned by a chef. B&B certified. The inn offers a gourmet menu (local cuisine) and hosts special events. Outdoor pool. (updated Jun 2022)

Camping

• 2 Camping Domaine Madalie, 512, 3e rang Nord, ☏ +1 450-584-2444, info@domaine-madalie.com. Peaceful place connected with nature on an enchanting site. This campground offers hiking trails and a lake stocked with trout. (updated Jun 2022)

Cope

• 3 Municipal wharf and municipal landing stage (Quai municipal et débarcadère municipal), 405, chemin des Patriotes (landing stage located behind the town hall (former presbytery)). (updated Jun 2022)
• 4 Sports infrastructure (Infrastructures sportives). The main sports facilities are:
  *soccer field (at Parc des Six-Comtés),
  *volleyball field (at Parc des Six-Comtés) (updated Jun 2022)
• Municipal Parks. Parc des Patriotes (with its historic monument), Belvédère Debartzch, Parc Amyot (located along the Amyot River), Parc des Six-Comtés. (updated Jun 2022)
• 5 Ice rink (located in the Parc des Six-Comtés (corner of Place Benoît and Rue des Loisirs), ☏ +1 450-787-2712. (updated Jun 2022)

Go next

Routes through Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu

Sorel-Tracy ← Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu ←

N  S

→ Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu → Lacolle

• 1 Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu Municipality comprising 12.8 km on the west bank of the Richelieu River. Vacationing is highly developed along the waterfront road (route 223 - rue Richelieu) because of pleasure boating. The Trois Tilleuls hotel and the Old Federal Quay (facing Jeannotte Island) attract many tourists. Nautical traffic on the Richelieu River generates nautical activities: boating, water skiing, fishing, and marinas. The municipality offers several recreational tourism activities with its parks and leisure facilities.
• 2 Mont-Saint-Hilaire It is a city rich in art, heritage and nature (mountains, orchards, farms). Every fall, Mont-Saint-Hilaire attracts orchard enthusiasts. The Richelieu River runs for 9.2 km at the western limit of the municipal territory. This river is a paradise for nautical activities (especially boating) and resorts.
• 3 Sainte-Marie-Madeleine Its distinctive recreational tourism activities are sugar shacks, agrotourism (e.g., pick-your-own, local products) and walking/cycling trails.
• 4 La Présentation Picturesque municipality with an agricultural vocation and a rural setting. At La Présentation, visitors find themselves in a land of maple groves, corn and a bucolic bike path. Community life is active with its sports and leisure facilities. The church built in 1817 was declared a historic monument in 1957 and has been a heritage site since 1984.
• 5 Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu has a great story to tell visitors, especially in terms of: agriculture, river navigation, shops, and public events (in particular: Fête du Vieux Marché, commemoration of the Patriot Battles of 1837). This locality offers distinctive getaways and stays for visitors by involving them in leisure and community life: events, restaurants, agrotourism, accommodation and picnic areas, museum, heritage circuit, summer getaways, arts and culture.