RV TOURS
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RVing in Quebec not only provides you with the opportunity
to explore the province’s diverse landscapes, wildlife and culture,
but also offers other benefits. Most of all, RVing allows for
flexibility and spontaneity. How else can you travel without
ever needing to book a room? And if you find that special place
…. stay a while. On the other hand, if you feel the need to explore,
there’s nothing to stop you from moving on to a different campground
every night!
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Day 1:
Pick up your vehicle in Montreal
Call CanaDream’s office in Saint Janvier shortly after 8.00am
this morning to schedule your pickup time for today. If
you are staying in an Airport hotel we will pick you up at
your designated pickup time. Allow 1-2 hours
at CanaDream to process your paperwork and learn about the
operation of your CanaDream camper.
When you’ve finished at CanaDream head out on Highway 20
towards Brampton, stopping en route to stock up on groceries
and fill up with gas. As pickup times are generally between
1pm and 4pm, plan to travel only a short
distance
today -
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perhaps
stopping overnight at Camping
Alouette in Saint-Mathieu
de Beloeil. This will enable you to familiarise yourself
with your vehicle and get organised before heading out
of Montreal on Day 2. Check the Camping Alouette website
at www.campingalouette.com. You are welcome to explore
the area in your RV but please be aware that you are not permitted
to park your RV within 20km of downtown Montreal. If
you are planning to go downtown, please leave your vehicle
at your campsite and take public transport to downtown
areas.
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Day 2: Montreal to Riviere-du-Loup
427km/267 miles
Renowned for its beautiful sunsets, Riviere-du-Loup (French
for Wolf River) is situated between Qu ébec City and the Gasp é Peninsula on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River. The city is small
with
a population of just 21000, yet it features a range of activities
for travellers looking to make it a stop on a trip through southern Quebec.
Riviere-du-Loup
Waterfall Park and Petit Temis Interprovincial Linear Park/North
Section offer nature-lovers the opportunity to experience some
local outdoor activities and excitement. Those interested in
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learning about the region's history and culture can visit
the Musée du Bas-Saint-Laurent,
which preserves and exhibits contemporary Québecois art,
or visit the Manoir Seigneurial Fraser to learn about the
lives of a local family circa
the early 19th century. Rodeo Country (late June/early
July) gives residents and visitors the chance to experience
a bit of the Wild West, while the Pleins Feux Riviere-du-Loup
fireworks festival (late June) shows off the city's sunset
before the pyrotechnic display lights up the sky.
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Day 3: Riviere-du-Loup to Percé
550km/345 miles
Enjoy the passing seascapes from the comfort of your CanaDream
motorhome before arriving in the lovely village of Percé.
Some suggested activities during your stay in Percé are the
cruise around Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island; this natural
bird sanctuary is home to over 80,000
gannets. Percé
is a very popular tourist village during the summer and, if you are
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travelling
during that time, we recommend you phone ahead to
reserve your campground spot. Percé has some excellent
trails for those who enjoy hiking. The most popular
is the path to Mont-Sainte-Anne, the left fork of
which leads to commanding view of Percé Rock, Bonaventure
Island and the surrounding coastline.
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Day
4: Gaspé Penninsula
With so much to do and see on the Gaspé Penninsula, you'll most likely
decide to spend a few extra days here. For many people even a week
won't be enough to experience all the Penninsula has to offer.The beautiful
drive encircling the Gaspé Peninsula offers magnificent views of the
rugged coastline as well as
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mountain
scenery. Visit lovely Forillon National Park; pause at
Hyman’s General Store (seasonal), which
inspires memories of days gone by, be blown away at Le
Nordais - one of the largest windmill parks in Canada
and enjoy
the serenity of the Mètis Gardens, featuring 40 acres of developed
gardens and a manor.
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Day 5: Percé
to Matane to Baie-Comeau
347km/217 miles
Your journey today takes you through some of the most beautiful coastal scenery
Quebec has to offer. In this breathtaking landscape, discover
the various ecosystems of the gulf and the history of its
fishers. Visit Canada's tallest lighthouse in Cap-des-Rosiers.
Past here, the road curves westward through a changing
landscape of sea and mountains. Travel from lighthouse
to lighthouse to arrive in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts,
at the edge of Gaspesie National Park. Here, hiking lovers
can venture to Mount Albert or Mount Jacques-Cartier, in
search of the caribou that inhabit the arctic tundra at
their summits. Continue on to the
town of Matane, famous for its shrimps and well-
known for its excellent salmon fishing. From this
small fishing port, the Quebec
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Government operates
a passenger and vehicle ferry across the St Lawrence River
to Baie-Comeau on the Côte-Nord.
Ferry sailing times vary according to the time of year and we recommend
you telephone the ferry service toll-free on 1-877-562-6560
for their updated
sailing schedule. Try to time your arrival in Matane to connect with the
next available ferry then relax as you enjoy the voyage across to Baie
Comeau, a town where land, sea and sky meet in an ever changing
visual dynamic. The town is 99% French speaking and boasts
some fine restaurants which you may like to visit. Spend
the night here before continuing on to Tadoussac and the
Charlevoix region.
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Day 6: Baie-Comeau to Tadoussac
199km/124 miles
You can take it easy today as it's only a short drive from Baie-Comeau
to Tadoussac. This will give you plenty of time to enjoy
the scenery and perhaps take some time out for hiking, sea
kayaking or whale watching. The marine life in this part
of Quebec is amazing so be sure to stop and observe. Tonight's destination is the beatiful town of Tadoussac. Tadoussac is a small
village surrounded by hills, rocky coastline, and the majesty
of the St Lawrence River. In 1998 the charming beauty of
the bay of Tadoussac made it a member of the Select Club
of the World's Thirty Most Beautiful Bays and visitors to
the area can easily see why. Here the Saguenay River Fjord
meets the St
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Lawrence River. The Tadoussac Hotel, built in
1866, shines like a beckoning light to visitors and locals
alike and the village's charming old houses are a photographer's
dream. As Canada's oldest village, Tadoussac celebrated its
400 year anniversary in the year 2000. Whether you are a
nature lover, a whale watcher, a history buff or just enjoy
the great outdoors, you are sure to spend some memorable
moments in Tadoussac. You will find a choice of camping grounds
here - Camping Domaine des Dunes is open year-round
and offers a few sites for
motorhomes. Camping Tadoussac has a larger number of sites
but is seasonal, operating from 26 May to 18 September.
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Day 7: Tadoussac to Quebec
215km/134
miles
Another easy day as you head towards Quebec City in
your CanaDream RV. You may wish to spend more time
in the Tadoussac area today before making your way
south, just enjoying the peace and solitude of the
area. On a direct route, your drive to Quebec City
should take less than 3 hours
however
you might like to consider taking highway 172 west
to Chicoutimi on the north side of the Saguenay Fjord
then driving back to St-Simeon on Highway 170. This
route will take you the length of the Fjord and there
are a number of minor roads leading into the Fjord
which you may like to explore.
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Alternatively, from Chicoutimi, you may like to take the
mountain route to Quebec through the Laurentians - breathtaking mountain
vistas or coastal scenery
- the choice is yours! Either way, your final destination
today is Quebec City, one of the oldest settlements in Canada and the
largest city in
eastern Quebec. Quebec's Old Town (Vieux-Québec) is the only North American fortified city north of Mexico whose walls still
exist. It was declared a World heritage Site by UNESCO
in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Quebec".
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Day 8: In Quebec
You have a whole day to explore and take in the atmosphere
and French history in this beautiful city. We suggest
you leave your CanaDream motorhome at your campsite
and take public transport downtown and to the Old City. Many
of this city's attractions are east of Old Quebec. This
area has a distinct European feel unique in North America
with its stone buildings and winding streets lined with
shops and restaurants. St Louis Gate (Porte St-Louis)
and St Jean Gate (Porte St-Jean) are the main gates through
the walls from the modern section of downtown. West of
the walls are the Colline-Parlementaire (Parliament Hill) district and
the Plaines d'Abraham (Plains of Abraham).
Quebec City's skyline is dominated by the massive Château
Frontenac Hotel, perched on top of Cap-Diamant. The hotel is beside the
Terrasse Dufferin (Dufferin Terrace), a walkway along the edge of the
cliff, offering beautiful views of the Saint Lawrence River.
Near the Château Frontenac is Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral,
mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec. It is the first
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church
in the New World
to be made a basilica and is the primatial church of
Canada. The Terrasse Dufferin
leads toward the nearby Plains of Abraham, site of the
battle in which the British took Quebec from France, and
the Citadel of Quebec, a Canadian
Forces installation and the federal vice-regal secondary
residence. The National Assembly, Quebec's provincial legislature,
is also near
the Citadelle.
The Haute-Ville
(Upper Town) is linked by the Escalier Casse-Cou (literally "neck-breaker steps") and a funicular to the Basse-Ville (Lower Town), which includes
such sites as the ancient Notre Dame des Victoires church,
the historic Petit Champlain district, the port, and the
Musée de la Civilisation
(Museum of Civilization). Laval University is located in
the western end of the city, in the borough of Sainte-Foy.
However,
Laval University's
school of architecture is located in Vieux Quebec. The
central campus of the Université du Québec is also located
in Quebec City. Canon balls
are placed beside "Château Frontenac."
You can easily spend a whole day exploring these attractions.
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Day 9: Quebec to Trois-Rivieres
128km/80
miles
Sadly today we leave Quebec City and continue our journey
south to Trois-Rivieres (Three Rivers). The
city is so named because of its location at the three-pronged
mouth of the Saint-Maurice River. The city's inhabitants
are known as "Trifluviens".
Trois-Rivieres has been a world capital in the pulp
and paper industry since
the 1930s and other prominent industries in the city
include electronics and thermoplastics, as well as
the production of food crops and
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cabinetmaking. The city's
main street is composed of century-old
buildings housing a great variety of cafes,
restaurants, clubs, bars and shops. Notable landmarks
include the Forges du Saint-Maurice, a foundry
dating back to the 1730s, the Ursulines Monastery,
and the Basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Cap. Trois-Rivieres
is well known on the North American motor racing circuit,
hosting the Grand-Prix de Trois-Rivieres, the prestigious
American Le Mans series and the Formula Atlantic.
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Day 10: Trois Rivieres to Montreal
140km/87
miles
If you didn't get time to sight-see in Montreal when
you arrived, now is your opportunity. With only a short
drive ahead of you from Trois Rivieres to Montreal, you
should have lots of time today to check out some of Montreal's
tourist attractions. Again we remind you that, due to
high crime rates in the downtown Montreal area, you are
not permitted to leave your RV unattended within a 20km
radius of downtown Montreal.
Montreal is the largest French speaking city in the Western
Hemisphere and
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second largest city in Canada with just under 4 million
people living in the Greater Montreal Area.
The Montreal
Tourist information center will be able to provide you
with a long list of things to do and see while in Montreal.
Some of our suggestions are the Montreal Biodome, Biosphere,
Christ Church Cathedral, Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral,
Centre Bell, the Canadian Architecture Museum, the Montreal History Museum,
the Leonard
and Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Montreal Botanical Gardens
and L'Île
Notre-Dame.
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Day 11: Return RV to Montreal Station
It's time to pack up today in preparation for returning
your RV to CanaDream's Montreal station. Return time
is between 8.00am and 10.00am. If you require a ride
to the airport we would be happy to take you there. If
you are staying longer in Montreal we can transport you
to an
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airport hotel. Please let
the CanaDream staff know when you drop off your vehicle.
CanaDream has RV rental depots in locations across Canada. Be sure to visit our
other tour pages for ideas about RV vacations in other provinces.
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