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geographical region in Canada
North America > Canada > Quebec > Central Quebec > Charlevoix

For other places with the same name, see Charlevoix (disambiguation).
Charlevoix is known for its hilly landscape

Charlevoix in Central Quebec is on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River and in the Laurentian Mountains. This dramatic landscape includes rolling terrain, fjords, headlands and bays; the region was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1989.

Regions

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Map
Map of Charlevoix
  • Charlevoix Regional Municipality County
  • Charlevoix-Est Regional Municipality County

Cities

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From southwest to northeast:

Other destinations

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  • 1 L'Isle-aux-Coudres — an island in the St. Lawrence River about 6 km south from the mainland known for its historical sites, tourist accommodations, and craftspeople
  • 2 Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park — part of the Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve, popular with anglers, hikers, campers and vacationers
  • 3 Port-au-Persil — hamlet in Saint-Siméon municipality
  • 4 Baie-des-Rochers Municipal Park — in Saint-Siméon municipality, it offers marine and forest environments, marine mammals such as seals, beluga whales and whales can sometimes be seen

Understand

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Landscape just outside Tadoussac

Covering 6000 km² in the Canadian shield, Charlevoix has a magnificiant mountain scenery caused by a 6.8-million-tonne meteor 350 million years ago. The earliest vacationers came to Charlevoix as early as 1760.

The region was named after Pierre François-Xavier de Charlevoix, a French Jesuit explorer and historian who travelled through the area in the 18th century. The community of La Malbaie was known as the first resort area in Canada. For much of its history, Charlevoix was home to a thriving summer colony of wealthy Americans, including President William Howard Taft.

Get in

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By car

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Baie St-Paul and La Malbaie are the major cities of this region. You get in by car using Highway 138. It is about 4 to 5 hours from Montreal and 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes from Quebec City.

By ferry

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Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive—Isle-aux-Coudres, duration: 15 minutes, free, ☏ +1 418-438-2743.

By bus

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  • Intercar, +1-800-806-2167 (toll free), offers the service from Quebec City (Gare du Palais, 320, rue Abraham-Martin) to Baie St-Paul and various cities in Charlevoix along the St-Lawrence River. Discounts for students and seniors. Reservations are mandatory for some cities.

Get around

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The best way to go around in Charlevoix is by car. However, you can get to many locations by bus with Intercar (see above).

For those interested in history and art, there's the Musée d'art contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul, a contemporary art museum, and the Musée de Charlevoix, dedicated to folk art, regional history and culture in La Malbaie.

National parks

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There are two Quebec national parks in this region:

  • Grands-Jardins National Park (Parc national des Grands-Jardins), Route 381, km 31, ☏ +1-866-702-9202. This park has 134 lakes and 7 rivers. You can do hiking (hike on Mont du Lac des Cygnes is a must), cycling, canoeing, kayaking (rentals available on-site) and fishing (brook trout). Camping available. $9.25 per person. 
  • Hautes-Gorges-de-la-rivière-Malbaie National Park (Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie), Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs, ☏ +1-866-702-9202. Spectacular sight for canoeing or kayaking on the river. Nice hiking on Acropole des Draveurs. $9.25 per person. 

Sleep

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Go next

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The two regions to see after visiting Charlevoix are Quebec Region and Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean.

This region travel guide to Charlevoix is a usable article. It gives a good overview of the region, its sights, and how to get in, as well as links to the main destinations, whose articles are similarly well developed. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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