La Vallée-du-Richelieu

La Vallée-du-Richelieu is a regional county municipality (RCM) of Montérégie, Quebec. In the 21st century, the Richelieu River is very popular for both U.S. and Canadian recreational boaters, providing a connection that can bring boaters all the way from the outlet of the Saint Lawrence River to New York Harbor.

Understand

Dramatically different from the mountainous terrain to the south, the river valley is a vast plain that has been developed with extensive farmlands. The region includes the towns adjacent to the Richelieu River in its central part and is made up of suburban towns and villages in mainly agricultural territory.

A number of old fortifications exist dating back to the 17th century; they were built by the French in an effort to try to prevent the Iroquois from using the river as a way to attack the French settlers in the area. Fort Richelieu is at the mouth of the Richelieu River. Fort St. Louis (now Fort Chambly) at Chambly, Fort Sainte-Thérèse, and Fort Saint-Jean at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, are on the way. Fort St. Anne Isle La Motte, Vermont in Lake Champlain is near the river's source. The region is informally known as la Vallée-des-Forts.

Cities

Map of La Vallée-du-Richelieu

45.5667-73.21 Beloeil — a picturesque town with facilities for boating
45.45-73.32 Carignan — has many islands for recreational activities and the Fort Sainte-Thérèse historic site
45.45-73.28333 Chambly — hosts the historic Fort Chambly and Chambly Canal
45.55-73.23334 McMasterville — offers recreational and tourist activities, mainly focused on restaurants, pleasure boating on the Richelieu River, cultural activities, and artists' and craftsmen's shops
45.562222-73.1916675 Mont-Saint-Hilaire — an important apple-growing region offering agrotourism, pleasure boating, and hiking
45.5333-73.21676 Otterburn Park — a small town with picturesque and contemporary charm
45.7833-73.18337 Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu — has a riverside, rural landscape and a great historical heritage
45.5333-73.28338 Saint-Basile-le-Grand — its old town has many rustic posh houses bearing witness to the great local history
45.6833-73.18339 Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu — a recreational, nautical and agricultural destination with marinas and other services for travellers/boaters;
45.7833-73.1510 Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu — a member of the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec, it hosts a museum about the 1837 Patriote rebellion
45.5167-73.116711 Saint-Jean-Baptiste — has earned the distinction of "Fleurons du Québec" for its horticultural and landscape attractions
45.6833-73.212 Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu — part of the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec, it has a great historical heritage
45.5667-73.213 Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil — an industrial city and aerial recreational tourism destination with two golf clubs

Get in

By car, there are several routes from Montreal.

The AMT commuter train runs from Montreal's Gare Centrale (central station) to McMasterville.

Get around

Route 223 (rue du Rivage, Rue Richelieu and other names) connects the towns along the west bank of the Richelieu River, and route 133 (Chemin des Patriotes) connects the towns along the east bank.

See

Explore historic forts, including Fort Sainte-Thérèse in Carignan, and Fort Chambly in Chambly. Learn about the history of the 1837-38 Patriotes rebellion in Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu's museum.

The First Nations House in Mont-Saint-Hilaire is a place to learn about and experience the Indigenous culture of the region. The town also hosts the major art museum on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River

Do

Drive the Richelieu River Circuit — routes 133 and 223— up and down the valley.

Each riverside municipality has a heritage trail with information panels on sites of historical interest. The websites of each municipality indicate the trails.

Equestrian sports facilities are available in Carignan or in Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu.

Buy

Eat

Drink

Cope

Go next

Routes through La Vallée-du-Richelieu

Montréal ← Longueuil ←	W E	→ Richelieu (Québec) → Frampton
Longueuil ←	W E	→ Victoriaville → Lévis
Sorel-Tracy ←	N S	→ Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu → Lacolle
Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu ← La Présentation ←	N S	→ Saint-Dominique → Granby
Sorel-Tracy ← Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu ←	N S	→ Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu → Lacolle
Sainte-Madeleine ← Sainte-Marie-Madeleine ←	N S	→ Mont-Saint-Grégoire → Venise-en-Québec
Fin ←	W E	→ Mont-Saint-Hilaire → Rougemont
Sainte-Victoire-de-Sorel (route 133) ← Saint-Guillaume ←	N S	→ Saint-Eugène-de-Grantham → Saint-Germain-de-Grantham
Vaudreuil-Dorion ← Brossard ←	W E	→ Contrecoeur → Sorel-Tracy

This region travel guide to La Vallée-du-Richelieu 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.