gaspe bay tourism

13 Top-Rated Attractions & Things to Do on the Gaspé Peninsula

Written by Chloë Ernst and Barbara Radcliffe Rogers Updated Mar 22, 2022

There are so many things to do in the Gaspé Peninsula that it's hard to believe it's only 250 kilometers long and 100 to 140 kilometers across. Extending into the Gulf of St. Lawrence and isolated from the rest of Québec , the peninsula rises quickly from its scenic coast to a mountainous, wooded inland wilderness. Between the sea and the interior mountains, the Gaspésie is a paradise for outdoor sports, from hiking, mountaineering, and backcountry skiing to kayaking, fishing, sailing, and even scuba diving.

But the tourist attractions of the Gaspé Peninsula are not all active ones: museums explore the long history (it was here that Champlain first landed in North America), Micmac culture, early wireless communication, fishing, and fossils. Picturesque lighthouses and tidy villages dot the shore. Scenic vistas are everywhere, but none compares to the peninsula's premier spot for sightseeing: the famous 88-meter-high Percé Rock jutting out of the sea.

Not least of the Gaspé Peninsula's attractions is its excellent cuisine. Local specialties uphold the best of French tradition with game, fish, and seafood, including local trout and Atlantic salmon. You can experience the highlights of this beautiful region with the help of our list of the top attractions on the Gaspé Peninsula.

1. Forillon National Park

2. percé rock, 3. bonaventure island, 5. whale watching & sea adventures, 6. pointe à la renommée, 7. bonaventure, 8. parc national de la gaspésie, 9. ste-anne-des-monts, 10. micmac cultural interpretation site, 11. parc national de miguasha fossil site, 12. musée de la gaspésie, 13. matapedia.

At the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, this scenic park juts out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Forillon National Park's northern coast is wild and rugged with mostly limestone cliffs. The southern coastal strip is less grand, but just as impressive, with opportunities for bird-watching and for whale watching trips by boat.

You can learn more about the wildlife of the area at the information center at Cap des Rosiers -which is also the site of a historic lighthouse, the tallest in Canada. Farther on, at Cap Bon-Ami, a narrow path leads down to the beach for a magnificent view of the cape and the cliffs.

Address: 122 Gaspé Blvd, Gaspé

Official site: http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/qc/forillon/index.aspx

The signature image of the Gaspé Peninsula is gigantic red Perce Rock rising majestically from a deep blue sea. And it's just as beautiful in reality. Eons of battering by the sea have eroded the rock, which is pierced (percé in French, hence the name) by a large hole at one end. This is the most dramatic point, but the whole coast is a magnificent natural spectacle of photogenic rocky outcrops, towering cliffs, and surf.

Samuel de Champlain described this 88-meter-high, 475-meter-long rock in his captain's log in 1603, and you, too, can get a view of it from the water on one of the several boat excursions from the town of Perce.

In 2017, the Plateforme Vitrée Suspendue (suspended glass platform) at the Geopark of Percé , a viewing stage cantilevered out from a Mont Ste-Anne cliff at 200 meters altitude, offering yet another perspective on the iconic rock. An interpretive center at the Geopark has an interactive multimedia exhibition, Tektonik, that's especially appealing to children.

The island of Bonaventure is a bird sanctuary covering about four square kilometers. It is North America's largest gannetry-about 50,000 gannets come here in summer to nest. The eastern side of the island is an ideal nesting site, with rocky clefts and ledges. Besides the gannets, there are cormorants and other seabirds, as well as trails, so that visitors can see them better.

From the boat dock, follow the 5.6-kilometer (round-trip) Les Colonies trail across the island to the gannet colony. Or you can follow the nine-kilometer Le Chemin du Roy around the entire perimeter of Bonaventure Island. The views are spectacular. For bird-lovers, the gannetry on Bonaventure Island is one of the top things to do in Quebec.

Official site: http://www.sepaq.com/pq/bon/

Gaspé, the main town of the peninsula and the administrative and commercial center, is on a hillside overlooking the York River. The town owes its fame to Jacques Cartier, since it was here that he first set foot on the continent of North America in July 1534, fashioned a wooden cross, and took possession of the land "in the name of the King of France." Today Gaspé is a community based on fishing and the fishing industry, and worth a stop for some sightseeing as you tour the eastern end of the peninsula.

The striking modern Christ Roi Cathedral is built almost entirely of wood and is the only wooden cathedral in North America. Designed by architect Gérard Notebaert, the new cathedral was consecrated in 1969, and has beautiful stained glass.

Largely surrounded by water, it's no wonder that Gaspé is filled with chances to explore and play on the water. For tourists, one of the most popular things to do is take a cruise around Perce Rock for different perspectives and great photo ops. Les Bateliers de Percé cruises also go to Bonaventure Island to see the gannets.

As many as six different species of whales frequent the waters off Forillon National Park, including blue and humpback whales. Cap Aventure operates whale watching cruises from the marina in Gaspé with a professional interpreter-guide.

Avolo Plein Air in Percé leads guided kayak tours of the point St-Peter's area, offering outstanding views of Percé and Forillon, and the chance to explore unique rock formations.

Écovoile de la Baie-des-Chaleurs does day trips under sail from Carleton-sur-Mer on the Bay of Chaleur. To explore underwater, you can go scuba diving with Plongée Forillon, at the Quai de Grande-Grave in the National Park.

The Site Historique de Pointe-à-la-Renommée combines a striking red lighthouse with the site of North America's first maritime radio station, which was installed here by inventor Guglielmo Marconi in 1904.

The lighthouse keeper's house has a video about the lighthouse and those who tended its lights, and you can climb to the top for magnificent views of the shore and the St. Lawrence. The displays in the museum tell the story of Marconi's station and its role in the development of radio communications.

This little holiday community on the Bay of Chaleur was founded by Acadians fleeing here to escape deportation, and you can learn more about the Acadian culture at the Musée Acadien du Québec. A good place to visit for families is the Bioparc , a small zoo with about 40 animals that are native to the Gaspe. Activities throughout the park encourage children to learn more about the animals and their environment.

About 20 kilometers east of Bonaventure, Banc de Paspebiac Historical Site has 11 restored buildings that tell the story of the local fishing industry over the last two centuries. Demonstrations of traditional shipbuilding skills, net-mending, blacksmithing, and barrel-making, as well as theatrical performances bring the village to life, making this another good attraction for families.

More than 25 peaks over 1,000 meters high crown the two mountain ranges in this national park in the heart of the Gaspé Peninsula. The Chic-Choc and McGerrigle ranges are accessed by 140 kilometers of hiking tracks that include one of the best stretches of the International Appalachian Trail . A favorite climb is Mont Jacques-Cartier, Québec's second highest summit. The higher reaches of the park are the habitat for a herd of rare woodland caribou .

Mont Albert, a peak in the Chic-Choc range, is well known to avid backcountry skiers in Quebec, but remains a well-kept secret outside the region. Mountain streams and lakes make the area popular for fishing, and there are campsites throughout the park.

Address: 1981 Route du Parc, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Québec

Official site: https://www.sepaq.com/gaspesie

The road to Ste-Anne-des-Monts is typical of the rocky coast. The route runs through impenetrable terrain, either at the water's edge or along the cliff tops, and passes through many little fishing villages with relatively large churches, small houses, and nothing but waves and seagulls as far as the eye can see. The bright-red La Martre Lighthouse and Museum is situated about 15 kilometers east of the town.

At the dock, you'll find Exploramer , an interactive museum that explores the marine life of the St. Lawrence River. The aquarium, touch pools, activities, and sea excursions on board the JV Exploramer all focus on the river, its inhabitants and environment. Visiting here is a popular thing to do for families; kids especially like putting on waders to explore the riverbed at low tide and collect sea life to examine.

The Micmac Cultural Interpretation Site (Site d'interpretation de la culture Micmac de Gespeg) demonstrates how the local Micmac people have lived in the Gaspé for the past three centuries, with a replica traditional village and summer camp of bark-covered homes. Displays and the guided tour illustrate daily life, food gathering, and traditional arts and skills. There is an emphasis on the Micmac's spiritual life and their relationship to the natural environment.

A shop exhibits outstanding examples of contemporary arts and crafts by members of the Gaspé Micmac Nation. The tour finishes with samples of traditional foods.

Address: 783 Boulevard Pointe-Navarre, Gaspe, Quebec

Official site: www.micmacgespeg.ca/en/explore

One of the world's premier sites, along with two in western Nova Scotia, illustrating the transition of fish to creatures able to walk on land, Parc National de Miguasha is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Fossils found here illustrate fish from 370 million years ago with rudimentary bones in their fins that show the beginning of arms and legs. These are called lobe-finned fishes, and they provide the link between fish and the first four-legged terrestrial vertebrates that could breathe out of water-the tetrapods.

The fish, invertebrate, and plant fossils shown in the interpretive center exhibits are of exceptional quality and are the very ones that have been used by paleontologists to form our understanding of the evolution of sea-to-land creatures. You can tour the beach to discover fossils that have fallen from the cliffs (but you are not allowed to collect them) or you can join a guided tour to learn even more about the site and its importance to scientific understanding of vertebrate origins.

Address: 231 Route de Miguasha Ouest, Nouvelle, Québec

Official site: https://www.sepaq.com/pq/mig/index.dot

Opened in June 2021, the Gaspé Museum celebrates the history, land, and people of the region with modern immersive exhibits and programs. Among the permanent exhibits, The Deep Blue Sea explores the maritime history of the Gaspésie through 15 sailing vessels and the experiences of people whose lives revolved around the sea. You'll see canoes of the Mi'gmaq and learn about whalers and cod fishing.

In addition to the indoor exhibition area, outdoors you'll find, La Gaspésienne no. 20, an authentic cod fishing boat restored and outfitted with fishing gear and equipment; you can board it from June through October. Also on the grounds are exhibits and sculptures by contemporary artists, including one commemorating the meeting between Jacques Cartier and the St. Lawrence Iroquoians in 1534.

In the summer, outdoor programs include a lively presentation about Jacques Cartier and the people he met during his travels.

Address: 80 boulevard Gaspé, Gaspé, Québec

Official site: https://en.museedelagaspesie.ca

Just across the line from New Brunswick, the village of Matapédia is in a lovely setting between two famous salmon rivers-the Matapédia and Restigouche-amid green hills that are known for their brilliant display of fall color. A number of covered bridges, some open to traffic, others pedestrian only, have been preserved from the early 20th century.

Well signposted from Chemin Petit, Chutes a Picot are often listed as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Quebec. In the winter, Le Petit Chamonix ski resort offers downhill and cross-country skiing, as well as snowboarding, tubing, and ice-skating.

More Related Articles on PlanetWare.com

Where to Go in Quebec: The Gaspé Peninsula is only one of the many regions where tourists will find attractions to visit in Quebec . Both Montreal and Quebec City are lively centers of French-Canadian culture, and you'll find many charming and historic places to stay in Old Quebec.

Where to Go in New Brunswick : From the Gaspé, you can drive south to explore the tourist attractions in New Brunswick , which lies at the other side of the Bay of Chaleur. While here, you will want to see all the natural wonders of the Bay of Fundy , and you can discover more things to do by referring to our handy pages on the lively cities of Saint John , Fredericton , and Moncton .

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This Hidden Gem in Quebec Has Delicious Seafood, Charming Coastal Towns, and Stunning National Parks

Reaching out from Canada’s eastern shore, the rocky, remote Gaspé Peninsula is one of the country's best-kept secrets.

Nina Caplan has been writing about the arts, wine, and travel for over 20 years. Her wine and lifestyle columns appear regularly in Club Oenologique , The New Statesman , and The London Times 's luxury magazine, Luxx. She is the author of an award-winning travel memoir steeped in wine and history, "The Wandering Vine: Wine, The Romans and Me," which was published by Bloomsbury in 2018. She has followed her interests all over the world, from climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and searching for Edo (19th-century Tokyo) to eating her way around Montreal and exploring the vineyards of Champagne. She is also a travel and wine consultant and an occasional podcaster. A lifelong Francophile and fluent French speaker, she lives between Burgundy, France, and London and has overflowing wine cellars in both places. She is working on a book about France. * Guild of Food Writers Drink Writer of the Year 2020 * Fortnum & Mason Drink Writer of the Year 2018 and 2014 * Louis Roederer International Food & Wine Writer of the Year 2016 * "The Wandering Vine" was Fortnum & Mason's Debut Drink Book of the Year 2019 and Louis Roederer Wine Book of the Year 2018 * Author of "The Gourmet London Restaurant Guide" * Former editor of Metropolitan, the trilingual magazine on Eurostar * Former features editor of Time Out London

William Craig Moyes

My first taste of the Gaspé Peninsula was a mouthful of flowers: a spoon piled with petals was offered to me when I visited five years ago. Quebecers are surprised when I tell them about it. That’s partly because the fertile eastern hunk of Canada, jutting out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence as if it were trying to visit Newfoundland , is where much of the population of Quebec went for their childhood holidays without being much disturbed by international tourists like me. It’s also because, while the Gaspé is famous for a type of food, it isn’t flowers. It’s fish.

When I went back last September with my husband, Craig, to make a full circuit of the peninsula, I discovered that, even in our age of disappearing resources, that is still the case. There are 22 salmon rivers on the peninsula, their clear water fringed with trees. Fantastic fresh seafood is served everywhere, from small island shacks to stylish waterside restaurants. But the fish have always been more than just dinner. The history of the peninsula could be written in fins and scales.

The Indigenous people whose ancestral territory this is, the Mi’kmaq, probably migrated east up the St. Lawrence River, past what is now Montreal and Quebec City, then stayed because the food was so plentiful. Around the year 1000, the Vikings showed up to fish cod, then dry and salt it for transport across the Atlantic. In 1534, Jacques Cartier arrived, planted a large crucifix in what is now the town of Gaspé, and claimed the entire country for France. Gaspésie, the French name for the peninsula, comes from the Mi’kmaq name Gespeg, meaning “land’s end.” But given that the Atlantic was the medieval equivalent of a highway connecting North America to Europe, “land’s beginning” might be just as appropriate.

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We plotted a weeklong trip that would take us on a 565-mile loop northeast from Quebec City along the St. Lawrence River. We would pause at the farthest point for a brief flirt with the Gulf of St. Lawrence, then return via Chaleur Bay, the water always on our left, sometimes so close that it seemed we might cast off.

We began at Pointe-au-Père with a reminder that wild water is far more than just a beautiful backdrop. We climbed the first of the slender, elegant red-and-white lighthouses that warn vessels away from the banks of the St. Lawrence and visited the next-door museum, in a building shaped like a sinking ship, that commemorates one instance where that warning proved futile. A dramatic film and poignant displays include the tiny wallet that belonged to nine-year-old Dolly Brooks, who drowned when the ocean liner  Empress of Ireland  sank in 1914 on its way from Quebec to Liverpool. More than two-thirds of its 1,477 passengers were lost.

Gaspésie, the French name for the peninsula, comes from the Mi’kmaq name Gespeg, meaning “land’s end.”

We headed farther along the river in the direction of Reford Gardens, a botanical paradise near the village of Grand-Métis, about 200 miles northeast of Quebec City. This was where, five years before, I had been offered that spoon heaped with begonia, pansy, carnation, and marigold, a prelude to a superb homegrown four-course lunch. It was this improbable, beautiful place and those dishes strewn with flowers and leaves that had made me curious about the rest of the peninsula.

To our right, the landscape changed, forests and villages came and went; on the left, the opposite bank of the great river receded and eventually vanished. The views were so spectacular that I couldn’t understand how Quebecers had kept the Gaspé Peninsula to themselves for so long. The answer may have been under our wheels. The road was built in 1929. Before that you had to be pretty determined to venture out this far.

Elsie Reford certainly was. After she had an operation, her doctor recommended gardening as an alternative to her hobby of fishing. It’s a safe bet he wasn’t expecting his patient to create the amazing expanse that bears her name, with its azalea walk, an arboretum, and groves of ferns and flowers in every shade of pink. Reford was no professional gardener, just a very stubborn Ontarian with a lot of money, and although she started in 1926, before the road arrived, she somehow transformed a spruce forest into a glade of delights — in a part of the world where it often snows as late as May. It was easy, in the balmy early fall, to forget how fierce the Quebec winters are. Cartier nearly died of what we now know was scurvy, and was saved only because a son of Donnacona, chief of the St. Lawrence Iroquois, gave him tea made from the bark of the “aneda” (probably white cedar) tree.

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On this trip, as was the case five years ago, there often seemed to be petals on my plate — unsurprising, perhaps, in a peninsula with four national parks and a range of flora so wide that it was a favorite destination for the great Québécois botanist Frère Marie-Victorin. At Gîte du Mont-Albert, a hotel in Gaspésie National Park where we spent our first night, I spotted a photo of him taken during his stay in the region. As wall decoration, however, it was overshadowed by the gargantuan stuffed moose head in the restaurant: the fauna on the peninsula is amazing, too, with black bears, lynx, beavers, ermines, and more than 150 species of birds. This park has one of the highest densities of moose in Quebec and the only caribou population south of the St. Lawrence. That night, though, I wasn’t spotting herbivores but rather imitating their eating habits. My dinner ended with sugar pie and ice cream made from melilot, or white sweet clover, which grows nearby and tastes like vanilla.

Still, even more frequently than flowers, I was served fish. And what fish: in a rich soup at Café de l’Anse on the riverbank near Forillon National Park, where our second and third nights’ accommodation was at the Ôasis, a campground of five tiny structures resembling teardrops, practically on the beach; a sandwich that seemed to contain a shoal of shrimp at La Poissonnerie du Pêcheur, a roadside fishmonger and café on Chaleur Bay with a forested view across to New Brunswick. Even the Resto des Margaulx served a superb lobster sandwich, and this simple shack is the only game in town on Bonaventure Island, which has been uninhabited since 1971.

Bonaventure wasn’t our first venture off the mainland. Our stop in Forillon included a whale-watching boat trip, with a close-up of a humpback more than 40 feet long and two smaller minke whales playing beside it like a sideshow. We also took a guided kayaking tour, during which we found ourselves at eye level with a dozen harbor seals, their big dark eyes and slicked-back fur rendering them as cute as puppies. Then it was on to Gaspé, the halfway point of our trip, notable mainly for its gorgeous location, sheltered from the gulf within a beautiful inlet, and for the pleasant 15-minute stroll along a waterside boardwalk from the plaza that calls itself the Birthplace of Canada.

We spent nights four and five at the Hôtel La Normandie in Percé, an exceptionally pretty town on the farthest point of the peninsula. Percé is named for a vast hunk of pierced limestone just offshore, a natural wonder that is estimated to weigh 5 million tons and looks, from one angle, like a gigantic horse drinking from the sea. It was nearly as memorable a sight as the mountain of shellfish at La Maison du Pêcheur, a waterfront restaurant that also featured flowers in a place that could be seen as even more unlikely than Elsie Reford’s gardens: my cocktail. “It’s sea buckthorn berry,” Craig told me, checking his translation app for the enliveningly sour apricot-colored berries sprouting from a concoction that included local gin, absinthe, and spruce beer. The bartender, like almost everyone I met, was bilingual, but the word for  argousier  had defeated her.

The huge holed rock loomed at close quarters as we passed by on our hour-long boat ride to Bonaventure. We took a peaceful hike across the island, wind sighing through the long grass, water bumping against the base of the cliff, disturbed only by what sounded like a loudly crying baby. Peering down to the water, we discovered more seals, sunning themselves on the rocks and howling amicably to one another. Noisy or silent, these creatures, like the herons, cormorants, and bald eagles, had chosen this place for a reason. We were all, it seems, there for the fish.

This was also true of one of the strangest of the many wild creatures, the northern gannet, a long-beaked white bird with eerily blue eyes. One of the world’s largest colonies nests at the east side of Bonaventure Island, and our hike ended at a high precipice with birds settled like snowflakes on every ledge, speckling the dark, rocky soil in their thousands. I ignored the wooden viewing tower and stationed myself farther back, away from the whiff of guano, to watch them swoop down to feed their fuzzy gray young.

We took a different route back to the dock, through the woods, stopping for those excellent lobster sandwiches and a craft beer. Quebecers are fanatical, talented brewers, and we were able to dot our circuit with breaks for local drafts. After the boat dropped us back in Percé, we passed an enjoyable evening at the Pit Caribou pub listening to live music while sipping on Cuvée Edras, an excellent limited-edition beer made with Riesling wort. And several times along the road, we were tempted into pausing to poke our heads around the door of an interesting microbrewery. Still, it wasn’t until we got to the last of these, Tête d’Allumette, in St.-André-de-Kamouraska, a hip hangout with salty snacks and views of the vats, that it occurred to me that, in a sense, these beers were also mouthfuls of flowers. That was because at the time I was drinking Grosse Fleur, which actually is infused with petals.

I was still weighing up the relative importance of flowers and fish, land and water, when we reached the Paspébiac National Historic Site on the edge of a  barachois,  a lagoon formed by a sandbar, where vast quantities of cod were once dried, salted, and exported. In the 19th century, “you’d buy a hat for twelve cod,” recalled Lorraine Parisé, our guide, whose family has worked there for generations, “or shoes for fifteen.” Fish wasn’t just a foodstuff, or even an income: “It was our money.”

To get to this scattering of 19th-century warehouses, we had rounded the peninsula onto its southern side and crossed a causeway onto a spit of land jutting into Chaleur Bay, which Cartier sailed into in early July 1534. He named it Chaleur, after the French word for warmth, because he found it “more temperate than Spain.” We had had beautiful weather, fresh enough for hiking and biking through the many forests and parks but not cold enough to spoil any of our boat rides. The sun shone on groves of maple, birch, and balsam fir interspersed with white clapboard houses, danced across the water, glinted from slender metal church spires, and illuminated jagged cliff edges and the lighthouses along them.

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Wandering around the town of Paspébiac, which is now an open-air museum, it was clear to me that this side of the peninsula really was warmer than the northern part along the St. Lawrence River. This was despite the wind, so useful for drying fresh-caught fish, that wove between the old buildings housing mementos, photographs, displays about boatbuilding, and, in one case, an active forge complete with a blacksmith. It tugged at our clothes in the open spaces where racks of cod were once laid out. Still — more temperate than Spain?

We carried on driving west along the peninsula’s southern shore toward Carleton-sur-Mer, the water of Chaleur Bay so luminous it made the sky look dull and, at points, came so close to the level of the road that it seemed as if the two means of transport were greeting one another. In La Mie Véritable, Carleton’s bakery and delicatessen, the cheerful server, a native of Marseille, France, who was stoically learning to cope with the winters after falling in love with a Quebecer, tipped us off that the house across the road was owned by a fisherman. So we knocked, and he sold us fresh oysters and a shucking knife.

We drove with our bounty through thick forest up Mont St.-Joseph to Géodômes Desjardins, five great round cabins, one of which would be our home for the night. Our arrival coincided with the sun sending a magnificent wash of fuchsia over the treetops and the sea beyond as we shucked our oysters and grilled fresh cobs of sweet Quebec corn. The domes are all shielded from one another by trees, so we felt pleasantly isolated: like woodland creatures, but with shelter, electricity, and a gas barbecue on the deck. The curved interior space was large enough for a kitchen, a mezzanine bed, and, best of all, two hammocks. The views were stupendous, and so were the oysters.

French control of Quebec ended definitively in 1760 with the Battle of Restigouche, in Chaleur Bay; since the British victory prevented supplies from reaching the French troops, it could be said that once again, fish had played a role in winning Canada, this time for England. The battle was named for the Restigouche River, which flows northeast from the Appalachian Mountains and forms the border between Quebec and New Brunswick before pouring into Chaleur Bay. These days, the former battleground is a historic site. In nearby Miguasha National Park, we walked a scenic two-mile hiking trail along the water. Its name, Evolution of Life, refers not to any latter-day power struggles between Europeans but to a cliff so packed with exceptionally well-preserved fossils from the Devonian period (called the Age of Fishes) that it is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The sun shone on groves of maple, birch, and balsam fir interspersed with white clapboard houses, danced across the water, glinted from slender metal church spires, and illuminated jagged cliff edges and the lighthouses along them.

After our hike, we wandered around the fascinating permanent exhibition that contextualizes the rare specimens, as beautiful as sculptures, many of them dug out of that cliff back before it was protected, when anyone could come along and grab a priceless 350 million-year-old souvenir. Among the displays was a kind of spiny fish, extinct for 250 million years, with the marvelous name  Diplacanthus horridus,  and the so-called “prince of Miguasha.” This forerunner of terrestrial vertebrates thrilled the Swedish scientist Erik Jarvik so much that he dedicated his entire career — 60 years! — to its study.

And then it was time to turn away from Chaleur Bay and cross the neck of the peninsula, back to its northern edge. The St. Lawrence felt like an old friend as I sipped a gin and tonic and gazed out from the glass-walled deck of a bar that is part of the St.-Laurent Distillery, which opened in 2022. Mist curled above the water like a scene from a ghost story as the barman told me about the bootleggers who used this place to smuggle booze during Prohibition: a new perspective, although a journey from illicit rotgut to excellent (and legal) gin, distilled from riverside botanicals — yet more flowers! — certainly looked like progress from where I stood.

Then the mist cleared a little, and a familiar red-and-white column appeared: the Pointe-au-Père lighthouse. We had come back to our starting point. Cartier hoped the fish would make his fortune and needed the flowers, or at least the tree bark, to save his life. I had come only to eat and learn, to breathe that salt-scented air and discover the exceptional beauty of this wild eastern sliver of Canada’s early history. His months were complicated, controversial, and world-changing, but our week had been pure pleasure.

A Grand Tour of Gaspé

Where to stay.

Géodômes Desjardins: Set above the coast of Carleton-sur-Mer, these five domes offer fabulous views. Each has hammocks, a kitchen, and a wraparound terrace with a barbecue.

Gîte du Mont-Albert : A 60-room hotel that opened in 1950 in Gaspésie National Park. The generous breakfast is clearly intended for hikers, who need only step outside to find themselves in glorious woodland.

Hôtel La Normandie : Just beyond the waterfront boardwalk in Percé is this unpretentious hotel with a good restaurant and balconies that overlook the famous Percé Rock.

The Ôasis: The only way to stay inside the magnificent Forillon National Park is to book a designated campground. Fortunately, there are a number of unique structures, including these five charming teardrop-shaped cabins just a two-minute walk from the sea.

Where to Eat and Drink

Café de l’Anse: Not far from Forillon National Park in the village of L’Anse-au-Griffon is this delightful restaurant, which serves rich fish soup, fish burgers, and local monkfish.

La Maison du Pêcheur : Percé’s best restaurant has a menu offering the finest of the coast: lobster and sea urchin, arctic char, and Gaspé seafood chowder. The cocktail list, packed with exciting inventions, keeps the ambience festive.

La Mie Véritable : This bakery and grocery in Carleton-sur-Mer is especially useful for stocking up on provisions before spending a night in the wilderness on Mont St.-Joseph.

La Poissonnerie du Pêcheur : A fish market in the town of Bonaventure that also serves up the fresh catch in delicious sandwiches and hot plates.

Le Mange-Grenouille : This charming building in Le Bic was once a general store. More than a century on, it’s an eccentric inn, stuffed with antiques, that includes an impressive restaurant.

Pit Caribou : An old-fashioned pub on Percé’s main street — and one of the peninsula’s biggest microbrewing success stories. There are charcuterie, cheese, and smoked-fish boards, and the live music is excellent.

Resto des Margaulx : Bonaventure Island may be uninhabited, but it does have one thriving business. Nothing beats a lobster or crab sandwich and a microbrew at this shack with a terrace overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Tête d’Allumette : In St.-André-de-Kamouraska, this microbrewery uses a traditional wood fire to brew the beers served in the pub or on the terrace. 

Bonaventure Island National Park : The boat trip past the giant rock that gives Percé its name makes for a worthwhile day out, even before landing on the pretty island. 

Forillon National Park  : It’s quite the experience to kayak out to a seal colony and watch as the creatures swim and sunbathe. Summertime is also peak whale-watching season.

Micmac Interpretation Site of Gespeg : This permanent exhibition beside Gaspé Bay includes an interesting collection of traditional objects, but the real draw is a reconstruction of a 17th-century Indigenous encampment. 

Miguasha National Park : The cliff is so rich in ancient fossils that UNESCO lists it as a World Heritage site. A museum is nearly as packed with fossils as the cliff.

Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse National Historic Site : Climbing the stairs of this lighthouse is worth it for the view across the St. Lawrence.

Reford Gardens (Les Jardins de Métis) : In the first half of the 20th century, Elsie Reford turned a wilderness near the town of Grand-Métis into an extraordinary floral paradise.

A version of this story first appeared in the October 2023 issue of  Travel + Leisure  under the headline "At Land's End ."

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What to Do on Quebec's Scenic Gaspe Peninsula

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The Gaspe Peninsula (properly, the Gaspésie or Gaspé Peninsula, pronounced Ga-spay-zee or Gaspay , respectively) is a region of eastern Quebec . Its geography puts the Gaspe Peninsula in close proximity to the Atlantic provinces and has many maritime features, including rugged shorelines, fine fishing, and a laid-back, friendly population.

The Peninsula

The Gaspe Peninsula is a mostly coastal region of eastern Quebec surrounded by the St. Lawrence waterway as well as by the Bay of Chaleur. The Gaspe Peninsula is 560 km from Montreal and 340 km from Quebec City by road.

The peninsula begins in Sainte-Flavie, where Route 132 splits to form an 885 km loop. Here you choose either the South Tour or the North Tour. Whatever your decision may be, all through your journey you are sure to find the most diversified and picturesque sea and mountain landscapes, valleys, bays and coastlines. This vast territory​ is divided into ​five regions: The Coast, The Haute-Gaspésie, Land's End, The Chaleur Bay, and The Matapédia Valley.​

Getting There

VIA Rail Canada inc.

There are many easy ways to get to Gaspe:

• VIA Rail makes stops along the Gaspe Peninsula. An overnight train from Montreal gives passengers a lovely seaside view in the morning.
• Orléans Express is a Quebec bus service that goes to Gaspe from Montreal International Airport, downtown Montreal, Quebec City amongst others.
• Air Canada flies into Gaspe with connecting flights in Montreal or Quebec City.
• Ferry service is available to the Gaspe north shore from Quebec and to the south shore from New Brunswick.
• The drive from Montreal to the western edge of the Gaspe Peninsula is about seven hours. Continue on another six or seven hours, and you'll reach the town of Gaspé at the eastern tip. From the Maine / Canada border, the drive to Gaspe is three or four hours.
• For a more comprehensive understanding of the St. Lawrence Quebec and maritime region, consider the Mighty Saint Lawrence cruise aboard Adventure Canada. 

Many of the most popular activities in Gaspe involve the outdoors and nature discovery. Things to do include whale watching and sea excursions, kayaking, bird watching, salmon fishing, lighthouse and architectural tours, hiking, and scenic drives.

Top Attractions & Highlights

Outdoor adventurers will love the nature sites around Gaspe as well.

• Percé is a quaint scenic town, famous for its pierced rock formation.
• Bonaventure Island is a fascinating little island a short ferry ride away from Percé. Formerly a fishing village, today the island is one of the largest and most accessible bird sanctuaries in the world.
• Gaspe is home to several national parks, including Forillon National Park near the town of Gaspé and the Parc national de la Gaspésie in the peninsula's mountainous interior.

Yves Marcoux/Getty Images

The Gaspe Peninsula is accessible year round. Winter offers cross-country skiing and some downhill skiing.

As the weather warms up in spring, a fuller breadth of outdoor activities becomes available, such as whale watching, sea kayaking, birdwatching, and just meandering the gorgeous countryside.

June and July are the most popular months for whale watching when the massive mammals pass close to shore seeking food.

May and June attract birdwatchers as the peninsula is part of the Atlantic flyway. Many seabirds nest at Forillon National Park and Bonaventure Island during the summer months. September/October migration—amidst colorful fall foliage—also draws significant visitors.

Though French is the prevalent language on the Gaspe Peninsula and some people you meet will not speak English, for the most part, English is widely understood, especially in tourist towns like Perce, at train stations and restaurants. Residents of Gaspe tend to be laid back and the degree of "haughtiness" that some visitors encounter in Quebec City, for example, is less likely here.

Nevertheless, it bodes well to brush up on some French phrases for travelers . Pick up a dictionary or download a translating app, as English in this rural part of Quebec is less prevalent than in cities like Montreal or Quebec City. 

Where to Stay

Don't expect to stay at major hotels in the Gaspe. Accommodation ranges from remote cabins to lodges and small resorts, which allow for a more intimate and authentic experience with the local people. 

Gîte du Mont-Albert is a gloriously placed lodge in Quebec's Gaspésie region with close access to the Chic-Choc Mountains. 

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Quebec’s Stunning Gaspé Peninsula Road Trip: Welcome to One of Canada’s Most Scenic Drives

To put in perspective, the Gaspé Peninsula is slightly larger than Belgium, meaning there is a remarkable amount to do and appreciate. Robin and Arlene Karpan are intimately familiar with this region, and they’re here to let you know how to make the most of a road trip there.

Driving the coastline of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula ranks among Canada’s greatest road trips. This stunning region of southeastern Quebec is among the most unbelievably beautiful destinations in Quebec . The 1,000 kilometres or so from Quebec City to the border with New Brunswick is packed with outstanding landscapes, history, parks, wildlife preserves, and adventure possibilities.

Your Gaspé Road Trip Options

It’s part of Quebec’s Lighthouse Trail , where we find Canada’s highest and second-highest lighthouse, plus a string of others in scenic settings. 

On the 200-kilometre stretch from Levis, just across the river from Quebec City to Rivière-du-Loup, we have the choice of two parallel highways.

The faster Trans Canada Highway (A20) runs slightly inland , while t he slower and more scenic Highway 132 runs mostly along the St. Lawrence shoreline, passing through small communities such as Rimouski and Sainte-Anne-des-Monts where you can find the fabulous Exploramer marine museum . This route also passes by scenic farmland backed by hills. 

Among the many cool stops is Saint-André-de-Kamouraska, where Parc de l’Ancien-Quai is home to the smallest and cutest lighthouse along the route.

Nature buffs, especially birders, should stop at Parc côtier Kiskotuk just outside Rivière-du-Loup, which preserves several fragile coastal ecosystems. Hiking and biking trails lead to a large salt marsh, salt-grass meadows, and forests, while viewing towers offer a chance to see the area from a different perspective.  

Nature and History at Parc National du Bic and Rimouski

At Rivière-du-Loup, the Trans Canada Highway heads inland towards New Brunswick, while Highway 132 becomes the main coastal road around the peninsula. 

Along this next stretch, it is an absolute gem not to be missed. Parc National du Bic preserves a stunning landscape of bays, coves, islands, and mountains and is known as a top spot for seabirds, basking seals, and other wildlife. The vast network of hiking trails brings many to the park. One that we especially enjoyed was the Chemin-du-Nord Trail along the coastline to some of the park’s signature rock formations.

From Bic, it’s a short drive to Rimouski, the largest centre along the Gaspé coast. It combines urban attractions with easy access to surrounding natural areas. A must-visit here is Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse National Historic Site. The 33-metre-tall lighthouse is the second-highest in Canada, with eight buttresses supporting the tower. You can climb it during summer openings. 

Next door is the Pointe-au-Père Maritime Historic Site. It tells the story of the Empress of Ireland , considered Canada’s greatest maritime tragedy. The ship belonging to the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company sank off the shore of Pointe-au-Père in 1914 after colliding with another ship in thick fog. Over 1,000 lives were lost. 

Also on the same site is the Onondaga submarine , Canada’s first publicly accessible submarine. This 90-metre craft crisscrossed the North Atlantic between 1967 and 2000 and is now preserved as a historic site.  

Please note: This post may contain some affiliate links. That means we may get a small commission for some of our recommendations at no extra cost to you.

Lighthouses Galore Along Gaspé’s North Shore

We really enjoyed the long stretch of highway from Rimouski along the north shore of the Gaspé Peninsula. In many places, the highway is sandwiched in a narrow strip between the water’s edge of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the mountain cliffs. We pass through a series of picturesque villages, likewise spread along the shore and backed by mountains. 

Charming lighthouses dot the route, such as at Matane and Cap Madeleine . The lighthouse at La Martre stands out because of its brilliant red colour. The one at Cap-Chat is named for the cape where it is located, said to resemble the shape of a cat. 

The Pointe-à-la-Renommée Lighthouse , also called “the travelling lighthouse,” has an important historical connection. In 1904, this site was chosen by wireless telegraph pioneer Guglielmo Marconi as the first maritime radio station in North America. Decommissioned in the 1970s, it was dismantled and transported to Quebec City , where it was reassembled to serve as a tourist attraction. In 1997, it was returned to its original location and designated as a historic site. It sits high on a remote precipice, keeping watch over seemingly endless sea and sky. 

The big daddy of the lighthouse route is Cap-des-Rosiers , Canada’s tallest at 34 metres, standing near the entrance to Forillon National Park. It was built between 1853 and 1858, then rebuilt in 1984 and covered with white marble. It is now a national historic site which you can visit in summer and climb to the top for outstanding views. 

Exploring Forillon National Park

This park alone is worth the trip. Jutting out from the northeast point on the Gaspé Peninsula, Forillon National Park is packed with forested mountains, breathtaking cliffs, wildlife galore, and amazing vistas at every turn. Topping the list of scenic views is the sunrise at Cap-Bon-Ami. While striking anytime, at daybreak, the rising sun bathes the imposing east-facing cliffs in a brilliant golden glow.   

Hiking & Walking

The park’s outstanding hikes vary from half-hour short walks, such as to an impressive waterfall on La Chute Trail , to challenging treks deep into the backcountry. A couple of day hikes are absolute must-dos. The park’s signature hike is the Mont-Saint-Alban Trai l, with an elevation gain of 280 metres. We end at a tower with sweeping vistas in every direction, including the park’s iconic lookout over the cliffs at the tip of the peninsula known as Land’s End. 

Les Graves Trail extends along those cliffs to Land’s End, so-named for being the northern end of the International Appalachian Trail, which runs along the Appalachian Mountains to Georgia in the USA. A highlight is Cap-Gaspé Lighthouse, standing near the end of the trail atop a 95-metre-high cliff.

Hikers frequently see wildlife, such as black bears or moose, along this trail. But we did one better and saw whales! For much of our walk along the cliffs, we could see and hear Minke whales just offshore.  

On the Water

Since this is known as a whale-watching hotspot, we took a trip with Croisières Baie de Gaspé , based in the park.

Soon after we left the dock, we spotted several more Minke whales, along with porpoises, seals, and a variety of seabirds. Other species that sometimes visit these waters include the Fin whale, Humpback whale, and Blue whale. At the end of the peninsula, we cruised by the spectacular cliffs of Land’s End , providing a distinctly different vantage point than from the hiking trail. 

Kayaking is another great way to get out on the water. We jump at the chance to go paddling anytime, but when we can combine it with scenery and wildlife, all the better. An early morning paddle with Cap Aventure , whose specialty excursion goes past a seal colony, was just what we were looking for.

We passed several harbour seals lounging on the rocks and swimming near shore. Our experienced guide, Vincent, was adept at getting us close enough for photos but not too close as to disturb them. 

History & Culture

The most unusual aspect of Forillon is its role in World War II. German submarines sank 23 Allied ships near these shores, so the Canadian Navy built a base in Gaspé Bay and set up coastal batteries. Parks Canada has preserved the Fort Peninsula Battery , so we can wander through the trenches, see two of the massive guns, and learn how this war came close to home.

On the other side of Gaspé Bay from Forillon, we come to the small city of Gaspé , where history looms large. It was here in 1534 that explorer Jacques Cartier set up a cross, claiming the land for the king of France. A historic site and monument in Gaspé is even called the Birthplace of Canada. This is also home to the Gaspésie Museum, which celebrates the history, identity, and culture of the Gaspé region.   

Percé: Dynamite Scenery and a Wildlife Extravaganza

Percé is the most famous Gaspé destination. The town’s main claim to fame is Percé Rock , an imposing limestone island reaching 85 metres high, close to a half-kilometre long, and pierced with a 30-metre-wide hole.

Though we’ve seen the rock in countless pictures, it still came as a surprise when we drove down the last hill into town and saw the great monolith looming just offshore. 

Like so many coastal Gaspé towns, Percé is long and narrow, spread between the sea and nearby mountains. A boardwalk with benches and parks lines the beach, where visitors relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Along the way, we pass historic houses of sea captains from the golden age of the cod fishery. 

Percé was recognized as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2018 because of its geological significance and rich wildlife. The visitor centre brings to life the ancient tectonic events that shaped the land and how it relates to Percé Rock and other features.

Much of the Geopark lies up the mountain slopes from town. Trails wind through the hills, where you can either wander on your own or take a Geopark guided tour. The highlight is the suspended glass platform that juts out from the cliff face 200 metres above the town, offering magnificent views.

Percé not only has one of eastern Canada’s most iconic landmarks but also one of the top wildlife spectacles in North America. Only four kilometres from Percé, Bonaventure Island is an important park and seabird sanctuary protecting a variety of species, most notably the largest and most accessible northern gannet colony in North America. 

We visit the island on a boat trip with Les Bateliers de Percé , which begins by slowly cruising near Percé Rock and then circling Bonaventure Island. It’s a mesmerizing sight as we pass the 75-metre-high cliffs where it seems that perching birds occupy every available ledge and niche – mostly brilliant white northern gannets but also common murres, razorbills, black guillemots, among others. Thousands more birds fill the air all around us, like something out of a Hitchcock movie. But the best was yet to come.

After the boat docks, we’re free to wander the island’s network of trails and can stay as long as we want – we just need to be back in time to catch the last boat to Percé. A 3-kilometre walk takes us to the main cliff-top gannet colony, the same one that we passed by boat less than an hour earlier.  

The first sight of the nesting colony is enough to take your breath away as thousands of tightly packed white gannets sprawl across the craggy plateau. Park staff tell us that around 125,000 gannets are here , along with numerous other species. We spend a few hours watching and photographing the constant activity at remarkably close quarters as the gannets fly around, bring back nesting material, engage in greeting rituals, and occasionally squabble.

This trip has been filled with memorable experiences, but we would put this at the head of the list. 

Chaleur Bay : One of Canada’s Most Beautiful Bays

Heading south and west from Percé, we soon come to the south coast of the Gaspé Peninsula and Chaleur Bay, the inlet between Gaspé and New Brunswick.

The bay has some of the warmest water along the Atlantic coast . Its many beaches, such as those at Carleton-sur-Mer , are popular seaside resorts. The route offers even more pleasant villages, lighthouses, wildlife preserves, hiking in the hills at Mont-Saint-Joseph, and historic sites. Near the end of the bay at Pointe-à-la-Croix, the Battle of the Restigouche National Historic Site commemorates the last battle between France and Britain for possession of North America in 1760. 

To top it off, Chaleur Bay often makes the list of the world’s most beautiful bays . A fitting end to a drive filled with almost non-stop remarkable places. 

Where to Stay on Your Road Trip on the Gaspé Peninsula

This route abounds with numerous hotels, inns, resorts, bed & breakfasts, and campgrounds. Here are a few places that we enjoyed.

Motel Bienvenue (Rimouski). Comfortable and recently refurbished, with several units having full kitchen facilities. Best of all, it’s right beside the Pointe-au-Père historic site, ideal for sunrise or sunset photography over the lighthouse and coastline.

Hotel-Motel Fleur de Lys (Percé). Talk about a room with a view. It’s right on the beach where we can see Percé Rock from our front window and a short walk to the boat dock, a variety of restaurants, and other services. 

Parc National du Bic – Stay right in the park to be close to trails and other services. In addition to regular campsites, the park has cabins and yurts, and even “ready-to-camp” tents already set up so you don’t need camping gear. 

Forillon National Park – Three campgrounds have fully serviced and non-electric sites, as well as oTENTiks. We stayed in Des-Rosiers Campground next to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. From here, it’s only a few minute’s drive to Cap-Bon-Ami, with its amazing sunrises.

The Gaspé Peninsula Awaits

We hope this helps you plan the ultimate Gaspé Peninsula road trip and truly discover one of the most beautiful parts of this country because, as you can see, there’s so much to explore.

You May Also Like To Read:

Robin and Arlene  Karpan are award-winning writers, photographers, bloggers, and authors of several travel books, including Canadian Bestsellers. Their work has appeared in over 100 publications around the world. While their travels have taken them to all seven continents, they find that some of the most compelling destinations are close to home in Canada. They have a special interest in the natural world and outdoor photography. Robin and Arlene publish the travel blog Photo Journeys which looks at travel through a photographer’s lens, and is rated by Feedspot as among the Top 100 Travel Photography Sites.

2 thoughts on “ Quebec’s Stunning Gaspé Peninsula Road Trip: Welcome to One of Canada’s Most Scenic Drives ”

We are planning a trip in September and wondering if we should come by car or travel with our 5th Wheel Trailer? Our concern is the hills and rugged terrain we have read about. Would appreciate any info you might have. Thanks so much.

Hi Sandra, great question! The roadtrip to Gaspesie is very trailer-friendly, although it is hilly. If your vehicle can handle the ups and downs, it’s a great destination for a fifth-wheel.

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Forillon National Park

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Print Back Everything You Need to Know to Plan a Trip to Gaspésie

Are you planning a trip to Gaspésie , a region of spectacular landscapes and abundant wildlife , not to mention vibrant cultural activities , contagious joie de vivre and talented artisans ? If so, get ready for a vacation that’s going to engage all your senses!

Here are a few tips and suggestions to help you plan a memorable trip.

How to get there

Route 132 , which takes you around the majestic Gaspé Peninsula, is one of this region’s main draws. Also known as the Bas-Saint-Laurent – Gaspésie Tour , this road runs along the coast through many picturesque villages nestled between the sea and mountains. Gaspésie has also been recognized by National Geographic Traveler as one of Canada’s 50 Places of a Lifetime , while the Michelin Green Guide has given it three stars—high praise that’s well earned, as you’ll soon discover!

Nature’s playground

Whether on land, at sea or on rivers, a wide variety of activities are offered in Gaspésie so you can fully appreciate the region’s many natural attractions .

Located in the heart of the peninsula, Parc national de la Gaspésie boasts a network of trails that are as varied as they are spectacular. There’s definitely one that’ll suit you, whether you’re planning a one-hour hike or a weeklong trek and whether you’d like to reach mountaintops or would prefer to meander along magnificent lakes and rivers. The trail that crosses the entire park is part of the Québec segment of the International Appalachian Trail (IAT-QC), which runs from the Matapédia Valley all the way to Forillon at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula. Trekkers, take note: you can hike for 1 to 40 days on this trail. In fact, in 2015, the IAT-QC became the first hiking trail in North America to be recognized by the French Hiking Federation (FFRP) as a Grande Randonnée (long-distance hiking route).

Beautiful hikes also await you at the Station de montagne sur mer de Mont-Saint-Pierre , which offers trails in a natural amphitheatre , and at the Percé UNESCO Global Geopark , where you can learn about the geological evolution of this area and admire an incredible view of Percé Rock from a suspended glass platform .

At the tip of the peninsula, Forillon National Park also offers fantastic trails and is the perfect setting for a number of maritime activities. Go sea kayaking with Cap Aventure to observe seals —they may even swim right up to you!—or enjoy a whale-watching cruise with Croisières Baie de Gaspé .

Parc national de l’Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé is probably the region’s most famous natural attraction. You’re sure to be impressed by Percé Rock , which dominates the landscape, and by the world’s most accessible northern gannet colony on Bonaventure Island , not to mention the stunning scenery found in this unique park. Croisières Julien Cloutier and Les Bateliers de Percé both offer excursions to the island to observe the gannets as well as the whales living in this area.

Gaspésie is also home to many spectacular rivers that you can explore in various ways with the following compagnies:

• Cime Aventure offers guided canoeing excursions down the Bonaventure River .
• Eskamer Aventure offers canyoning on various waterways.
• Chic-Chac offers guided rafting excursions on the Madeleine River or the York River .
• Nature Aventure offers canoeing , kayaking and snorkelling on the Matapédia River .

If you’re a fishing enthusiast, you’ll undoubtedly want to go sea fishing with either Destination Haute-Mer in Matane or Pêche Sportive Baie-des-Chaleurs in Carleton-sur-Mer.  If it’s thrills you’re after, don’t miss the opportunity to climb the via ferrata at the Chute à Philomène waterfall . 

Regional culture and heritage

The Gaspé Peninsula is dotted with numerous museums and interpretation sites . Take the time to visit them to learn more about this region’s cultural and natural heritage . Here are a few you’ll want to add to your itinerary!

If you’re interested in natural heritage, Exploramer , a science museum focusing on the marine environment in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, is the place to go to learn about marine wildlife and the close ties that human communities have with these animals. You can also visit the Bioparc de la Gaspésie , in Bonaventure, to learn all the secrets of about 40 wildlife species found in the forests of Gaspésie. Both sites are popular family-friendly attractions. Another site worth visiting is Parc national de Miguasha , in Nouvelle, a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s home to a unique fossil-rich cliff .

Here are some other interpretation sites you’ll want to visit in Gaspésie that focus on the region’s history and/or its industrial or maritime heritage :

• Battle of the Restigouche National Historic Site of Canada , Birthplace of Canada , Parc du Bourg de Pabos and Musée Acadien du Québec , to learn about the origins of the continent , the role of Gaspésie during the French regime , the British Conquest of New France and the region’s Acadian heritage
• Micmac Interpretation Site of Gespeg , to be introduced to the history and culture of the Mi’gmaq Nation in Gaspésie
• Manoir Le Boutillier and Site historique national de Paspébiac , to learn about the importance of cod fishing in this region
• Site patrimonial de pêche Matamajaw , to immerse yourself in the history of salmon fishing in the Matapédia Valley
• Pointe-à-la-Renommée Historic Site , to appreciate the vital role of lighthouses as aids to navigation in Québec and Canada
• Projet Éole , to learn all about how electricity is generated from wind power

Music is also very important in Gaspésie, which is the birthplace of several singer-songwriters and musicians whose reputations extend throughout the province and even internationally. It’s therefore not surprising that an event like the Petite-Vallée Song Festival is hosted annually by the Village en chanson de Petite-Vallée . For one week every summer, up-and-coming artists can train with professionals, while the public is given a golden opportunity to see these musicians perform live. Be sure to also not miss the Festival Musique du Bout du Monde , an impressive world-music festival in Gaspé featuring over 200 artists and lots of music (obviously!) but also dancing, theatre and street art performances. And if you’re anywhere near Carleton-sur-Mer in the fall, you can also dance to the sound of traditional music during the Festival La Virée Trad .

Local artisans: A feast for your eyes and taste buds

Many local painters have captured the colours of Gaspésie as well as the region’s vast and picturesque landscapes on their canvases. Browse the many art galleries in Percé or follow the Circuit des Arts de la Gaspésie , a tour of local artists’ and artisans’ studios and workshops , to appreciate all the talent found in this region and maybe even take home some unique and timeless souvenirs.

Your taste buds are also in for a treat during your stay in Gaspésie. Did you know that it’s possible to make wine and liqueurs from strawberries ? The owners of Ferme Bourdages Tradition , a fruit and vegetable farm, produce several unique alcoholic beverages from their strawberries as well as many delicious homemade products. You can also taste quality spirits flavoured with local ingredients by visiting Distillerie Cap-Chat or Distillerie des Marigots . Finally, discover products from the Reford Gardens , which are made from plants and flowers harvested on site .

Many restaurants in Gaspésie feature local flavours that are sure to delight you. One example is La Maison du Pêcheur in Percé, which specializes in seafood and offers fresh lobster throughout the season.

Where to stay in Gaspésie

Whether you prefer to commune with nature or have access to a host of amenities, Gaspésie offers a multitude of lodging options , from private or park campgrounds to cozy inns and luxury B&Bs, not to mention a wide selection of hotels and motels. Consult our directory to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Further adventures

If you want to combine a stay in Gaspésie with a getaway in Côte-Nord, board the Matane–Baie-Comeau/Godbout ferry to cross the St. Lawrence . The trip takes just over two hours and will give you a unique perspective on these two maritime regions.

This is just a taste of what’s in store for you in Gaspésie : come and see for yourself all that this region has to offer! Visit our webpage for the region and start planning your trip today.

If you liked this article, you might also like...

• Ideas for Your Vacation in Gaspésie
• Discover Gaspésie in the Fall!
• Satisfy Your Curiosity in Our Museums and Interpretation Sites

Author Jean-Pascal Côté

A certified translator and avid outdoorsman, Jean-Pascal Côté works as a freelance writer and translator in Bas-Saint-Laurent, the region where he was born. He regularly escapes his daily life by going road biking, cycle touring or cyclocross racing, skiing in the mountains of Bas-Saint-Laurent or Western Canada, or sea kayaking on the St. Lawrence River. He is constantly dreaming up new travel plans. He also blog s (on an admittedly irregular basis) about his cycle touring adventures.

(4) comments

Denise toth.

I want you to know my husband and I just drove the Gaspé and enjoyed every bit of it. The sites were beyond beautiful. The pictures don't do them justice. The people were kind and very understanding to our lack of French speaking. Accommodations plentiful and very reasonable. We were able to enjoy the view of water at every stay. The food fresh and always enjoyable. Now we are two of those people who tell others "you have to make the trip". Thank you for a wonderful vacation Québec.

Le Québec maritime

Thank you to Denise for sharing her impressions on the Gaspé coast. W're really glad you enjoyed your trip and that you're telling all your friends! ;) Tanya

Judy starnes

New carlisle has the hertiage museum. And renee levesque statue. Plus a museum is going up about his life. There are 2 trailer parks to rest at plus a beautiful beach And a resturant that has a great atmosphere call Restaurant Hertiage. And motel call The belleuve and another called maison blanche beautiful little town. Friday nights music on the beach is free till middle of august. And every saturday a farmers market also

Cornelia Fransen

We are planning a trip to Gaspe -is the last week of September to the first week of October a good time to visit, or will a number of attractions be closed at that time ?

Hi Cornelia, some of the attractions are closed at that time, but the national parks, some museums and other places will be open. You can take a look at the official tourist guide in our brochure section to note the schedule of the attractions you want to visit. Have a nice trip! The Gaspesie region is so beautiful in the falll! :) | Marie-Eve - Team Québec maritime

Radica Kazim

Please let me know if there is an organized tour to visit this place. It looks so lovely. E. G bus tour

In order to see if there are any group tours organized, do not hesitate to contact the nearest travel agency to see the departures available!

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Planning our 10 Best Things to Do in the Gaspé Peninsula

by janecanapini | Nov 21, 2020 | Canada , Quebec , Trip Planning

Planning a bucket list vacation can be daunting for many: what to see and do, where to go, where to stay, how much time to spend where, and even how to get there. For our Gaspé peninsula road trip next summer, Henk and I are starting our planning with the ‘must-sees’ and ‘must-dos’. Because by deciding on the best things to do in the Gaspé Peninsula, it will help to determine our driving route, and even the amount of time we would like to spend in each place. So here’s our Top 10 list of the things we absolutely have to include on our visit to the Gaspésie region next summer.

1. Percé Rock

This is a no-brainer. This distinctive rock with its huge 100-foot-wide arch is about as famous a landmark as it gets in Canada. A former peninsula that was once attached to the mainland, Percé Rock once had 4 arches, but 3 of them have collapsed over time, leaving only the one you see today. We definitely want to allow enough time here so that Henk can shoot this beautiful rock morning, noon and night, but the real question is: do we do ‘the walk’?

Do We Walk to the Rock?

When the tide is low, it is possible to walk out to Percé Rock. But from what I’ve read, this isn’t a walk in the park. The shore near the mainland is rocky and can be very slippery and more difficult to negotiate that just strolling on a sandy beach. It won’t necessarily be dry all the way, either, and it’s never recommended to go too far out, or to get too close to the sides of the rock, as the rock is constantly eroding and shedding pieces. And then there’s the tide. We would need to time our departure and consult tide charts (like we did when we visited Hopewell Rocks ) so that we time our walk just right and don’t end up racing back in front of rapidly-rising waters. So ‘the walk’ is still up for debate.

…or Kayak Instead?

There’s also another option to consider: sea kayaking near Percé Rock instead…..we may not make this decision whether to walk or kayak until we are actually there, and we see what the weather and the sea is like…so stay tuned and you’ll eventually see what we end up doing. (We are just as curious as you are!)

TIP: If there is something that is REALLY important for you to see on any bucket-list trip, I would recommend spending 2 nights at that location, so you have several chances to see it or visit it, especially if the weather may be a factor. (We did this on our bucket list trip to Machu Picchu .) In the case of Percé Rock, because of its location, we will want to view it at sunrise, not sunset, which means we’ll be getting up early at least once or twice to try to capture photos of it.

2. Forillon National Park and Cap Bon Ami

Again, this is a must-do for us on the Gaspé Peninsula. Not only for the views that the Park will provide, but because from everything I’ve read, it’s a beautiful destination for hiking, too. And it looks like we’ll want to head to Cap Bon Ami for those views…(plus with a name like ‘Good Friend Cape’, what could be more inviting?)

3. Glass “Skywalk” at Géopark de Percé

If there’s a glass walkway or overlook anywhere, I’m there! And despite what Henk thinks, it’s not because I am trying to trigger his fear of heights! There’s just something about stepping onto a cantilevered structure and being able to look out AND down that really gives you a unique perspective. Which is why we will definitely include a hike to the glass Skywalk at Géoparc de Percé on the list of our top things to do in the Gaspé Peninsula!

(Besides, we did something similar on the Cliffwalk at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in BC, and Henk was just fine, so I’m not too worried about him.)

4. “Le Grand Rassemblement” Art Installation by Marcel Gagnon

This art installation looks so cool that we will need to see it for ourselves! It’s on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River east of Rimouski, so it will probably be right on our route to the Gaspé, which makes it a perfect place to stop to photograph these sculptures ’emerging’ from the river. Plus the artist has a small inn and restaurant with a gallery in the town of Sainte-Flavie, so we may just drop in there as well.

TIP: La Grande Rassemblement is listed in Atlas Obscura , an online collection of weird and wonderful places all around the globe. It’s one of my go-to resources when it comes to finding unusual attractions, whether they be natural or man-made.

5. Bonaventure Island to see 116,000 Nesting Gannets

Bonaventure Island is home to the world’s second largest nesting colony of gannets. (The world’s largest is in Scotland, give or take a few thousand birds.) Regardless of Bonaventure’s ranking, with Henk’s love of photography and an opportunity to get this close to such a huge colony of these photogenic birds, a visit to this nesting site is definitely on our must-do list of the best things to do in the Gaspé Peninsula.

FYI, I’m already preparing myself for the noise and the smell of all that guano. This will definitely be a full sensory experience!

6. Lighthouses

It should come as no surprise that a region described as ‘Québec by the Sea’ would have its fair share of interesting lighthouses . In fact, Henk and I actually stayed in an historic lighthouse right in the middle of the St. Lawrence near Rivière-du-Loup last year, a unique experience that was one of the highlights of our visit to the region.

But with the sheer number of lighthouses on the shores of the Gaspé Peninsula, we want to be selective about the ones we do visit. Two that have piqued our interest for their photogenic characteristics are the 8-sided, completely red lighthouse, La Martre, and the ‘buttressed’ Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse in Rimouski en route to the Peninsula. Since this last lighthouse is part of a National Historic Site, we’ll be looking for Parks Canada’s signature red chairs, too!

7. Whale Watching

Whale-watching just never gets old. It doesn’t matter where you do it, or how often, or what species of whale you see, there’s something about watching these leviathans breaking the surface of the water that just gets your adrenaline pumping. Henk and I spotted several of these amazing creatures on our previous visit to the Tadoussac region of Québec , but of course, we are hoping for another opportunity to see more. And since this region is a prime location to do this activity, a whale-watching excursion definitely makes the list of the best things to do in the Gaspé Peninsula.

8. Matapedia – Bridges, Overlooks and the Philomène Waterfall

The Matapedia river runs through the interior of the Gaspésie region, and from everything I’ve been reading, following it promises to be a very scenic drive, maybe even with a few covered bridges . There’s a pretty waterfall along the route, too, the Philoméne waterfall, that is the tallest in the area.

‘Waterfalling’ is a legitimate pastime, and Henk and I have scouted and photographed several waterfalls on our travels , so this sounds like a great excuse to explore some of this countryside. Plus, there’s another GLASS-FLOORED PLATFORM here! Need I say more?

Route of Overlooks

For something a little more off-the-beaten path, Henk and I are hoping to follow a “route of overlooks” in the interior of the Gaspé Peninsula. There are at least 3 places I’ve discovered that offer specially-constructed overlooks providing great views of the surrounding landscape. We will definitely want to check those out – not only for the great vistas they offer, but also because a couple of these structures are architecturally interesting in their own right. It’s the perfect thing to do on a road trip and I’ll bet this is something most visitors to the Gaspé Peninsula wouldn’t normally do – which is another reason why Henk and I would love to do it.

TIP: If you have particular interests that you like to do while travelling, search for those specific activities and you’ll often find articles that lead you to lesser-known places or adventures. I found this ‘route of the overlooks’ because I was searching specifically for photogenic lookouts, but you could do the same for ‘arts and crafts’, and discover something you wouldn’t otherwise have found , like this art and studio route in the Gaspé !

9. Off-Road Safari in the Chic-Choc Mountains

The Chic-Choc mountains just sound like a fun place to go, don’t they? This mountain range (an extension of the Appalachians) runs through the centre of the Gaspé, and is home to wildlife reserves that are home to all kinds of wildlife, including more than 4,000 moose! There’s also apparently some pretty beautiful back-country scenery.

I’m sure hiking here is great, but I also discovered one company that offers ‘Extreme Chic-Choc tours’ in 4X4’s! These off-road excursions look like a great alternative if we don’t have a lot of time to spend hiking here, since we might get to see places that otherwise would take hours to reach on foot. Plus we might even get to see a moose – if they don’t mind a certain laughing, squealing passenger disturbing their pristine wilderness!

10. Chaleur Bay

Driving a loop around the Gaspé Peninsula means Henk and I will be skirting Chaleur Bay on the coast before heading inland for our return trip. Which sounds like a great idea because this area offers some pretty cool accommodations (more to come on this later!), great views from Mont Saint-Joseph (another overlook), and maybe, just maybe, the opportunity to swim in the ocean in one of the region’s most beautiful bays….no promises though: the temperature will need to be just right for that – both in and out of the water!

“Jigsaw Puzzle” Planning a Bucket List Trip

I like to think that planning a bucket list vacation is a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle: the first step is to lay out all the pieces, and then you try to fit them all together to create a beautiful picture. This is what we are doing for our adventure to the Gaspésie, starting with identifying some of the first corner ‘pieces’ – our must-see things to do in the Gaspé Peninsula. From here, there’s still more to research and lay out, and we may decide that some pieces just don’t fit at all given our timing or our route. Which means that right now, we may not know exactly what our puzzle will look like but at least we’ve got a few corners in place to start with! We’ll fill the rest in later.

TIP: When researching any destination, a great place to start is the tourism website for that region. We’ve been scouring two in particular, Tourism-Gaspésie ,and Québec Maritime , as well as Bonjour Quebec , all of which have provided plenty of inspiration and ideas.

This post is part of a paid partnership with Le Québec Maritime, who will be hosting Henk and I in the Gaspé Peninsula in 2021. We are doing this research in advance to determine what we want to see and do when we are there . Hopefully this information helps you, too, if you are considering a trip to this beautiful region . Stay tuned for more to come !

Jane Canapini is a member of the Travel Media Association of Canada and the North American Travel Journalists Association. She established GrownupTravels.com in 2014 to share information and tips based on personal experience so her readers could get the most out of their travels.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like these:

Great pictures and description for the armchair traveller like me

We’re hoping we can take pictures that are equally good ourselves when we are there next year Wanda. So you can look forward to more photos to enjoy!

Hi Jane You’re going to love the Gaspe. You might want to plan a day trip to canoe or kayak down the super clear and beautiful Bonaventure river. I’ve watched many happy and wet paddlers go by on hot days while I’ve been salmon fishing. The scenery is spectacular and you have a decent chance of seeing a moose. There are outfitters who will arrange the transportation and rentals. Peter

I’ve seen photos of that river and how clear the water is, so yes, I think Henk and I would love to do that, Peter! Thanks for the suggestion…maybe we’ll even see you there!

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Gaspé itinerary: The ultimate five-day Gaspé Peninsula road trip

Here, you’ll find our five-day itinerary for getting the most out of your epic Gaspé Peninsula road trip.

To complete the loop around the Gaspé Peninsula along Quebec Route 132 takes roughly 11 hours of active drive time. The road forms a circular route, and most people coming into the region from the west will start and finish in the city of Mont-Joli. But there’s a lot to see and do on this adventure, so you’ll want to set aside five days to complete this spectacular drive.

This itinerary takes the counter-clockwise direction, which saves the most scenic portion of Route 132 for the end of the drive. If you prefer to start with the good stuff, take this itinerary in reverse and travel in a clockwise direction.

For more details about this Gaspé Peninsula road trip, click here to read the full story >

Day 1: Rivière-du-Loup to Carleton-sur-Mer

Those entering the region from the west are likely to pass through Rivière-du-Loup, which is a logical stopover on the way into the Gaspésie. It’s reachable from Quebec City in just over two hours, from Montreal in a little under four and a half hours, and from the Greater Toronto Area in roughly 10 hours. An overnight in Rivière-du-Loup sets you up for this itinerary.

Hotel suggestion: L’Hôtel Universel Rivière-du-Loup

In the morning, head east on Route 132 for an hour and 15 minutes to reach Parc national du Bic ($). Stop for a hike, or enjoy an early picnic lunch. (Optionally, continue east on Route 132 into Rimouski to enjoy lunch at one of the downtown restaurants. We’re big fans of Parfum de Corée ($).)

Continue on to Pointe-au-Père National Historic Site ($), located just outside Rimouski. Set aside at least two hours to climb the lighthouse, tour the retired military submarine HMCS Onandaga, and explore the Empress of Ireland Museum.

Follow Route 132 to the east for roughly another 30 minutes to reach the city of Mont-Joli. This is the point where the circular route around the Gaspé Peninsula begins and ends. Turn southward to drive through the Matapédia Valley, which will take 2.5 to 4 hours depending on how often you stop.

This drive is known for its rural landscapes and covered bridges. Key sites to see along this route:

• Pont Beausejour covered bridge in Amqui
• Routhierville covered bridge
• Belvédère de Deux-Rivières , a lookout in the village of Matapédia

If you’ve arrived in time, visit the Battle of the Restigouche National Historic Site. It operates from 9 AM to 5 PM during its season. An hour is enough for an overview visit, and two hours will provide ample time to enjoy the site.

Continue to Carleton-sur-Mer overnight. Hotel suggestion: Hostellerie Baie-Bleue, Carleton-sur-Mer

Day 2: Carleton-sur-Mer to Percé

Check out of your hotel and continue east on Route 132.

After just under an hour, you’ll reach Ferme Bourdages Tradition . Stop in for a tasting of their fruit wines and pick up some pies and other treats for the road. (Note their boutique is open from Thursday to Sunday only.)

Continue east for another half hour to reach the Site historique national de Paspébiac ($). Set aside at least an hour to tour the site and learn about this area’s cod fishing history, including the shipbuilding shop and blacksmith. Add another hour if you’d like to stay for lunch at the on-site restaurant. (Note that English interpretation may be limited outside of the peak summer months.)

Rejoin Route 132 and carry on into the village of Percé. To make the most of your approach, watch for the Halte municipale de la Côte-Surprise , which lets you soak in the hilltop views of Percé and Bonaventure Island on your way into town.

Spend the rest of the day taking in the village of Percé. Walk the boardwalks, visit the Percé UNESCO Global Geopark ($) to learn about the area’s geology and hike to the Mont-Sainte-Anne lookout, enjoy a masterful seafood dinner at La Maison du Pêcheur ($$$, reservations required), or stop in for a pint and some live music at the Pub Pit Caribou ($).

Check into your hotel for a two-night stay in Percé. Hotel suggestion: Riôtel Percé (book early and request a room with a view for the best experience!)

Day 3: Parc national de l’Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé

Dedicate an entire day to your journey to the Parc national de l’Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé. This is an experience that’s best when not rushed.

Arrange your crossing in advance with one of the boat operators in the village. (We had an excellent experience with Les Bateliers de Percé ($$).) Your cruise will begin by circling Percé Rock, and you’ll then continue around Bonaventure Island before being dropped off at the island’s main dock where you enter the park ($).

To reach the Northern Gannet colony, follow the Les colonies trail (approximately 45 minutes each way. Allot additional time to hike through the original settlement on the island or to complete the children’s scavenger hunt. During the peak season, there are cafés open at the dock and at the colony ($, cash only). Note that some people may find the odor at the colony to be a little strong for maintaining an appetite.

Boats return to the mainland hourly. Be sure to check the departure times and arrive at the dock early for your safety!

Once you’re back in Percé, take in any activities you didn’t have time for the day before. As a second dinner option in town, consider Le Restaurant Paqbo in the Riôtel Percé ($$). Overnight at your Percé hotel.

Day 4: Forillon National Park of Canada

Check out of your Percé hotel and head north on Route 132, pausing at the Halte municipale du Pic de l’Aurore as you leave the village for a final view of Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island.

Continue along Route 132, making an optional stop in the town of Gaspé for lunch, before reaching Forillon National Park of Canada ($). Plan to spend at least one full day taking in the park. If you have time to stay for longer, two or three days will allow you to take in much of what the park has to offer. If hiking or fat biking are options for you, don’t miss the trek to Les Graves trail to reach the end of the Gaspé Peninsula.

Find out more about seven amazing experiences in Forillon National Park of Canada >

Overnight in Gaspé (hotel suggestion: Auberge sous les arbres ), or bring supplies and stay overnight by camping at the park. If you’d prefer not to rough it, Forillon National Park of Canada has multiple options for ready-to-camp stays , including oTENTiks, Ôasis teardrop pods, and MicrOcubes.

Day 5: The St. Lawrence South Shore

Dedicate the fifth and final day of your ultimate Gaspé road trip by tracing the south shore of the St. Lawrence River along Route 132. With no stops, it takes four and a half hours to drive from Forillon National Park of Canada to Mont-Joli. But you’ll want to take multiple pauses along the way to look for whales from the scenic lookouts, explore the coastal villages, and visit the lighthouses along the route. Plan a full day for completing this drive.

Turn your day into a lighthouse tour by visiting the four lighthouses along the route, which you’ll encounter in this order as you leave Forillon National Park of Canada:

• Cap-des-Rosiers National Historic Site , the tallest lighthouse in Canada, is just outside the park boundry to the north along Route 132
• Pointe-à-la-Renommée Lighthouse (note this lighthouse is approximately 2 km off the highway along a dirt road)
• Cap-de-la-Madeleine Lighthouse
• Le Martre Lighthouse , unmistakeable thanks to its bright red exterior

Overnight as appropriate along your route. (Hotel suggestion: Riôtel Matane .) Follow Route 132 toward Mont-Joli and onward to home.

Extend your Gaspé Peninsula road trip

Optionally, ferry crossings are available in Matane and Trois-Pistoles ($$) that will take you to the north shore of the St. Lawrence River , which offers different views and experiences to enjoy on your return trip.

Stephanie Wallcraft

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The Best Gaspe Peninsula Road Trip Plan | Gaspesie [2024]

A Gaspe Peninsula road trip has long been on my travel bucket list. When I first saw an image of Percé Rock jetting out into the Atlantic, I decided then and there that I would visit. I was probably ten years old or so at the time, but I was determined to visit this unique part of Canada. Well, it took a pandemic, but I finally got there.

Despite taking decades to tick this Gaspe road trip off my list, I can happily say it was well worth the wait. From awe-inspiring natural beauty to friendly locals, this Gaspe road trip was exactly what I needed to snap my pandemic cabin fever.

This is my update for the 2024 five-day Quebec City to Gaspe road trip itinerary, along with suggestions on things to see, do, eat, and drink.

Table of Contents

What is the Gaspesie Peninsula?

The Gaspe Peninsula, also called Gaspesie , is a 31,000 km² chunk of Quebec in the southeastern part of the province. It has a natural border of the St. Lawrence River to the north, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and Chaleur Bay and the province of New Brunswick to the south.

Gaspesie contains some of Québec’s prettiest parts, with rugged coastlines, towering mountain ranges, sleepy fishing villages, and ancient bedrock.

It’s also home to four (4!) national parks , two UNESCO World Heritage sites , miles of hiking trails, and, at the very tip, the captivating Percé Rock.

How Long Does it Take to Drive Around the Gaspé Peninsula?

Route 132 completes a full circle around Gaspesie, with the majority of the road following the shoreline. This makes a Gaspe Peninsula road trip incredibly easy to navigate and is one of the most scenic drives in Canada, if not North America.

Quebec City to Gaspé Road Trip

That said, Route 132 begins some 350 kilometers from Quebec City, so you have a way to go from a major hub before your Gaspe road trip starts. Departing from Quebec City , the complete loop is just over 1,500 km. Although it is doable in a couple of days, this certainly is not recommended.

Initially, I set out to complete this Gaspe Peninsula road trip in just three days. I quickly found that this was not enough time to see and do everything on my list.

Since it took me so long to get out to Gaspesie, I decided to stretch my itinerary to five days. In retrospect, this was still a hurried pace. If when I do this trip again, I will take a full week to enjoy all I can see and do.

That said, here is my five-day Gaspe Peninsula road trip itinerary.

Day 1 – Québec City to Matane

As mentioned above, to really experience the best Québec has to offer, a Gaspe road trip should begin in Québec City. I spent three amazing days exploring the walled city and was eager to hit the road and drive deeper into eastern Québec.

My first stop on this Quebec City to Gaspé road trip was just 170 km east of the city in Kamouraska, a charming town full of colorful buildings, galleries, and unique shops. It’s a great spot for a mid-morning stop to stretch your legs and grab a coffee.

Park at the church and explore the town on foot. Grab a coffee and maybe some handcrafted chocolates from La Fée Gourmande before making your way towards the wharf. Along the way, you will find many colorful houses and your first sweeping views of the now-widening St. Lawrence River.

Rivière-du-Loup

Continuing east for 30 minutes, you will arrive in the picturesque city of Rivière-du-Loup. Although there is plenty to see and do here, I left most of my exploring for my last night on the return trip. Still, if the weather is good, capitalize on it and visit Parc des Chutes (Falls Park) . This small set of trails is structured around a historic hydroelectric power station that has recently been restored. It is highlighted by a 33-metre (108-foot) waterfall which you can walk above via the trail over the damn.

I found this stop particularly fascinating as I was doing my Gaspé road trip in an electric vehicle .

EV or not, the park is both scenic and interesting. It highlights the history of the area leveraging the river to produce power for the city and beyond.

Similar to Rivière-du-Loup, I saved my time touring the town for the return trip.

Outbound I did stop in at the Pointe-au-Père Maritime Historic Site . Although the museum was closed on my visit, I really enjoyed walking around the lighthouse grounds. It’s great for stretching those legs and getting some photos at dusk.

The Pointe-au-Père lighthouse was built in 1909 and is the second tallest in Canada. Be sure to budget some time for a guided tour which includes a trip to the very tippy-top of the tower!

Next door to the Pointe-au-Père lighthouse and historic site, you will find the Empress Museum and the HMCS Onondaga, a retired Canadian Navy submarine. Guests can climb aboard and take a self-guided audio tour of the ship. It’s a great stop for kids of all ages, including this submarine nerd.

At just over 400 km from Québec City, Matane makes for a great resting spot on the first night of your Quebec road trip .

Where to Eat and Drink in Matane?

I landed at La Fabrique microbrewery for a pint or two. Aside from being a great craft brewery, it’s located in a former bank and has a great pub menu, including several poutine options.

*For my non-Canadian readers, poutine is a quintessential Québec dish of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy. It’s amazing.

Where to stay in Matane?

I stayed at the oceanside Riôtel Matane and can recommend it for its cozy rooms, ocean views, and outdoor fire pits. There is a great restaurant/pub on site (I enjoyed breakfast with amazing views), and there is a pool for those not willing to brave the frigid waters out front!

Day 2 – Matane to Gaspé

Day two of this Gaspé road trip is where the seaside scenery really kicks into high gear. Ocean-hugging roads, historic lighthouses, and sleepy fishing villages are all on tap.

Lighthouses and Coffee

After a hearty breakfast at the Riôtel Matane, I made my way east. I stopped for coffee at Boulangerie Marie 4 Poches in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts then continued on through the windiest and most scenic stretch of road on the trip.

From there it was on to historic lighthouses in La Martre, Pointe-à-la-Renommée, and Cap Madeleine.

Pointe-à-la-Renommée is of particular interest, given it was home to the first maritime radio station in North America . On-site, you will find exhibits and a plaque commemorating the event.

For lunch, I stopped in at Atkins & Frères for some delicious smoked fish. They are known for their salmon prosciutto (Saumoscuitto); after sampling, it’s easy to see why. I walked out with a Saumoscuitto bagel sandwich and extra fish to go. It’s that good.

Take your lunch to go and enjoy it at one of the seaside picnic tables just down the road in Mont-Louis.

Forillon National Park

One of the highlights of my Gaspé road trip was exploring Forillon National Park . I spent an afternoon here but truthfully you could spend three days camping and exploring the park. If you are able to extend your Gaspé road trip to seven days I suggest spending the extra time here!

There are tons of camping and “glamping“ options as well as wildlife and activities to enjoy. In my short visit, I stopped in at Cap Bon-Ami for the views before heading to a La Chute, a fairytale-esque waterfall.

The trail to La Chute is just over 1 km long and takes you down a raised boardwalk through cedar and maple groves. I lucked out and had the site largely to myself which made for a very peaceful experience.

Before rolling into town, make a stop at the Gaspé Museum . This impressive museum will give you a great overview of the history and heritage of the area. This includes exhibits on the Mi’gmaq and Gaspésiennes, the many ships that have sailed the Saint Lawrence, and a monument to Jacques Cartier.

Gaspé is known as the birthplace of Canada as French explorer Jacques Cartier first set foot here in 1534. He planted a cross and claimed the land in the name of France. Many years later, a monolithic cross was constructed in 1934, the 400th anniversary of Jacques Cartier’s arrival. Today, this cross is on display in the Birthplace of Canada village on the waterfront.

Guests can take audio tours of the area and explore the many buildings and artefacts depicting the important history of this port town. It truly takes you back to feeling like you are on the edge of Canada, a vast and unexplored unknown.

Where to Eat, Drink, and Sleep in Gaspé?

Just above the historic village, you’ll find Auberge sous les Arbres , my resting spot for the night. This cosy BNB was once home to the upper-class Gaspé residents. Today it is an expensive and unique 14 room hotel . Be sure to enjoy the expansive outdoor expensive patio if the weather permit and a great breakfast in your room before departing.

Also within walking distance of the Auberge sous les Arbres is the main strip of the old town. You will find a few dining options there, including Brise Bise , a laidback eatery with live music. Try the Lobster Club Sandwich!

If you are looking for a great cup of coffee and sweets, check out Cafe Des Artistes, and for a local pint, head to nearby Au Frontibus in Rivière-au-Renard.

Day 3 – Gaspé To Percé

Percé is pretty much the turnaround point of this Gaspé road trip. Conveniently, it’s also the apex of the trip.

I suggest a minimum of two days/one night in Percé. In my experience, the weather can shift drastically. When I arrived, the town was socked in. The next day, I woke up to blue skies, and it was the nicest day of my Gaspé road trip. Plan your activities in Percé accordingly.

The massive slab of red sandstone just off the shores of Percé has been attracting visitors since the 1930s. As mentioned, images captivated me to visit and, upon first glance driving into town, it did not disappoint.

Despite the soggy weather, I spent much of my first day in town taking in views of Percé Rock. Parking in the old village, you can walk to the cross near the edge of where the shoreline drops off. Note, there is a man collecting a small fee for trail upkeep, so have some change with you.

You can also follow the trail in the opposite direction down the beach below. If you time the tides right, you can cross over to the base of the rock.

Note: Walking to Percé Rock is forbidden for safety reasons for both wildlife and humans. There are seabird nests, and frequent rock falls along the cliffs of Mont-Joli and along the walls of Percé Rock. Annually, 300 tons of rocks fall from the cliffs at any time of the season.

For those looking to get even closer, I suggest renting kayaks or taking a guided tour by boat. This was on my to-do list; however, the weather did not cooperate on my first day, and my second day was booked with a trip to Bonaventure Island .

Percé UNESCO Global Geopark

With the wet weather, I decided to check out the UNESCO Global Geopark . Inside and out of the elements you will find plenty of background on how Percé Rock came to be.

There is an interactive exhibit that makes learning about 500 million years of history interesting and fun. Be sure to return in the evening for a multimedia presentation on the side of the building covering The legend of Gluskap, a Micmac story on how “The Great Spirit” gave life on Earth.

The UNESCO Global Geopark also features several hiking trails including one up to a suspended glass platform some 200 meters above! This platform offers some of the best views of the town and Percé Rock…when the suns out. Thankfully the sun came out on my departure day so I was able to squeeze a trip up to the platform before continuing on.

Note: there is a shuttle service available from the Global Geopark centre. A return trip costs a couple of dollars and departs as when there are enough people to ride.

Those looking for a rush while taking in the views should check out the zip line running near the platform! This was closed during my visit due to the pandemic. Just another reason to return!

Bonaventure Island

Located a short boat ride away, Bonaventure Island is a National Park with plenty to offer. On top of unique views of Percé Rock, visitors can explore the island through its many trails – all of which lead to the most accessible colony of Northern Gannets in the world!

On the advice of a local, I avoided the Sentier des Colonies trail on the way out. Described to me as “The Highway,” this is the easiest and shortest path to the colony so it is well travelled. Instead, I took the Sentier des Mousses and quickly escaped the crowds.

I was surprised by just how much time I spent observing the Gannets at the colony. It truly is one of the best wildlife experiences in Canada and can recommend it, birder or not.

Getting to Bonaventure Island

There are a couple of companies in town that offerffer boat rides to Bonaventure Island, and they can be found in booths along the main drag. I went with Croisières Julien Cloutier , which departs every hour from the nearby Anse-à-Beaufils wharf.

Bonaventure Island – Cost

Crossing on Croisières Julien Cloutier is $45 per adult and $25 for children aged 6 to 12. Children under 6 are free. Depending on the time of year, a whale-watching excursion option costs $80 for adults and $45 for children 6 to 12.

Once on the island, park fees are $9.55 per adult and free for children under 18.

Where to Eat in Percé?

For such a touristy spot, there actually aren’t a lot of options for food in Percé. La Maison du Pêcheur is highly recommended and, as I found out, reservations are a must. Here you can sample local seafood dishes including lobster when in season.

For the bulk of my meals, I hit the well-stocked Co-Op grocery store (Coop Marché d’alimentation). I found plenty of local pre-made meals and local snacks (hello cheese curds and cold smoked salmon) to take with me on my hikes.

Where to Drink in Percé?

I also took these snacks next door to the Pub Pit Caribou , a unique bar with craft beer brewed in nearby L’Anse-à-Beaufils. The building has a ton of character and is a must-visit while in town! Again, my visit fell during the pandemic, which was a sobering time. I can only imagine how wild the place can get under normal circumstances.

Note: The Pub Pit Caribou is relocating to a new location (TBD) due to building renovations, so it may not be open on your Gaspe Peninsula road trip.

Where to Sleep in Percé?

I spent the night at a Hôtel-Motel Fleur de Lys . It’s very much low frills however with views like this, does that matter?

If you are looking for the best views of Percé Rock from your room check out the Riotel Perce .

There’s a ton of camping and RV options in and around Percé. If/when I return I would look at spending more time in the area and camp at Camping Cote Surprise for its sweeping views of Percé Rock.

Day 4 – Percé to Carleton-Sur-Mer

With half a buffer day in hand, enjoy a morning in Percé to tick off what you may have missed the day prior. For me, this was visiting Bonaventure Island and the glass observation deck overlooking Percé.

After soaking up the last of Percé Rock, make your way south out of town. On your way to Carleton Sur Mer stop in at the historic Cap d’Espoir Lighthouse and then the fascinating Banc de Pêche de Paspébiac National Historic Site of Canada . This historic fish processing plant has plenty of exhibits sharing what life was like on the abundant fishing banks off of Quebec’s shores.

Continue west, stop in at the charming Café Acadian in Bonaventure for lunch and a coffee to go.

Where to Eat and Drink in Carleton-Sur-Mer?

Head to the Le Naufrageur microbrewery for dinner and drinks. On top of an elevated pub menu featuring tapas, poutine, and local mussels, there are several house-brewed beers to sample.

Where to Sleep in Carleton-Sur-Mer?

I crashed at the expansive Hostellerie Baie Bleue and can recommend for its cosy and recently renovated rooms. Although the building has a converted high-school vibe, there is a large pub in the centre of it all making it a good option for those looking for a nightcap before bed. Parking is included in your stay and EV charging is available.

Day 5 – Carlteon Sur Mer to River du Loup

Sadly, this is where you say goodbye to the coastal drive and head inland. On the positive, the drive north along the Matapedia River is very scenic and offers a welcome change of scenery on the final day of your Gaspé road trip.

Carleton-Sur-Mer

If the weather is nice before heading out of town, enjoy the oceanside views one last time in Carleton-Sur-Mer .

Boardwalk Stroll

If you get in early enough the night before, you can stroll the one-kilometer beachside boardwalk before the sun goes down. Otherwise, grab a coffee in the morning at Brulerie du Quai and take a quick stroll. 

Mont Saint-Joseph

Overlooking Carleton-Sur-Mer is Mount Saint Joseph. At 555 meters, the panoramic views from its summit are stunning. Detour before heading out of town, check out the Oratoire Notre-Dame, a chapel dating back to 1935. Aside from the views, this Brittany chapel is known for its stained glass windows and colorful mosaics.

Routhierville Covered Bridge

You will find the historic Routhierville Covered Bridge just over an hour outside of Carleton-Sur-Mer. This is a great place to stretch your legs and stroll through this 1931-built bridge. At 78 meters, it’s the longest covered bridge in Bas-Saint-Laurent and was designated a historical monument in 2009.

30-minutes down the highway and you are in the town of Amqui. Known as “the place to have fun” in Mi’gmaq, Amqui is a great stop for outdoor activities. From salmon fishing to hiking and ATV trails, Amqui is a great stop for those travelling with family.

Sadly, my time in town was limited to lunch at the Microbrasserie La Captive , a former town hall and police station turned craft brewery. I enjoyed a sampler flight and smoked meat sandwich before hitting the road.

Trois-Pistoles

Once home to 16th-century Basques Whalers, today, Trois-Pistoles welcomes scuba divers and students. Since 1932, Trois-Pistoles has been the site of Western University’s French immersion program.

In 2023, I got to spend a week in Trois-Pistoles and really enjoyed my time in the small town . Highlights included the amazing Fromagerie des Basques, which has the best cheese curds and grilled cheese sandwiches I have ever had. Definitely stop in there on your Quebec City to Gaspé road trip!

Église Notre-Dame-des-Neiges

With its five steeples dominating the skyline, the Église Notre-Dame-des-Neiges is hard to miss. This 100-year-old Catholic church is worth a closer look at.

Le Caveau des Trois-Pistoles

Steps from the church and down a small pathway, you will find Le Caveau craft brewery . This is one of my favorite breweries on my Gaspé road trip, which is saying a lot, as there have been a few along the way!

Grab a pint or sampler and enjoy the outdoor space with live music before moving on.

Here is where Gaspé road trip comes full circle! Those who powered through Rivière-du-Loup and the way out (like me!) now have time to check out the town. I suggest parking downtown on rue Lafontaine and strolling the streets of many shops and restaurants.

Where to Eat in Rivière-du-Loup?

Speaking of restaurants, given this is the last night on this 5-day Gaspé road trip, I suggest treating yourself to your “last meal.” La Porte Arrière in downtown Rivière-du-Loup serves up classic French dishes with local ingredients. Its open kitchen gives it a cozy atmosphere and pairs well with its excellent wine selection.

Where to Drink in Rivière-du-Loup?

Just down the road is Aux Fous Brassant , a craft brewery with a clever nod to the city and area. Apparently, its beer names are derived from old dialects and local expressions. My minimal French was not able to confirm this with the staff but I can say that the beer on tap is very good!

Where to Stay in Rivière-du-Loup?

On my last night on this Gaspé road trip, I stayed at the Hôtel Universel – Rivière-du-Loup . This massive hotel is a mix of old-school character and modern touches thanks to its 301 rooms all receiving recent renovations.

Onsite amenities include a massive indoor pool, health center, and an outdoor Nordic spa. This makes Hôtel Universel the perfect place to cap of one helluva drive!

Gaspe Peninsula Road Trip – 5 Perfect Days

If I did it again and intend to, I would push this Gaspe Peninsula road trip to seven days and spend more time in Forillon National Park. That said, I saw a ton for my first Gaspé road trip and loved every minute of it.

From the rugged coastline to the small towns and the friendly people, Gaspésie is a true Canadian road trip gem. It’s everything I love about the Maritime provinces except in French. This makes it all that much more unique and special, don’t you think?

Although I came to fulfil a childhood promise, I discovered so much more about Québec, Gaspésie, and Canada really. This proves once again that life is about the journey and not the destination. To that, I say merci Gaspésie!

What are your thoughts on this 5-day Gaspé Road Trip ? Let’s hear it!

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22 Unmissable Stops On A Québec Road Trip To Gaspé Peninsula

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When visiting Québec, most people head straight to Montreal and Québec City . But this magnificent province is so diverse and there’s so much to see on a Québec vacation than the big cities!

This fall we embarked on a 5-day Québec road trip to the Gaspé Peninsula and we had the time of our life! The fall foliage, the regional cuisine (cue lobster and seal meat), the majestic whales and fascinating seabirds had us head over heels. It is the best East Coast road trip one could have ever imagined!

This Québec travel guide showcases the various Québec road trip destinations on the south shore of Saint Lawrence River that should be on your radar. As you follow along, it’s easy to see why you should extend your trip to Québec City to explore the beautiful Maritimes regions!

Plan your Québec road trip with these tools!

Below is a road map of Québec highlighting all the must-see stops in Chaudière Appalaches, Bas-Saint-Laurent, and Gaspé. We will be showing you sights from the West to East so you can easily transform this to a Québec road trip itinerary:

1| Parc des Chutes de la Chaudière

Across the Saint Lawrence River from Québec City is Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière featuring breathtaking waterfalls . Only 30 mins away from Old Québec, this attraction tops the list of popular Québec City day trips for the locals!

Unlike most waterfalls, you can actually walk on the rocks at the bottom of the falls to feel the true power and volume of water spilling off the cliff up close. It is truly sensational!

That’s not it! The park also has a 113-m long suspension bridge that sways up to 23m above the river, offering a unique viewpoint of the thundering falls and the rugged landscape. If time permits and weather is nice, we encourage you to take advantage of the hiking trails and picnic areas to get a good dose of nature.

It’s a marvelous sight to explore on your way to the Gaspé Peninsula and will for sure make your driving in Québec unique! (even if you only have a weekend in Québec City , it is an easily manageable addition to your itinerary!)

2| Old Lévis

Old Lévis sits directly across from Québec City and is only a ferry ride away!

This hidden gem is the go-to spot for photographers to get the Québec City skyline . No need to go far, you can capture that view right by the Québec City-Lévis ferry terminal.

It also makes for one of the best day trips from Quebec City for foodies. Stop by at Chocolats Favoris for some high-quality artisanal chocolate or chocolate-dipped ice cream  (available in 12 different flavours!). Or, attend a cooking class with Madame Germaine , learning how to make authentic Quebec foods !

3| Musée Maritime du Québec

Come aboard the three historic ships on your Québec trip and dive deep into Canada’s maritime history at the Musée Maritime du Québec !

The museum possesses a rich collection of artifacts and documents related to all kinds of maritime events. Smaller wooden ships like rowboats and canoes are also on display in a hangar-workshop! A must-see stop for history buffs.

The highlights, though, are the two gigantic ship museums outdoors – the icebreaker Ernest Lapointe and the hydrofoil Bras d’Or 400, as evidence of the rich maritime heritage in Québec.

4| La Coureuse des Grèves

Looking for a satisfying sit-down meal on your Gaspé peninsula road trip? We highly recommend eating at La Coureuse des Grèves .

This casual fine-dining restaurant serves incredible foods. Their ever-changing menu is a mix of French cuisine and Asian gastronomic flair , utilizing local seasonal products.

To get the authentic Québécois experience, we suggest starting your meal with cheeses produced by the nearby cheese factory Île-aux-Grues (the BEST you can have in Canada!). Remember to leave room for pouding chômeur (“unemployed men pudding”). The irresistible dessert, soaked in maple syrup, was created by female factory workers early during the Great Depression in Québec.

5| Le Moule à Sucre

Want to bring a piece of Québec home with you? Le Moule à Sucre has got you covered!

This charming store in Saint-Jean-Port Joli sells a wide variety of local products and confectionery . Everything is made in Québec – from maple syrup, jam, foie gras, terrine to wine, to keep the memory of your Québec holiday alive.

It is almost impossible to leave the store empty-handed so make sure to bring an extra suitcase – just in case!

6| Parc National du Bic

Follow the scenic Québec Route 132 towards Rimouski, you will enter the territory of Parc National du Bic (Bic National Park).

The park, covering an area of 33.2 square km, boasting rocky capes, bays, coves, islands and mountains , which all come together to create dramatic landscapes.

The sheltered coastline attracts thousands of seabirds each summer to build nests. It is one of the prime spots to see common eiders , the largest duck in the Northern Hemisphere!

If you walk along the shore, don’t be surprised to encounter harbour seals up close as they like to rest on the rocks in the coves and bays!

Needless to say, there are numerous hiking trails you can take advantage of. One of the best lookout points is Pic Champlain, the highest peak of the Murailles massif. You can hike up or get a lift on the shuttle to the top to admire the sweeping views of the estuary and the entire park!

7| Auberge du Mange Grenouille

Fancy a romantic dinner on your road trip to Québec Gaspésie? In Rimouski, Auberge du Mange Grenouille will transport you into a dream world of charms with a gastronomic experience that promises to satisfy all senses!

The gourmet restaurant nestled inside a beautiful inn overlooks the islands of Parc National du Bic, especially remarkable at sunset. The whimsical space decorated in a theatrical and operatic fashion exudes sophistication and style.

As for the food, the dishes are designed to showcase the region’s distinct cuisine and take you on a taste adventure. Have not ever tried blood pudding, seal meat, or duck heart in your life? This is your perfect chance! (BTW, they were yummy!)

8| Pointe-au-Père Maritime Historic Site

We get it, museums can be boring. But Pointe-au-Père Maritime Historic Sit e is such an interesting place that makes non-museum goers like us feel fascinated.

The landmark brings 3 attractions together under one roof. You will have an opportunity to:

⇢ go into the 90m-long Onondaga submarine and discover how 70 crew members would live for months at a time

⇢ tour the Empress of Ireland Museum and learn about what makes this shipwreck one of Canada’s worst marine disasters

⇢ climb to the top of the second tallest lighthouse in Canada, Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse (33m) and enjoy a spectacular view of the St. Lawrence River

9| Reford Gardens

You can easily spend a whole day wandering through the endless fields of flowers at Reford Gardens (aka Jardine de Métis).

The 45-acre National Historic Site is home to a historic house, 8 magnificent gardens and a collection of 3500 plant varieties . If that doesn’t impress you, head over to the International Garden Festival section and have some fun at the interactive contemporary gardens designed by landscape architects from around the world.

Mitis River Park is worth a visit when the weather is nice. The nature park showcases forest and marine ecosystems unique to the region. Walk along the 3km-long landscaped trails to the mouth of the Mitis River and climb up the observation tower for stunning views of the surrounding area!

10| La Martre Lighthouse

The all-red lighthouse might not be the tallest in the area, but has been in operation since 1906 and is made with wood. Unlike modern lighthouses which use electric motors, La Martre Lighthouse is still operated by the original clockwork system!

11| Cap de la Madeleine Lighthouse

The cylindrical concrete lighthouse, built in 1908, sits at the top of Cap de la Madeleine. It is an important landmark that helps guide commercial shipping traffic on the St. Lawrence River.

12| Pointe-à-la-Renommée Lighthouse

Of all the lighthouses we’ve visited on the Gaspé Peninsula, this one is our favourite.

To reach Pointe-à-la-Renommée Lighthouse (aka Fame Point), you must first travel on a dirt road (unmarked on Google Maps). The drive seems endless but when you finally reach the destination, it is not hard to understand why Pointe-à-la-Renommée has been called “the world’s most traveled lighthouse.”

This is also home to the first marine wireless telegraphy radio station in North America!

Perched serenely atop the cliff, the lighthouse looks out to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. On a clear day, you might even see whales and seals popping their head out of the water.

A small fee is required to tour the historic site ($6 for one exhibit or $10 for a complete visit), but it is worthwhile to hear the fascinating story of the lighthouse keepers, the wireless radio operators, and the fishermen who lived on the isolated shores of Fame Point. 

Outdoor enthusiasts can explore the many hiking trails nearby to find the best vantage point to enjoy the ocean backdrop!

13| Atkins & Freres

Gaspésie is known for seafood. The best place to buy smoked fish and seafood products is Atkins & Freres at Mont-Louis.

From maple salmon bites to smoked lobster rillettes, the store has a wide array of high-quality culinary delights to satisfy every seafood lover’s palate!

14| Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse

A visit to Canada’s tallest lighthouse, Cap-des-Rosiers, is mandatory on your Gaspé road trip.

The soaring stone tower stands 34m atop the rugged cliffs and has been guiding ships through the treacherous waters since 1858! Because of its heritage value, the lighthouse has been designated a National Historic Site in 1973.

You are welcomed to visit the landmark in the summer from late June to the beginning of September (entrance fee required). Guided lighthouse tour is provided (with an additional cost) as well, but please beware that the tower is in desperate need of repair. We urge you to stay safe!

15| Cap-Bon-Ami

At the easternmost tip of the Gaspé peninsula lies Cap-Bon-Ami. This stunning site in the north sector of Forillon National Park is a geological wonder, featuring towering limestone cliffs and rugged layers of rock.

Standing at the top of the cliff, you can feel the wind brushing through your hair and hear the waves crashing onto the shore. Often seen here are various seabirds, including double-crested cormorants, black-legged kittiwakes, razorbills, common murres, and black guillemots, drawn by the fish-rich waters and refuge they need to reproduce.

Don’t leave without walking down to the pebble beach. Colonies of seals live at the foot of the cliffs. You might be lucky even to view them up close!

16| Cap-Gaspé Lighthouse

Cap-Gaspé (“end of land”) is where the Appalachian Mountains meet the Atlantic Ocean. To reach the lighthouse, you will need to hike along the Les Graves trail.

Keep an eye out for wildlife. Porcupines and bears are often spotted along the way.

After going up on a steep incline, you will finally reach the lighthouse. Small and mighty, the 13m-tall tower sits on a high cliff, rewarding you with jaw-dropping views of the Gulf. It also offers good whale and seal sightings!

17| L’Anse Blanchette

Costumed interpreters welcome you at L’Anse-Blanchette to travel back in time to the 1920s.

Most noticeable is the little yellow house standing on the steep slope on the shore of the Gaspé Bay. The restored structure tells the story of the old fishing village that used to be here in Grande-Grave and the everyday life of the cod fishermen.

Besides the family home, you’ll also get a chance to visit the large barn, fish shed, woodshed, and facilities related to the production of dried fish.

Note: the site is opened seasonally from mid-July to early September.

18| Hyman & Sons General Store

To understand the importance of the cod fishery to the local communities, head over to the Hyman & Sons General Store.

The historic general store is stocked with necessities like medicines, tools, clothes and canned goods, giving you a glimpse of the fishing companies’ shops operate. On the upper floor, the exhibition illustrates the challenges faced by cod-fishing families in different seasons and how they adapt to nature. Finally, the warehouse exhibitions take you through the process of drying cod and recount on the importance of international cod trade.

19| Whale Watching at Grande Grevè

Do you know it is possible to find as many as 7 different species of whales in Gaspé?

The nutrient-rich waters of Gaspé Bay is an important feeding ground for these majestic creatures. That is why every year, from May to October, blue whale, fin whale, humpback whale, minke whale, pilot whale, white-sided dolphin, and harbor porpoise would religiously travel here prey on plankton and fish.

To go whale watching in Gaspé, you either depart from Grande Grevè (Forillon National Park) or from Percé. We recommend Grande Grevè for a more intimate experience.

In Grande Greve, tours are operated by Croisières Baie de Gaspé and led by knowledgeable naturalists to ensure make your whale watching experience the best it can be! During the excursion, you will learn how to identify different species of whales and understand their behaviour.

Pro tip: bundle up, even in the summer months!! Cover yourself from head to toe with a beanie, ear muffs, a scarf, gloves, fleece jacket, and wool socks.

20| Parc national de l’Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé

Discover the beauty of Bonaventure in Gaspésie. The island is where over 110,000 northern gannets call home in the summer, making it the second largest breeding colony in the world.

Along with the Percé Rock (a 375 million-year-old sea stack), the park draws enthusiasts crowds from near and far each year to observe a wonderful exhibition of untouched nature and fascinating wildlife.

To get there, book a boat excursion in Percé (available from May to October). Our tour with Les Bateliers de Percé included:

⇢ a 1.5-hour boat ride on the way out to the island, taking you super close to Percé Rock and around the entire Bonaventure Island for photos. English and French interpretation provided.

⇢ a 15-min return boat ride to Percé.

To access the island, a small admission fee is required. During your time on Bonaventure Island, we encourage you to go on one of the four hiking trails to discover the island’s rich biodiversity. Maybe you will see puffins, razorbills, black-legged kittiwake, and even whales (with binoculars)!!

Want to observe northern gannets? Take Les Colonie trail, the shortest and most direct route to the gannet colony (2.3 km one way) . It is simply marvelous to see these beautiful creatures up close and personal. They return here in late March every year – to the same exact spot, to the same partner. They stay until October to breed and raise their chick. Then, off to the south, separately, to escape the winter.

21| Percé UNESCO Global Geopark

Another must-see attraction in Percé is the UNESCO Global Geopark . The park, covering a territory of 555 square km, provides a rich number of sites and activities for adventurous travelers.

Tektonik takes you on a multimedia adventure, showcasing the unique geology and history of Percé. You will learn how the famous Percé Rock was formed.

Extending over the Mont Ste-Anne cliff, the suspended glass platform is the best place to get a bird’s eye view of the Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island, but will definitely put your courage to the test.

To up the thrill level, we dare you to try the zipline ! The adrenaline-pumping activity offers a unique way to view the area and promises you an unforgettable memory.

Pro tip: Allow at least 2 hours to fully experience the Geopark. We recommend combining this attraction with an overnight at Riôtel Percé , one of the best Percé, Québec hotels that directly looks out to the Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island!

22| La Maison du Pêcheur

We’ve mentioned earlier about how fresh and delicious Gaspésie seafood is. The best seafood in Percé can be found at La Maison du Pêcheur .

The seaside restaurant has a diverse menu of delectable seafood options made with locally sourced items. From sea urchin cream soup to Gaspésie lobster to salt-cured cod pizza , the mouthwatering dishes give you an authentic taste of the region!

Reservation is highly recommended.

Québec Maritimes is out-of-this-world beautiful. We wish the next time you visit Québec, take the path less traveled and see the Gaspé Peninsula yourself!

Disclaimer: We are hosted by Tourisme Chaudière Appalaches and Qu é bec Maritimes. As always, all opinions on For Two, Please are our own and we only recommend brands that we 100% stand behind.

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Pointe-à-la-Renommée Lighthouse looks classy & old school. Some fascinating stops on the route

I must sheepishly admit that even as a Canadian I have never been to the Gaspe peninsula.  Parc National du Bic looks like a great stop with its dramatic scenery.  Sea birds and harbour seals must have been fun to see.  I love the variety of the lighthouses you saw.  The view from the top must have provided the best views.  But the whale watching would be the big draw for me.  I did not know there were 7 different species of whales in Gaspe.  Seafood is always a big draw for us when we travel.  So glad you found lots on your travels in Gaspe.  Now we just need to get this booked.

Ive never been to Québec but it looks so great! I love road trips so I would definitely enjoyed it ! Love that red La Martre lighthouse! And that waterfalls and whale watching! So many wonderful places and things to see! I cant wait to travel back to Canada one day! 

113m long suspension bridge? I have to visit Parc des Chutes de la Chaudière preferably on a nice summer day! Maritime Museum would be a must for us, coz our little daughter would be too fascinated with the ships! I would practically stock half my flight luggage allowance with pure maple syrup, hahaha! Ever since, I showed a lighthouse to my daughter she’s been smitten by it. The sheer number of lighthouses here are so many. My daughter is gonna love this road-trip!

We have not visited Canada as yet. We get close then something crops up. The Gaspe Peninsula does look like somewhere that we would visit. Levis looks fun for a chocolate lover such as I am and I would definitely head to Chocolats Favoris. Next would be to visit the seals at Cap Bon Am. After reading this I would need to plan a whole week.

What a beautiful road trip! I hadn’t heard from Gaspé Peninsula before, but now I am eager to go there! The Cap-Gaspé Lighthouse looks really pretty, and I’d love to try to spot wildlife there.

This is the first time I am reading about a Quebec road trip and honestly, this looks gorgeous. We have been planning for Canada for quite some time and we would love to do this itinerary. I love all those pretty lighthouses. My son will jump with joy when he sees them. And all that incredible food, wildlife, and natural beauty enroute. I am surely adding this to my list.

Wow – so many reasons to go road tripping from Quebec. Those waterfalls looks breathtaking. The foodie in me would definitely love to stop at Le Moule a Sucre to bring home some pure Canadian culinary delights. Thanks for a great itinerary to follow when I visit Quebec!

I’ve only ever been to Quebec once and it was when I was a child with my family. All I remember was being like “what they speak French here?” After reading this post, I know I need to return to check out the amazing countryside … so many lighthouses!

I never made it as far as quebec when I visited the east coast of canada, but I wish that I had time. It looks like such a stunning place to visit. I definitely want to go to the Parc des Chutes de la Chaudière, I love waterfalls. I also want to visit the geoparc and see perce rock and I love lighthouses so I have to go and see a few of those too. Hopefully I can get back to canada soon.

Such a nice place to visit with wonderful sea view and sightseeing’s.

Awesome escape for soul and gastronomy treat, along with Saguenay in west and Cape Breton in East. Been here at least one a year for past 20 yrs from London, ON. It’s breathtaking and a new discovery every time. 1 week is not enough. Really wonderful stops articulated nicely in 1 (web) page. Thank you

You have  made a mistake The place is Cap Madeleine ans not Cap de la Madeleine which is in another part of thé province of Québec No 11 on tour list

Hi Lucie, thank you for your note! I do see that Cap de la Madeleine is also a town in Quebec. I did a bit of researched and double-checked the name. Parks Canada calls this lighthouse Cap de la Madeleine Lighthouse. You can see it here: https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_hl_eng.aspx?id=15073 I agreed that it is a bit confusing :/

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Gaspe Road Trip: The Best 7 Days in Gaspesie Quebec

Posted on Published: July 6, 2022  - Last updated: July 11, 2024

Categories Blog , Canada , Quebec , Quebec Maritime , Road Trips , Small Town Guides , Transportation , Travel Guides

A Gaspe road trip is one of the ultimate Canadian vacations you can take in your lifetime. The Gaspe Peninsula is teeming with natural wonders and outdoor adventures, including an abundance of wildlife sightings. A road trip of Gaspesie, Quebec will create many amazing travel memories that you’ll be thinking about for years to come.

Justin and I took a Gaspe road trip for seven days, which was enough time to visit Tadoussac and the entire Gaspe Peninsula. It’s possible to spend weeks in Gaspesie and not see everything. With one week in Gaspesie, we managed to explore a national park, visit many lighthouses, take a whale watching zodiac tour, go sea kayaking alongside curious seals, go hiking, and so much more.

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Here is a brief rundown of the destinations that you’ll visit on this road trip of the Gaspe Peninsula, driving roundtrip from Quebec City. We start the trip in Tadoussac, which technically is not part of Gaspesie, but is a must visit place nevertheless. Then, we take the ferry across to the Gaspe Peninsula to make a full circle of Gaspesie. While there are many stops along the way, here are some highlights:

• Tadoussac and Saguenay-Saint-Laurent Marine Park
• The Lighthouse Trail
• Forillon National Park
• Percé
• Bonaventure Island
• Matapedia Valley

Table of Contents

Gaspe Road Trip Map and Itinerary

This handy Gaspe road trip map will help you plan your journey. You can access the map here . Feel free to save it to your Google account and reference it when you’re plotting out your trip. I’ve added every road side stop, hotel, restaurant, cafe, attraction and activity to this map. Read about each stop in more detail in this travel blog post.

Getting Around the Gaspé Peninsula

There are a couple of ways to get to Gaspesie. Many people drive from parts of Canada and the USA to the Gaspe Peninsula, even if it takes several hours to get to the first stop. Justin and I flew from Toronto to Quebec City. Then, we picked up a rental car at the Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport. Find the best rates on flights to Quebec City with Skyscanner.

If you’re flying and picking up a rental car, I recommend comparing the prices online ahead of time to make sure you get the best deal. We love booking our rental cars through Discover Cars and always find the best prices. Compare car rental prices here.

Gaspe Road Trip Day 1: Quebec City to Tadoussac

You’ve arrived in Quebec City, picked up your rental car, and ready to hit the road. The drive from Quebec City to Baie-Sainte-Catherine is about three hours. When you reach Baie-Sainte-Catherine, you will take a ferry across to Tadoussac. This ferry crosses the entrance of the Saguenay Fjord, so you can expect to see some really impressive scenery.

Ferry Between Baie-Sainte-Catherine and Tadoussac

The ferry between Baie-Sainte-Catherine and Tadoussac operates all year long, 24 hours a day, and it is free to use. Drive your car straight onto the ferry for this 10 minute crossing. Enjoy the stunning views of the Saguenay fjord and the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park on the way.

The ferry makes regular crossings every 20 minutes (or every 30 minutes overnight). You don’t need to make any special plans to arrive for the ferry at a certain time, and you don’t need a ticket. Here is the ferry schedule if you’d like to see more information.

Where to Stay in Tadoussac: Hotel Tadoussac

Hotel Tadoussac is an iconic accommodation in the middle of town. It’s the most dominant building whether you’re admiring Tadoussac by land or by sea. It’s a wonderful place to call home for a couple of nights, and I couldn’t imagine staying anywhere else.

Plan to stay at Hotel Tadoussac for two nights. The rooms are clean and comfortable with views overlooking Tadoussac Bay. There’s complimentary Wi-Fi and an on-site restaurant. The location can’t be beat. You can leave your car behind at the hotel and walk anywhere in town.

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Dinner at Hotel Tadoussac

After a long day of flying and driving, we stayed in at the hotel this evening. Thankfully, there’s an amazing restaurant right on site. While the restaurant caters to all diets, there are a few vegan items right on the menu that are clearly marked.

I ordered the vegetarian spring roll with edamame and spicy mango sauce to start. Then, as my main course, I chose the General Tofu on rice vermicelli. The spring roll was really delicious and the edamame filling set this one apart from your average veggie spring roll.

The General Tofu dish was outstanding! There were many fried tofu balls over veggies and rice noodles with a delectable sauce. Definitely order this one, whether you’re vegan or not! The restaurant didn’t have any vegan desserts, but they sent over a fresh fruit bowl that was lovely.

Gaspe Road Trip Day 2: Tadoussac

Wake up at the Hotel Tadoussac and enjoy a leisurely buffet breakfast at the hotel. There are several vegan options, including fruit, potatoes, bread and bagels with peanut butter/jam, cereal, and little containers of soy milk (regular, vanilla and chocolate).

We are going to spend the day in Tadoussac learning about whales, going whale watching, and soaking up the charming atmosphere of the oldest village in North America.

Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre (CIMM)

The Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre (CIMM) is a science museum and exhibition devoted to the whales of the St. Lawrence River. It is the most popular museum in the region and delves into the scientific research of whales, presented in interesting and unique ways.

This is also home to the largest collection of whale skeletons in Canada. On our travels, Justin and I have visited the Husavik Whale Museum in Husavik, Iceland . The Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre is perhaps even larger and more detailed than the museum in Iceland, which demonstrates that you don’t need to leave Canada to learn about (and see) whales.

Aim to spend about an hour at the Marine Mammal Intrepretation Centre. Check out all of the displays beyond the skeletons, too. There are exhibits detailing the acoustic sounds of whales, ones where you can pick up a narhwal tooth, informative films with impressive drone footage, and the naturalists on site are there to answer all of your questions.

Ask them to see the sound and lights show while you’re there. They’ll dim the lights and you’ll see the skeletons illuminated in a whole new way, set to music. Wander outside of the centre and you may even be able to spot some belugas from the shore. Justin and I were really impressed with the presentations and extremely knowledgeable staff at CIMM. It’s a must visit, especially if you plan to take a whale watching tour in Tadoussac.

Lunch at Bistro de la Baie

After experiencing the museum and before our whale watching excursion, we took a short walk over to Bistro de la Baie . This restaurant has a fantastic patio with some of the best views of Tadoussac.

There is a vegetarian sandwich on the menu made with veggie pate. Just ask for it to be made vegan (I believe they just remove the cheese). This sandwich is actually quite delicious. I didn’t know what to expect from a veggie pate, but it was really flavourful, yummy and filling.

Whale Watching Zodiac Excursion

If you’re visiting Tadoussac, you must take a whale watching tour . While you may have the chance to see these beautiful creatures from the shoreline, you are pretty much guaranteed to see whales when you take a zodiac excursion on the St. Lawrence River.

The Saguenay fjord and the St. Lawrence River are among the best places in the world for whale watching. We met our group at the Tadoussac Marina and were provided with waterproof jackets and pants to wear. These kept us dry and warm out on the water, though I recommend that you also bring a hat if it’s a chillier day.

Our zodiac boat had a captain and a naturalist on board. The naturalist told us many intriguing facts about the whales and marine mammals on our journey. She also pointed out any whale sightings. We saw beluga whales, minke whales and humpback whales on our zodiac whale watching tour from Tadoussac.

I also love that the tour company complied with all of the rules and regulations of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. The boat is not allowed to stop or follow belugas, but merely point them out as we sail away from them. We also did not follow any whales, but allowed them to appear before us. It’s important to protect and respect these magnificent creatures.

After we spent a couple of hours searching for whales, we headed back towards the Saguenay fjord. Our captain piloted the boat towards a little waterfall coming down from the lush cliffs. We also drifted past some cute seals lounging on the rocks. All in all, we highly recommend booking this zodiac whale watching tour when you visit Tadoussac and embark on a Gaspe road trip.

Walk Around Tadoussac

After our whale watching excursion, the two of us went for a walk around Tadoussac. It’s the oldest village in North America and it’s a really cute place. It doesn’t take too long to walk around the entire village. Be sure to take a stroll on the waterfront to admire one of the most beautiful bays in the world.

There’s also a number of buildings and monuments devoted to the first French settlement in Canada. Right by the Hotel Tadoussac, there is a small chapel overlooking Tadoussac Bay. Be sure to take a stroll on the boardwalk of Tadoussac Bay or on Pointe de l’Islet Trail on the rocks.

Tadoussac Microbrewery

For craft beer fans, a trip to the Tadoussac Microbrewery is a must. Stop by Microbrasserie Tadoussac for a pint or a flight to sample several of their brews. I tried the Capitaine Olsen (hefeweizen), Mouk (Berliner weiss), Krill (gose), and Nyctale (cream ale).

All of the beer is really refreshing and tasty. There’s something for everyone. I liked the Capitaine Olsen the best because I am a big fan of hefeweizens myself. But, there are IPAs if you enjoy those, too. There’s complimentary popcorn to munch on, as well as a little menu of small plates and bites. Overall, it’s a great local hangout spot with an inviting environment and great beer.

Tadoussac Sand Dunes

Here’s something we totally didn’t expect to see in Tadoussac: sand dunes! Just a short drive outside of the middle of the village, these sand dunes emerge out of nowhere. The dunes are two massive marine terraces that are 30 metres tall on the edge of the St. Lawrence River.

It’s possible to go birdwatching at the dunes from August to October where you can see many birds of prey and migratory birds. You can also walk from the top of the sand dunes (from the parking lot) down to the shore of the river. Whether you admire the scenery from up above or hike down to the bottom, the Tadoussac Sand Dunes are well worth checking out.

Dinner at Cafe Boheme

Cafe Boheme is a casual fine dining restaurant and cafe in Tadoussac, Quebec. They have a separate breakfast, lunch and dinner menu with some vegan options. Justin and I dined here for dinner, and the staff was happy to explain the plant-based options.

We started with the Vegan Mushroom Cromesqui, which is a croquette stuffed with creamy mushrooms, leeks, potatoes and tofu, lightly spiced, served on an onion velouté, parsley pesto, pickled mushrooms, maple onion compote. This dish was a mouthwatering few bites, though I wish there was a little bit more food to justify the price (also, because I wanted to eat more of it!).

For my entree, I ordered the Vegan Couscous: oriental couscous, carrots, zucchini and turnips, cumin tofu, dried fruit, almonds, hummus and candied lemons. This dish was very fresh and colourful with many interesting components that worked well together. I also purchased a coffee for takeaway with plant-based milk that was excellent.

Gaspe Road Trip Day 3: Tadoussac to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts

Enjoy another delicious breakfast at Hotel Tadoussac before checking out of the hotel. The staff at Hotel Tadoussac prepared a boxed lunch for us to eat while taking the ferry to the Gaspe Peninsula. We were so grateful for the amazing hospitality that we received at Hotel Tadoussac throughout our stay.

Cap-de-Bon-Desir (Saguenay-Saint-Laurent Marine Park)

The Cap-de-Bon-Désir Interpretation and Observation Centre combines history and the wonders of nature in a peaceful setting on the edge of the Saguenay-Saint-Laurent Marine Park. First, check out the lighthouse and the home of the lighthouse keeper. The lighthouse at Cap-de-Bon-Désir dates back to 1941 and served as a guiding light for vessels travelling the St. Lawrence.

Next, follow the Porpoise Trail on a short forest walk down to the shores of the St. Lawrence River. Sit out on the massive flat rocks to admire the panoramic scenery. It’s possible to spot whales, seals, and marine mammals from this location, even while sitting on the shore. I recommend spending at least an hour, if not longer, relaxing and gazing out towards the horizon for your best chance to see whales.

Ferry from Les Escoumins to Trois-Pistoles

The next stop on your Gaspe road trip is getting over to the Gaspe Peninsula from Tadoussac. Take the ferry from Les Escoumins to Trois-Pistoles . Make a reservation for this ferry ahead of time and aim to arrive 60 minutes before your departure time.

Drive your car onto the ferry and relax indoors or outdoors. There is a small seating area indoors and a more spacious area with a little cafe and tables. There are some pretty views if you sit outdoors, but it can get a little chilly out there with the wind. The crossing time takes 90 minutes.

Coffee Break at La Brulerie d’Ici

La Brulerie d’Ici is a charming little coffee shop in downtown Rimouski. If you’re in need of a caffeine boost, be sure to make a pit stop here to grab some coffee for the road. Feel free to check out some of the shops in downtown Rimouski while you’re there.

Lunch at Copper Branch

Vegan options can be few and far between when taking a road trip of the Gaspe Peninsula. I didn’t have any issues finding vegan dishes along the way (as you can see from this blog post), but it’s awesome to come across a place like Copper Branch on our trip.

Copper Branch is a chain of entirely vegan restaurants from Quebec, and they’ve expanded into Ontario and other places as well. I love visiting Copper Branch because I can order anything off the menu, and you essentially can’t go wrong. On this visit, we ordered their burrito special, a BBQ chik’n flatbread, and the poutine.

Pointe-au-Pere Lighthouse National Historic Site

The Pointe-au-Pere Lighthouse marks our first stop on the Lighthouse Trail of Quebec Maritime. Over 40 lighthouses dot the coast of the St. Lawrence River. Each lighthouse is completely unique and comes with its own exceptionally gorgeous view. Almost 20 of the lighthouses have been restored and transformed back to their original splendor, thanks to the work of dedicated individuals and historians.

Pointe-au-Pere Lighthouse is over 100 years old and it is also a national historic site of Canada. It’s the second tallest lighthouse in Canada. You can climb 128 steps to the top of the lighthouse for amazing panoramic vistas. A guide can tell you all about the intricate workings of the light itself and the lives of the lightkeepers.

This site is also home to the Empress of Ireland Pavilion, which is devoted to telling the history of this passenger cruise ship that sank in 1914, resulting in the death of 1012 people. Another unique feature of this location is the Onondaga submarine that rests on the nearby shores.

Photo Stop: Sainte-Luce Village

On our Gaspe road trip, we drove past a really adorable village called Sainte-Luce. There’s a row of colourful homes lining the waterfront. To get the best view and opportunity for photographs, park at the Catholic church in Sainte-Luce. From there, walk down to the lengthy wooden pier to see the row of rainbow homes.

Pointe Mitis Lighthouse

The Pointe-Mitis Lighthouse was built in 1874 and later replaced in 1909 by the structure that you see today. It became fully automated in 1972 and ceased serving as a navigation aide in 1999. This lighthouse requires a little more effort to visit. There is a small parking lot for a few cars just off the main road. Then, you need to walk about 1km through a rural neighbourhood to the lighthouse.

For a rare experience, you can spend the night at the historic keeper’s house from May to October. It’s possible to stay overnight at a lighthouse here! The accommodation sleeps up to 8 people, and it is only available on a weekly basis.

Matane Lighthouse

The Matane Lighthouse was built in 1906 and you can easily visit by pulling off to the side of the road. From the top of the lighthouse, you can enjoy amazing views of the St. Lawrence River, nearby wind farm, and the Chic-Choc Mountains. Even if you don’t go to the top of the lighthouse, this is a beautiful place to stop and admire the lighthouse and the scenery.

Cap-Chat Lighthouse

The Cap-Chat Lighthouse is perched on the edge of the cliff adjacent to a cape in the shape of a cat (hence the name). This is an operational lighthouse near several trails that lead down to the sea. There’s also camping, glamping, and family-friendly activities nearby. The Cap-Chat Lighthouse is only a short walk from the parking lot.

This is another lighthouse that you can call home for the night. You can stay in the lightkeeper’s house, which has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and accommodates up to 15 people. There are other nearby cottages to rent as well, which would make a great holiday for a large family or big gathering.

Where to Stay in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts: Hotel & Cie

Hotel & Cie is an ideal place to spend the night in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. While each room has its own separate entrance from outdoors, there’s also a connecting indoor hallway that makes this a hybrid between a hotel and a motel.

The rooms look to be recently renovated as they’re super clean, modern and chic. The bed is really comfortable and there’s a huge desk where you can get some work done. There’s a second bed that can be pulled out from the wall; otherwise, you can relax on the couch that usually occupies this space.

We were really impressed with the boxed breakfast that we received the next morning. Put in your orders the night before and our breakfast was promptly delivered to our room at a time of our choosing. Having breakfast delivered to the room allowed us to get a quicker start to our day.

Dinner at Pub Chez Bass

Pub Chez Bass is a local restaurant in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts overlooking the sea. I must say that Sainte-Anne-des-Monts is a little trickier for plant-based eats, but Chez Bass has a delicious bean burger topped with edamame hummus (ask to omit the tzatziki sauce).

Since visiting a few weeks ago, I noticed that they’ve actually expanded their vegetarian options. There’s now a vegetarian plate and veggie tacos. Definitely check to see if those are vegan or can be made vegan, too.

Gaspe Road Trip Day 4: Sainte-Anne-des-Monts to Forillon National Park

Enjoy breakfast in your room at Hotel & Cie before setting out on your day. Today, our Gaspe road trip takes us from Sainte-Anne-des-Monts to Forillon National Park on the northeastern edge of the Gaspe Peninsula. We also continue along the Lighthouse Trail before venturing into the park.

La Martre Lighthouse

What would a Gaspe road trip be without more stops on the Lighthouse Trail? We loved stopping at all of these lighthouses. It’s a great chance to admire the lighthouses, stretch your legs, and they’re usually all at a very picturesque location overlooking the sea.

La Martre lighthouse is still in operation and has been since 1906. The original timing system, which uses cables and weights, still controls the light. The lighthouse itself has a unique wooden structure, and I loved the solid red colour of the lighthouse, too.

Cap Madeleine Lighthouse

The Cap Madeleine Lighthouse is a heritage lighthouse in Sainte-Madeleine-de-la-Rivière-Madeleine, Quebec. Originally established in 1871, the lighthouse you see today was constructed in 1908 to aid local and commercial shipping traffic.

Photo Stop: Halte Routiere de Grande-Vallee

It’s time for a beautiful view and a photo opportunity at a popular rest stop. Up on the hill, this perspective offers an astoundingly pretty view of the Grand-Vallee village. This is one of the most photographed places in Gaspesie.

There are also restrooms at this rest stop, and you can also enjoy a picnic with your view on one of the picnic tables. I really loved how the fences were painted in such bright colours, too.

Pointe-a-la-Renommee Lighthouse

Pointe-a-la-Renommee Lighthouse is perched on the edge of Fame Point. It was returned to its original home at Fame Point in 1997 after spending two decades in Quebec City. You can simply stop to admire the lighthouse, visit two exhibitions or take a guided tour here (for additional fees).

This is the first maritime radio station site in North America. In 1904, it was operated by the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of Canada. The first wireless signals dedicated to saving lives at sea were transmitted in North America.

Please note that you will need to drive down a long and winding gravel road to reach the lighthouse. The road can be a little bit difficult to drive, even in good weather, so be sure to take it slow and steady!

Lunch at Resto-Pub La Revolte

For great eats and a delightful patio overlooking the water, stop by Resto-Pub La Revolte , located in the Auberge Le Caribou. We enjoyed pints, veggie burgers, French fries, salad, beautiful scenery, and great service.

Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse

Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse is a national historic site of Canada, and it is the tallest lighthouse in the country. It is located right at the edge of Forillon National Park, making it a great place to stop before entering the park itself. The lighthouse dates back to 1858, and you can climb to the top with a guide.

Sitting at 37 metres tall, this stone lighthouse sits atop imposing cliffs where the St. Lawrence River enters the Gulf of St. Lawrence. As this region became attributed to many shipwrecks over the years, the Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse was essential for guiding ships to safety.

Forillon National Park: Visitor Information and Discovery Centre

When you visit Forillon National Park, stop at the Visitor Information and Discovery Centre to learn a little more about the history and ecology of the park before you set foot in it. This exhibition is brand new. There are numerous displays and even a short film, too. You can ask the park staff any questions that you might have.

Forillon National Park: Cap-Bon-Ami

When you visit Forillon National Park, don’t miss stopping at Cap-Bon-Ami. This scenic location offers some of the most spectacular views of the national park. Walk down a wooden staircase to a rocky beach, surrounded by rugged cliffs and turquoise blue waters.

From one observation deck, you can get a closer view to the amazing geological finds of the park. Layers upon layers of rocks, eroded over the years, are now home to many seabirds. Discover cormorants, guillemots, gulls and black-legged kittiwakes.

While it’s easy to be distracted by the pretty views of the sea, don’t forget to look back at the cliffs to see this important marine bird nesting site. In fact, there are approximately 17,000 seabird nests in the cliffs of the cape.

From Cap-Bon-Ami, embark on the Mont Saint-Alban trail to the Mont Saint-Alban tower. A good portion of the hike is an uphill climb, but it’s only about a 2km hike in total to witness incredible scenery of Forillon National Park. Give yourself about an hour and a half roundtrip for this one.

Stay in a Pod at Cap Aventure

Just outside of Forillon National Park at Cap-aux-Os Beach, Cap Aventure offers activities and accommodations for nature and wildlife lovers. We spent the night at one of Cap Aventure’s pods , which is a unique glamping accommodation.

It’s really convenient to stay here if you’re visiting Forillon National Park and if you choose to participate in any of Cap Aventure’s guided tours. For instance, we took a sea kayaking tour which departed roundtrip from the beach, just steps from our pod.

Each pod has a spacious wooden deck out front and glass sliding door entryways into the hut. Cap Aventure calls it “ready-to-camp” as you can enjoy nature and comforts at the same time. Each of their three pods come with bedding, towels, and electricity. They sleep up to four people with one double bed and one pullout sofa bed.

The shower and toilets are located in a separate building within a short walk of the pods. There’s also room to park your car, an outdoor fire pit, and complimentary Wi-Fi. Please note that there isn’t any drinking water on site. Plan to bring your own food and water when you stay here.

Justin and I picked up some groceries before we arrived: water, bread, peanut butter, apple sauce, bananas, and protein bars. We had some food for dinner that evening, breakfast the next morning, and lots of water to stay hydrated.

Sea Kayaking Tour with Cap Aventure

While we’ve gone kayaking many times, it was our first time sea kayaking AND our first time tandem kayaking. What an adventure! The waters at Cap-aux-Os Beach were choppier than usual, but we set out on the waters anyway.

Our guide at Cap Aventure was phenomenal. He got us properly equipped, including the “skirt” that goes around your seat in the kayak to keep the water out. Having never gone sea kayaking before, I didn’t realize how essential this piece of fabric would be. When Justin and I launched our kayak into the chilly waters of the Gaspé Bay, the waves were intense. The waves crashed and water splashed all around. However, our skirts kept the water out!

Once we paddled past the initial larger waves, it was a relatively calm journey on the shores. We loved admiring the beautiful scenery, but our ultimate goal was to find the seals. Cap Aventure is the only company that’s allowed to operate in this region and they follow strict guidelines. You must keep a certain distance from the seals and the shoreline. Also, you should not approach the seals or disturb them in any way (if the seals choose to approach you, that’s totally fine!).

It wasn’t long until we started to see these adorable seal heads poke out of the water. They are very curious creatures. On many occasions, the seals followed our kayaks and swam closer to get a better look at us. It was an amazing experience. We also spotted many seals and baby seals lounging on the rocks near the shore.

Gaspe Road Trip Day 5: Forillon National Park to Percé

Next on our Gaspe road trip, we explored the south end of Forillon National Park before driving to the town of Perce. Perce is an unmissable stop on any Gaspesie itinerary for the awe-inspiring Perce Rock, Perce UNESCO Global Geopark, and Bonaventure Island.

Forillon National Park: Hike to Cap Gaspe Lighthouse

We started our day at the south side of Forillon National Park on a hike to the Cap Gaspe Lighthouse. Drive your car to Anse-aux-Amerindiens for an 8km roundtrip hike that takes about two hours. The hike itself has a couple of larger hills, but nothing too intense. For the most part, you’ll be walking along the seaside while soaking up the scenery.

The Cap Gaspe Lighthouse sits atop the Forillon Peninsula between Gaspe Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The first lighthouse was constructed in 1873, though there have been three lighthouses built over the years. This has served as a guiding light to vessels for over 140 years.

From the lighthouse, continue your hike to Land’s End in Forillon National Park. This short trail winds down to a small observation deck, which you could easily consider to be the “End of the World”. Keep an eye out for marine mammals, whales, black bears, and even porcupines.

Coffee Break at Cafe des Artistes in Gaspe

Leaving Forillon National Park, we embarked on a bit of a drive towards Perce. I hadn’t had any coffee yet that day, so it was of utmost importance to find a good cuppa. Cafe des Artistes in the town of Gaspe is the perfect stopping point. You can wander around the cute downtown area, too. Our Gaspe road trip got even better with a delicious oat milk Cafe Misto from Cafe des Artistes.

Lunch at La Vieille Usine

Justin and I drove straight to Perce, stopping at La Vieille Usine just outside of town for lunch. There are a couple of vegetarian/vegan-friendly items on the menu. Sadly, they were all sold out of the pakora when we visited. But, they had a veggie burger on the menu topped with the yummiest mushrooms. I may have eaten a lot of veggie burgers on this trip, but they’ve all been different from one another and quite tasty.

Perce UNESCO Global Geopark

The Perce UNESCO Global Geopark is a must visit if you’re looking for things to do in the Gaspe Peninsula. It’s a highlight for anyone interested in geology and nature as you’ll discover over 500 million years of Earth’s history. There are interactive exhibits, impressive views, and thrilling activities all in one place.

There are two distinct environments at the Perce UNESCO Global Geopark : terrestrial and marine. There are several important ecosystems and a huge diversity of flora and fauna. Discover the natural history behind the wondrous sites of Perce Rock and Bonaventure Island.

Tektonik is a fun and interactive multimedia experience at the Geopark where you’ll travel back in time and learn about the formation of Perce Rock. Scan cards from a small deck of picture cards as you walk around the exhibit. Each display tells a different story of the geological importance or historical moments of Perce.

Another highlight of the Perce UNESCO Global Geopark is the suspended glass platform at the top of Mount Sainte-Anne. Walk out high above the treetops for some of the best views of the region. There’s also a thrilling zipline that you can take from this location, too. It’s possible to request a shuttle ride to the top of the mountain, and there are also several hiking trails that take you to various lookout points, too.

Explore Percé

After you spend some time at the Geoparc, make sure you wander around the town of Perce. There are lots of cute shops with handmade goods made by local small businesses. If you are looking to bring home some souvenirs for your loved ones, Perce has so many delightful trinkets and wares.

Go for a walk down the seaside boardwalk to the pier so you can admire Perce Rock up close. Watch hundreds upon hundreds of gannets “dive bomb” the water – they travel at speeds up to 100km/h! It’s quite the sight to behold. This was a great preview of seeing Perce Rock and the northern gannets before heading to Bonaventure Island the following day.

Dinner at Restaurant Le Surcouf

Restaurant Le Surcouf in Perce is a casual dining restaurant with pizza, French fries, ice cream and more. They can do a veggie pizza without cheese (with loads of veggies!), and they even have couple of vegan ice cream options.

Where to Stay in Perce: Hotel-Motel Fleur de Lys

Hotel-Motel Fleur de Lys is a quiet and comfortable place to stay in Perce. The location is perfect for exploring Percé. The accommodation is right at the end of the boardwalk that leads to Perce Rock. Speaking of Perce Rock, we had amazing views of this incredible landmark right from the window of our room! We stayed in room #2, and room #1 would also have a similar view.

This waterfront motel has plenty of free parking, complimentary Wi-Fi, and a flatscreen TV in each room. The rooms and bright and spacious, and you really have everything you’d need for a great stay. Enjoy breakfast the following morning at their restaurant, which is located in the same building as the reception office.

Gaspe Road Trip Day 6: Bonaventure Island to Causapscal

A boat trip to Bonaventure Island is certainly a highlight of any Gaspe Peninsula road trip adventure. It’s not to be missed. Once you’ve visited Bonaventure Island, hit the road and make the drive towards Causapscal, with a few wonderful stops on the way.

Boat Excursion to Bonaventure Island

Justin and I woke up early this morning and it was incredibly foggy. We could barely see anything ahead of us, never mind Bonaventure Island or Perce Rock! Nevertheless, we departed on our boat cruise to Bonaventure Island, unsure of how the weather conditions would progress. Thankfully, the fog began to lift and we spotted many seabirds and gannets on Bonaventure Island before landing there.

We took a boat excursion with Julien Cloutier Boat Cruises . Before stopping at Bonaventure Island, the boat takes you close to Percé Rock and encircles Bonaventure Island itself. You can see the cliffs and seabirds from the water before visiting the northern gannet colony on the island. Over 250,000 seabirds nest here, including the largest northern gannet colony in North America and the most accessible in the world.

The boat has regular arrival and departure times, and you can return on any boat back to the mainland. We spent a couple of hours on the island before heading back. On the way back, the cruise takes you around the other side of Perce Rock. We were grateful because it was no longer foggy and we got to see Perce Rock up close without any issues. Justin and I also spotted whales and seals from the boat, too.

Hike to the Northern Gannet Colony on Bonaventure Island

Arriving on Bonaventure Island , a guide gave us a quick rundown of the things we could see and do there. The most important thing to do is hike to the massive Northern Gannet colony, the most accessible place to see gannets in the world.

Take La Colonie trail, a 45 minute walk to witness these beautiful seabirds up close. You can access the colony by other trails, too, but La Colonie trail is the most direct and popular path there. Once we reached the colony, we were in total awe. There were hundreds upon hundreds of gannets, and they were so close to the viewing platform.

We watched the habits of the gannets as they nested and interacted with one another. A naturalist on site explained some interesting details and facts about the gannets, showing us photos and visuals as well. We were really impressed with our visit. This is an absolute must for any Gaspe road trip, especially if you love seeing and learning about wildlife.

Coffee Break at Nath & Compagnie

Nath & Compagnie is a beautiful cafe and bookstore in Perce that you need to visit. Rows of tall bookshelves line the shop with wooden ladders to reach the highest shelves.

Stop for a sweet treat or a caffeinated beverages. I ordered an oat milk latte that was the perfect pick-me-up after a morning of exploring Bonaventure Island.

Carleton Lighthouse

For a quick roadside stop between Perce and Causapscal, the Carleton Lighthouse offers some quick photo opportunities. You can see the lighthouse itself, as well as sweeping views across to Carleton-sur-Mer and even New Brunswick on the other side of the Chaleur Bay.

Lunch at Umi Yama Sushi Restaurant

Umi Yama Sushi Restaurant in Carleton-sur-Mer really surprised us. This is a hip spot in town with colourful cocktails and a vast menu of Asian-inspired offerings. Our server was really knowledgeable about making sure my meals were vegan. I ordered the vegan Pad Thai and some cucumber sushi rolls. Yum!

Belvedere des Deux-Rivieres

Here’s a really innovative roadside stop! In Matapedia, stop at the Belvedere des Deux-Rivieres for a unique lookout platform unlike any other that I’ve ever visited. There’s a short, but steep climb up a hill. Then, you’ll see a twisted tunnel structure.

From the official website , “This tunnel is formed by a juxtaposition of squares made of wooden planks, between which openings allow light to filter through while revealing glimpses of landscape.” Walk through this tunnel of wooden planks until you reach the end. You’ll be treated to beautiful views of the Matapédia and Ristigouche rivers. This trail is also the starting point of the International Appalachian Trail.

Photo Stop: Covered Bridges

Aside from the covered bridge in Amqui that we will be visiting on our last day of the trip, there are two more covered bridges to see between Matapedia and Causapscal. You’ll drive past the Pont Couvert de Routhierville and the Pont Couvert Heppell en route to Causpscal.

Where to Stay in Causapscal: Auberge la Coulee Douce

Auberge la Coulee Douce is a beautiful hotel situated inside a historic Victorian home. There is a restaurant on the first floor and hotel rooms on the second floor. Dine at the restaurant for dinner and breakfast the following morning.

The rooms are bright and modern with lots of amenities. The bed is really comfortable, and there’s a flatscreen TV, a mini fridge stocked with water, coffee and tea, a desk, and a couch. It looks newly renovated and the room was immaculate. The staff is also very accommodating and helpful. It’s the perfect stop on any Gaspe road trip.

Gaspe Road Trip Day 7: Causapscal to Quebec City

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before hitting the road. The last day of our Gaspe road trip was primarily a travel day. The drive from Causapscal to Quebec City is approximately four and a half hours. Make sure to book a flight later in the day, if you’re flying home, to allow enough time to get to the airport.

Although the majority of this day was spent driving, we made a couple of stops on the way back to Quebec City. You also might want to spend a few nights in Quebec City itself rather than leaving straight away.

Beauséjour Covered Bridge in Amqui

Built in 1932, the Beausejour covered bridge used to sit above the Brûlé River on the Chemin Beauséjour near Rimouski. Unfortunately, the covered bridge was nearly demolished as it wasn’t maintained and left to rot for over 20 years. In 1999, it was removed and placed in a field. After the mayor of Amqui put in a request for the bridge, it was donated to the town in 2005.

This wooden covered bridge was renovated, restored, and can be enjoyed by the local community visiting Pierre-et-Maurice-Gagne Park. The Beausejour Bridge is not accessible to vehicles, but can be used by pedestrians and cyclists.

Parc de l’Ancien-Quai

For our last stop on this Gaspe road trip, we briefly explored Parc de l’Ancien-Quai and its small lighthouse in Saint-Andre-de-Kamouraska. The grasslands here lead down to the St. Lawrence River and you can admire spectacular panoramic views all around.

You may have the chance to view some wildlife, like ducks and geese. We saw some baby ducks with their mom swimming around in a nearby pond. The lighthouse is very cute. When we visited, there was a man inside the lighthouse working on a painting. I couldn’t imagine a more peaceful place to paint, inside a lighthouse within such a serene environment.

Want to see more photos of Quebec?

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Add Quebec City to Your Gaspe Road Trip

While we simply picked up our rental car in Quebec City this time around, I highly recommend spending at least three days in Quebec City . Quebec City is one of our very favourite cities in Canada. Justin and I have visited on numerous occasions and we’d love to go back again and again.

More Things to Do in Quebec

For more Quebec travel guides and itineraries, please check out these popular travel blog posts:

• 20 Best Things to Do in Laval
• Mont Tremblant in Summer
• Mont Tremblant in Winter
• Montreal 3 Day Itinerary
• Quebec City 3 Day Itinerary
• Quebec City in Winter
• Quebec Winter Carnival
• Snow Tubing in Quebec at the Ultimate Winter Playground
• Quebec City Christmas Market
• Ice Hotel Quebec: A Survival Guide to Staying Overnight
• Le Monastere des Augustines: Quebec Monastery Turned Wellness Centre
• 7 Day Itinerary for a Gaspe Peninsula Road Trip
• Whale Watching in Tadoussac
• 3 Days In Lanaudière Mauricie Itinerary

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Lauren is the full-time travel blogger and content creator behind Justin Plus Lauren. She started Justin Plus Lauren in 2013 and has travelled to 50+ countries around the world. Lauren is an expert on vegan travel as one of the very first vegan travel bloggers. She also focuses on outdoor adventure travel, eco and sustainable travel, and creating amazing travel itineraries for cities and small towns.

10 Reasons Why You Need to Visit Québec’s Stunning Gaspé Peninsula

on January 23, 2024

The second you arrive at Québec’s Gaspé Peninsula at the beginning of your visit, it’s immediately obvious why National Geographic calls it one of Canada’s Top Adventures of a Lifetime. Named after a spit of land that literally means “end of the world” when translated into French, embark on an adventure to the end of the world and back. It’s an outdoor paradise that’s easily accessible from both Canada and the United States. And it’s one of the most breathtaking destinations we’ve ever traveled.

1. The Gaspé Peninsula is One of the Most Beautiful Places We’ve Ever Set Foot In

At the eastern tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in Forillon National Park, you’ll find a spit of land called le bout du monde . With its original Mi’kmaq name “Gaspeg” meaning “End of Land”, in French it translates to “The End of the World.” Majestic cliffs rise up from the cold waters of Gulf of St. Lawrence as the Appalachian Mountains meet the Atlantic Ocean.

But that’s just a small microcosm of what you’ll experience when you visit the Gaspé Peninsula. You’ll see the majesty of the California Coast, the ruggedness of Downeast Maine, plus experience incredible French Culture along with Gaspé’s own unique beauty. There are very few places in the world like it, which is why you need to come visit and experience the Gaspé Peninsula for yourself.

2. You Can Easily Experience the Entire Gaspé Peninsula in Less Than 2 Weeks

Highway 132 runs approximately 800 km (500 mi) around the perimeter of the Gaspé Peninsula. If you drove it without stopping it would only take a day or two to complete. But you don’t want to do that. Take your time, make plenty of stops, as well as some jaunts inland to places like Gaspésie National Park. You can still make your way around the peninsula very comfortably in 2 weeks or less. That’s averaging only 60 to 80 km (40 to 50 mi) of driving per day.

3. The Gaspé Peninsula is a Stunning Outdoor Paradise

Name your favorite outdoor activity and you’ll likely find it on your visit to the Gaspé Peninsula. With easy access to both the mountains and the ocean, it’s most famous for its world-class hiking. It’s also one of the top scuba diving destinations in Canada. Whether you’re hiking the tallest mountains, diving the deepest depths, or anything in between, the Gaspé Peninsula is an outdoor paradise for all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life.

And if you’re looking for something more relaxing, you have nothing to worry about. Take a scenic drive on one of Gaspé’s breathtaking coastal or mountain roads. Take some time to yourself and go sit on the beach. The Gaspé Peninsula has some of the most scenic drives and best beaches in Canada. And that’s saying a lot for a country that is home to the Icefields Parkway, the most scenic drive in the world .

4. There are Amazing Outdoor Activities Year-Round

While the Gaspé Peninsula’s primary tourism season is the summer, don’t discount the rest of the year, either. In the winter, take advantage of some of Québec’s best skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. Far from major population centers such as Montréal and Québec City, trails are well-groomed and absolutely pristine. And you shouldn’t have to look too hard to find a pick-up game of ice hockey, either.

However, where the Gaspé Peninsula really shines is during the fall. Shorter days and colder nights light up the countryside in golden yellows, oranges, and reds during the iconic fall foliage. When contrasted against the cool blues and turquoises of the sea, it’s simply stunning. The Gaspé Peninsula is breathtaking any time of year. And as you’ll see later in this post, its fall colors will take your breath away.

5. The Wildlife is so Incredible You Can Go on Safari

Yes, you read that right. But unlike the traditional African Safari , you won’t be riding around in the back of an open-air jeep on your visit to the Gaspé Peninsula. Instead, you’ll most likely load up into a boat, and head out in search of whales, seals, birds, and plenty more of Gaspé’s incredibly diverse wildlife.

If you’re into bird watching, the Gaspé Peninsula is a birder’s paradise. Take one of the boat cruises to Île Bonaventure, a small island just off the coast of Percé. There, you’ll find the largest colony of Northern Gannets in North America. If you can, get off and hike one of the many trails on the island. And if you’re there during the offseason or don’t have time for a cruise, you can observe the Northern Gannets diving right from Forillon National Park, the beaches in Percé, or the many scenic lookouts along Highway 132.

You’re not limited to just the sea, either. Gaspésie’s mountains provide an excellent habitat for bear, moose, elk, and much more. While we only saw marine wildlife during our adventure at Gaspé, we saw plenty of evidence of both moose and bear while hiking in Gaspésie National Park.

6. You Don’t Have to Fight the Crowds

Yes, you can get crowds in popular places like Percé and Forillon National Park at the peak of the summer season. But during our visit to the Gaspé Peninsula at the peak of the fall foliage, there were no crowds to be found anywhere. And that includes the national parks.

7. Wake Up Early to Soak in the Gaspé Peninsula’s World-Famous Sunrises

Get up early and watch dawn break on North America. Outside of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Gaspé Peninsula sees one of the first sunrises on the entire continent. But what makes the Gaspé sunrises so world famous is the scenery. Sitting on the easternmost points on the peninsula you’ll find the iconic Rocher Percé (Pierced Rock), Île Bonaventure (Bonaventure Island), as well as Le Bout du Monde (the end of the world). With the sun rising behind Gaspé’s most iconic landmarks , it’s no wonder why people flock from all over Canada and the United States to photograph it.

8. Get a Little Taste of Europe in North America on the Gaspé Peninsula

One of Québec’s not-so-well-kept secrets is that it lets you experience Europe without having to leave North America. And the Gaspé Peninsula is one of the most underrated destinations in Québec to experience that little taste of Europe. In every town and village you pass through, you’ll dive into rich French culture, accented by the world-renowned Canadian friendliness.

But what makes the Gaspé experience so unique is that each town and each village is different, no matter where on the peninsula you are. And if you still can’t get enough Europe on the Gaspé, both Québec City and Montréal are easily within a day’s drive of the Gaspé Peninsula.

9. The Gaspé Peninsula Has Some of the Best Seafood in North America

And that’s coming from a New England native who spent 6 years living on the Gulf Coast of Florida and made plenty of our famous Shrimp and Tequila Runs to Mexico. In the waters surrounding the Gaspé Peninsula, you’ll find Nordic Shrimp, a special type of cold water shrimp that rivals the incredible shrimp you’ll find both in Florida and Puerto Peñasco .

And if shrimp’s not your thing, the Gaspé Peninsula has the best lobsters in Canada, an abundance of fresh fish, and the best smoked salmon east of the Rockies. In many fish markets on the Gaspé, you will need to order in French, so here are a few useful terms for you.

10. You’ll Meet Incredibly Friendly and Happy People on the Gaspé Peninsula

While you will be getting a taste of Europe in a French-speaking destination, don’t forget that you are still in Canada. And that comes with Canada’s world-renowned friendliness and hospitality.

At Forillon National Park, we hiked Mont Saint-Alban to the observation tower overlooking Le Bout du Monde . As one of the most popular trails in the park, you saw plenty of people, but it was certainly not crowded. Saying this as both a nod to the Canadian friendliness, as well as a French speaker, I don’t think I’ve said the word “Bonjour” as many times in my life as I did hiking the Mont Saint-Alban Trail.

Bonus: The Gaspé Peninsula’s Fall Colors are Among the Best in Canada, with No Crowds

Along with New Brunswick, the Gaspé Peninsula is the most underrated destination to see the fall colors in Canada. The foliage peaks in late September and early October as the countryside gets painted in brilliant warm hues of gold and red. You can easily make the argument that it features the best fall foliage in Canada, too. It rivals the iconic fall foliage you’ll find in Vermont and throughout New England. In some instances, may even be better. To settle that debate however, we’ll let you be the judge.

GASPÉ PENINSULA ROAD TRIP ITINERARY AND TRAVEL GUIDE

Are you dreaming about an amazing Gaspe Peninsula road trip vacation? Do you want to explore Gaspésie with your family and see all the beautiful places you’ve seen pictures of in magazines?

You are in the right spot. This article is your Gaspe Peninsula travel guide and trip plan you can follow step-by-step.

Later in this post, I’m going to give you a great road trip itinerary around the whole Gaspe Peninsula.

But first let’s have a look at all the information you need to know before travelling to the region for the first time such as driving instructions, maps and the best time to visit Gaspe Peninsula. Furthermore, you’ll learn about all the best things to see and do there, where to stay and what to eat.

Iconic landmark of Gaspe Peninsula – Perce Rock

Table of Contents

ABOUT GASPE PENINSULA

Is gaspe peninsula worth visiting.

Absolutely! Gaspe Peninsula, or Gaspésie, is a must-see destination in Canada. It’s a popular and picturesque peninsula offering amazing scenic drives, numerous amazing natural tourist attractions, a myriad of sporting activities as well as historic sites. If you choose the Gaspe Peninsula for your vacation, you won’t regret it. The geography of the area offers itself for an epic road trip whether with a family, with your partner, or a group of friends.

WHERE IS GASPE PENINSULA AND HOW TO GET THERE

Gaspe Peninsula is part of the Canadian province of Quebec and forms its south-east corner.

If you wonder how many kilometers (miles) you need to drive around the entire Gaspe Peninsula, the answer is approx. 930 km (578 miles) which can take 11:20 hours of driving.

Click on the map below to see the Gaspe Peninsula loop driving directions with the starting point from Quebec City.

Click the map to open the interactive version.

To get an idea of the travel distances to the Gaspe Peninsula and time spent behind the wheel, see the following:

• Quebec City to Rivière-au-Renard (the northern tip of Gaspe Peninsula) -> 671 km (416 miles) & 7:27 hrs of driving time via highway 20 E and road QC-132
• Rivière-au-Renard to Gaspé town -> 30.6 km (19 miles) & 0:25 hrs of driving time via loop road QC-132
• Gaspé town to Percé village -> 61.7 km (38 miles) & 0:48 hrs of driving time via loop road QC-132
• Percé to Gesgapegiag -> 171 km (106 miles) & 2:13 hrs of driving time via loop road QC-132
• Gesgapegiag to Carleton-sur-mer -> 29.2 km (18 miles) & 0:25 hrs of driving time via loop road QC-132
• Carleton-sur-mer to Matapédia -> 64.4 km (40 miles) & 0:46 hrs of driving time via loop road QC-132
• Matap édia to Philomene Waterfall -> 73.8 km (46 miles) & 0:52 hrs of driving time via loop road QC-132
• Philomene Waterfall to Rivi ère-du-Loup -> 219 km (136 miles) & 2:31 hrs of driving time via loop road QC-132
• Rivière-du-Loup to Quebec City -> 209 km (130 miles) & 2:12 hrs of driving time via loop road QC-132 and Highway 20 West

If you travel to the Gaspe Peninsula from Montreal or Toronto, the additional distances are below:

• Montreal to Quebec City -> 254 km (130 miles) & 2:44 hrs of driving time via Trans-Canada Highway 20/Autoroute Jean-Lesage/road QC-132
• Toronto to Quebec City -> 910 km (566 miles) & 9:40 hrs of driving time via highway 401 East and Trans-Canada Highway 20/Autoroute Jean-Lesage/road QC-132

FERRY TO GASPE PENINSULA

St. Lawrence River washes the north Gaspésie shore and there are several points where you can cross the river on a ferry. Taking a ferry will save you time and the added bonus is a chance to see the whales on a nice boat trip.

• Saint-Siméon to Rivière-du-Loup -> Traverse Ferry departs 3 times a day (from Rivière-du-Loup at 8 am, 12 pm and 4 pm or 9:30 am, 2 pm and 5:30 pm from Saint-Siméon) and the one-way crossing takes 65 minutes. First-come-first-serve basis. Fees for the 2021 season are $48.60/car, $20.50/adult, $18.60/senior and $13.70/kids 7-12. For more details and schedule, visit their website or call Rivière-du-Loup Terminal 418-862-5094 or St-Siméon Terminal 418-638-2856.
• Les Escoumins to Trois-Pistoles -> The Traverse ferry crossings have been reopened for the 2021 season. The ferry departs 1 or 2 times a day with variable schedule, so please check online for exact times. One-way crossing takes 90 minutes. Book in advance. One-way fees are $51.50/car, $23.25/adult, $21.75/senior and $15/kids 6-11. For more details and schedule, visit their website .
• Forestville to Rimouski -> Traverse Ferry departs 2 times a day (from Forestville at 10 am and 5 pm or 8 am and 3 pm from Rimouski) and the one-way crossing takes 60 minutes. Booking recommended. Fees for 2021season are $50/car, $26/adult, $25/senior and $17/kids 6-11. For more details and schedule, visit their website  or book by phone: 1 800 973-2725.
• Matane to Baie-Comeau and Godbout -> In 2021, the ferry departs once or twice a day with variable departure times. Please check online for precise daily schedule. A one-way crossing takes 2:20 hrs. Advance bookings are not compulsory, but strongly recommended. Fees are $70.90/car with a driver, $20.60/ electric vehicle, $20.60/adult, $17.45/senior and $12.65/kids 6-15. No extra taxes are added. For more details and schedule, visit their website or book by phone: 1 877-562-6560.

Gorgeous sunset over the St. Lawrence River

FLIGHTS TO GASPE PENINSULA

Two regional airports are serving the Gaspe Peninsula. One is in Mont-Joli (airport code: CYYY) and the other one in the town of Gaspé (airport code: CYGP). Get the best prices for flight tickets to Gaspésie here .

If you arrive by plane, book a cheap rental car and explore the Gaspe Peninsula on your own. Or perhaps you want to see Gaspésie from a motorbike, book one here .

BEST TIME TO VISIT GASPE PENINSULA

Gaspésie region is perfect for trips and vacations all year round. If you are into snow sports such as skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling, winter is your best time. The snowfall is hefty and the climate windy, frosty, and cloudy.

Summer offers more activities as well as available services. Between June and August, you can enjoy pleasant coastal weather with temperatures above 20 °C. The hottest sunny days in summer can see the high twenties. In May and September, you can expect the highest average temperatures between 14 and 16 °C.

Another great time to explore Gaspésie is early fall. The spectacular views of colourful autumnal foliage will take your breath away.

FUN FACTS ABOUT GASPE PENINSULA

• Jacques Cartier sailed along the Gaspe Peninsula on all of his Canadian exploratory voyages in the 16 th century.
• The region has four national parks: Gaspe Peninsula National Park, Forillon National Park, Bonaventure Island National Park, and Miguasha National Park.
• The International Appalachian Trail starts at Cap-Gaspé lighthouse and goes all the way to Springer Mountain, Georgia, USA.
• Bonaventure Island is home to the largest gannet colony on the North American continent.
• Rivière-au-Renard is the fishing capital of Quebec.
• Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in Canada. The tower is ‎34.1 metres (112 ft) tall.
• The second tallest lighthouse of Canada is also found in Gaspésie:  Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse
• Gaspésie is home to the most beautiful wigwam-shaped church in the world: Kateri Tekakwitha Church in Gesgapegiag.
• In 1904, Guglielmo Marconi installed the first maritime radio station in North America in Pointe-à-la-Renommée lighthouse.
• Matapedia River is the best salmon river in Quebec.
• Gaspésie region is home to two UNESCO sites: Miguasha National Park and Geopark in Percé.

Percé Rock and Cape Mont Joli view from North Cove beach

TOP 9 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN GASPE PENINSULA

With so many attractions and amazing things to see, it’s necessary to plan your trip in advance so you know what to do in Gaspe Peninsula when you get there. To spend your limited time-off wisely, chose activities that interest you the most. Here is a list of top Gaspe Peninsula highlights to help you organize an epic trip you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

Visitors hiking Les Colonies trail on the Bonaventure Island.

Most of the population lives along the coast and the interior part of the peninsula is covered by lush mountains. Naturally, hiking is one of the most prominent things to do in the Gaspe Peninsula. With four national parks, 25 tall peaks, Chic Choc Mountains, and 650 km of the Appalachian Trail stretching across the peninsula, you’ll have so many opportunities for hiking and walking that you’ll have to think hard which trails to pick for your oh-so-short vacation time in the region.

There are plenty of trails for all fitness levels and age groups. Avid hikers can go to the Gaspe National Park or Chic-Choc Mountains for longer and more advanced trails. Families with children and senior grandparents may prefer short scenic hikes close to their accommodation or along the coast, such as in Forillon National Park or Bonaventure Island. Don’t forget to bring a day trip backpack, a reusable water bottle, and a comfy pair of quality hiking shoes.

2. KAYAKING

Kayakers paddling on the calm waters around the Percé Rock.

Water lovers and kayakers will find their bliss on days when the ocean is calm. Gaspésie is known for breathtaking high cliffs and stunning rock formations which are better to see from the water. Besides kayaking fun and cliffs, you can enjoy the company of sea birds and curious seals.

3. WHALE WATCHING

The top thing to do in the Gaspe Peninsula is whale watching during the summer months. Whales come to St. Lawrence River to feed and fatten up on abundant fish and crustaceans. It’s almost guaranteed that you’ll spot many whales on any whale watching boat trip you take.

But don’t have unrealistic expectations. Whales won’t be flip jumping out of the water and waving their tails for you. You would have to be extremely lucky or undertake dozens of boat trips for a chance to see that. Humpback whales are known as jumpers and tail-showers.

Furthermore, they’ll be further from your ship than you would like. What you can expect is seeing several whales around blowing out water and showing the top of their backs and dorsal fins. Some might come closer, most won’t.

Also, just to warn you, it’ll be challenging to photograph them. The boat is constantly rocking and there are 30+ other whale watchers on the boat so most of your photos will come out like the one below – a whale in the distance and a dozen human heads and backs in front of you. Some will annoyingly hold their hands with cell phones way too high to obstruct your view even more.

It’s super hard to get a decent photo of a whale. 99.99 % of your shots will come out like this 🙂

I strongly suggest you take a picture or two, then hide your cell phone in your pocket and just fully enjoy the ride and whales. If you stop wiggling and paying attention to your phone in an attempt to catch a whale, you’ll focus on the ocean surface and as a result, you’ll see more whales.

INSIDER TIP : When you photograph whales, be smarter than most people, and hold your cell phone horizontally. By holding your phone vertically, you reduce the frame width by 50% thus significantly lowering your chance of getting a whale into your frame.

4. BIRD WATCHING

Gaspe Peninsula is famous as a place to be for birders. Even if you aren’t too much into bird watching, Bonaventure Island will change your mind. The small island is just a short boat ride from the village of Percé and is home to the largest flock of birds you’ll ever see in your life. It’s a very special, must-see place.

Bonaventure Island , or L’Île-Bonaventure in French, is a national park and the largest nesting place of Atlantic seabirds, predominantly gannets (Morus bassanus). These beautiful blue-eyed birds nest on the top of the eastern cliffs of the Bonaventure Island. Every spring they come here to mate and bring up young ones. It takes a bit of a walk to reach them, but it’s so worth it because you’ll be unbelievably close to thousands of cackling goose-size birds. It’s an impressive sight because there are over 200 000 seabirds on the island out of which 110 000 are just gannets.

I suggest you plan one whole day for a boat trip to the island. Boats leave from Percé at regular intervals but take the first one at 9 am so you have enough time for a leisurely hike and bird watching. A day on Bonaventure Island might be the best day of your entire Gaspe vacation.

–> Read this detailed article about a boat trip to Bonaventure Island .

5. EXPLORING LIGHTHOUSES

The red lighthouses are still active, the black ones are not.

With such a dramatic cliffy coast, Gaspe Peninsula without lighthouses would be a favourite place of shipwreck divers. But it’s not thanks to over 12 lighthouses that guard the shore and navigate passing ships.

Searching for lighthouses is a fun activity to add to your road trip. If you look at the map above, the grey ones are not active anymore. They still look great on photos so go ahead and search for them. Some are easy to spot thanks to their height or placement, but some are smaller and hidden among trees.

Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse on the cliff edge overlooking St. Lawrence Bay.

Gaspe Peninsula has three outstanding lighthouses you should aim for during your visit:

• Cap-des-Rosiers – because it’s the tallest lighthouse in Canada, it’s charmingly picturesque, the views from the cliff are amazing and it’s over 160 years old. Before they built it, many ships ended up wrecked on the cliffs.
• Pointe-à-la-Renommée – because this is the one in which Marconi installed the first maritime radio station on the North American continent way back in 1904.
• Cap-Gaspé – because it sits on top of a tall cliff that forms the very tip of the Gaspe Peninsula also known as Land’s End which is part of the Forillon National Park. To reach this lighthouse, you’ll have to walk over 8 km back-and-forth along an easy and very scenic coastal trail. Furthermore, Cap-Gaspé lighthouse is the starting/ending point of the International Appalachian Trail that crosses the Gaspésie, continues through New Brunswick to Mount Katahdin in Maine and goes south to Springer Mountain in Georgia.

Other easily reachable lighthouses are Cap d’Espoir, Phare de la Pointe Duthie and Bonaventure.

6. SEARCHING FOR HISTORIC RED WOODEN BRIDGES

Heppell Bridge – one of the historic red wooden bridges crossing the Matapedia River in Quebec.

Another fun thing to do on a Gaspe Peninsula road trip is to search for red wooden bridges. They are functional historic buildings, so typical for the North American continent. Gaspésie is home to several of them. Red bridges are a great photo op and break spot to add to your road trip itinerary. I have pinpointed several of them on this detailed road trip map .

7. PERC É ROCK

View of the Percé Rock from the Cap Mont Joli view point.

Whenever you see a picture from the region, you’ll most probably see a photo of the impressive Percé Rock and the surrounding shore. Percé Rock is one of the best-known rock formations in Canada thanks to its massive size, unusual shape, position, and its hole. The huge rock is located in the village of Percé, obviously. It’s where you need to go whenever you visit the Gaspe Peninsula. The quiet, sparsely inhabited village has tons to offer to keep you busy for several days. More about what to do in the village is below in the itinerary section.

Many visitors to Percé also want to walk directly to the Rock itself. It is possible but rather dangerous. I don’t recommend you go there, but if you do, this is my best advice.

Percé Rock is accessible from two beaches that meet under the cliff tip. It’s easier from the northern beach. Before you go, make sure you pick the best time which means the time of the lowest tide. (You can get the low tide times in the local tourist information office.) Dozens of tons of rocks slide down the Rock itself as well as from the cliffs that you must walk under if you want to reach the Rock. Watch out and be careful. Make sure you wear good shoes, not flip-flops. Even if the tide is low, there still will be seawater on the narrow shelf path that connects the land with the Rock. The waves will be strong and splashing from both sides. Also, the stones on the seabed are very sharp so don’t even think about going there barefoot.

If you choose not to go there, that’s a smart decision. You can get better photos of the Percé Rock from the viewing point on top of the cliff tip called Cap Mont Joli. The admission is $1 per person.

Besides the Percé Rock, there are other stunning rock formations and sea cliffs to explore, particularly in the Forillon National Park. They are best explored from a boat or a kayak.

8. GASPE BEACHES

Great photo opportunity – picture yourself in this huge frame on the beach in Maria, QC. The view of the Chaleur Bay is just lovely.

With such a long shoreline, Gaspe Peninsula possesses some striking beaches. Long, flat, and peaceful beaches are mostly found in the western areas of the St. Lawrence River shore and along the Chaleur Bay.

The coast along the tip of the Gaspe Peninsula is mostly cliffy and dramatic. Between cliffs and high rock walls, there are some beautiful beaches and secluded coves as well. Most of the beaches are covered with pebbles, some are sandy or a combination of both. The most famous sandy beaches are Haldimand Beach in the town of Gaspé, Penouille Beach in Forillon National Park, Cap-d’Espoir Beach, and Beaubassin Beach in Bonaventure.

You’ll also love these pebble-and-sand beaches: Paspébiac Beach, Maria Beach, Horizons Park Beach in Carleton-sur-mer, and Percé Beach.

Romantic, rocky beaches without crowds can be found along the south shore of Land’s End Peninsula in Forillon National Park.

9. EXPLORING FOSSILS

Miguasha National Park Museum. The cliffs rich in fossils are on the UNESCO Natural Heritage Site list.

The exhibition in the Miguasha National Park will fascinate all fossils lovers and ancient natural history enthusiasts. The park is divided into two sections: an indoor museum that houses 380 million-years-old natural artifacts and a 3.5 km outdoor loop trail that takes you along the Restigouche River and fossil-rich cliffs which are on the UNESCO Natural Heritage Site list.

If you go : You’ll need around 3-4 hours to explore the Museum and the hiking trail so plan accordingly. You can visit the two parts separately.

The above list is just a small selection of top activities and locations, but there are many more see-worthy and unique places you’ll love. They are all listed within the trip itinerary later in this article, so keep on reading.

BASIC FRENCH FOR TRAVELLING TO QUEBEC

Are you one of those anglophone Canadians who were too lazy to learn any French at school? I want an honest answer.

Don’t despair (Haha, ‘despair’ is a French word. You know more French than you think), les Québécois speak way better English than you speak French. Therefore, you won’t be lost when talking to people. But if all you know in French is merci, oui and bonjour, you can get lost while driving.

For instance, here are some French expressions that you’ll see on road signs, buildings, boards and banners. It’s helpful to know them.

interdit = forbidden, banned

arrêt = stop

demi-tour / demi-retour = U-turn

obligatoire = mandatory

fermé / fermée = closed

ouvert = open

sud = south

ouest = west

nord = north

stationnement = parking

poissonnerie = fish market (not a poison brewing company, haha)

hébergement = accommodation

gîte = lodging

plage = beach

salle de bain = washroom

anse = cove

chute = waterfall

randonnée = hiking

marée basse = low tide

havre = port

magasin = shop

marché d’alimentation = grocery store

WHAT TO EAT IN GASPE PENINSULA

Our favourite road trip snack – delicious cheese sticks and curds.

Gaspe Peninsula prides itself on its exquisite fish, crab, seafood, and lobster dishes. Don’t leave without trying several of them.

Some foods you should take home from your Gaspésie trip are salted cod, smoked fish, dried mushrooms, beer, cheese, honey products, and wild berry preserves. They make perfect gifts or just buy them for yourself to prolong the pleasure of your Gaspe trip after you get home.

Besides the seafood and lobster, we loved the Gaspésien cheese, especially the twisted sticks.

To try out some local beer on a relaxing evening by a fire pit, we chose two different beer brands. We picked a sample from a famous local microbrewery called Pit Caribou and another from a Montreal brewery. The choice was random, based on a visual appeal of bottle labels.

The moment we tried it we knew we should have read the labels. By a bit of weird luck, we picked the worst samples of all.

If you like classic beer, don’t try this salty, sour, fermented mango beer concoction.

Pit Caribou sample was their limited-edition beer Gose à la mangue. Sorry, Pit Caribou, but this is the worst beer I , as well as my two other trip companions, have ever tasted. Our tongues grew up in Central Europe where beer brewing has centuries-long traditions, so crazy flavour combos are not to our liking. The taste of Pit Caribou Gose à la mangue can be described as salty beer with a strange sour flavour of a spoilt mango.

Next time I am in Gaspésie, I give Pit Caribou another chance, but I’ll carefully pick a classic, full-bodied beer.

The other Quebecois beer brand we tried was a big disappointment, too. It’s a winner in the most bitter beer on Earth category.

So, my suggestion is: read the labels carefully and know exactly what type of beer you like. Otherwise you are in for surprises.

Now, let’s get to the road tripping part.

GASP É PENINSULA: 11-DAY FAMILY ROAD TRIP ITINERARY

Gaspe Peninsula is a perfect destination for a scenic loop road trip. Whether you travel in a motorhome, motorbike, or a regular car, this road trip itinerary will provide you with a day-by-day plan that includes all the highlights and top tourist attractions Gaspésie has to offer. You need 11 days of vacation to complete the whole route, but of course, you can adjust according to your needs.

The first part of the trip focuses on the heart of Gaspésie. The second half of the trip plan includes various great spots along the road on our return way home. I suggest you follow the Gaspésie part and then add extra days as your schedule allows. The last 3-4 days are just nice additions that make this whole trip a lot more epic.

DAY 1: DRIVING TO QUEBEC CITY

Depending on where you are driving from, this day is reserved for travel time to Quebec City. If you live close, lucky you. If you live further, you might be driving all day to reach Quebec’s capital.

Book accommodation in Quebec City for 2 nights , if you follow our DAY 2 plan, or just for one night if you want to continue directly to Gaspésie.

DAY 2: ONE DAY IN QUEBEC CITY

You can skip this day if you are interested only in the Gaspe region. But if you are from far away and you don’t have many opportunities to visit Quebec City, then why not add this amazing city to your trip?

The plan for the day is to enjoy a sightseeing tour of Old Quebec City . I suggest you book a walking tour because the guide will show you the best in the city and tells you the extra things you won’t find in the books. Another perfect option is to take a hop-on & hop-off bus tour  or a guided tour of the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac . If you are sporty, a guided bike tour of the city is great fun, too. Super popular are guided food tours , you get to see the city and taste the best of local fare, yum.

If you have small kids with you, probably the best thing to do with them is to visit the local Aquarium .

If you just want to wander around on your own, don’t miss the Citadel, Champlain Quarter, Frontenac, harbour, the Parliament, and Notre Dame Cathedral.

Book accommodation for one night near the Forillon National Park.

DAY 3: NORTHERN GASPE COAST 

Day 3 is dedicated to driving from Quebec City to Forillon National Park which takes roughly 8 hours and covers the distance of 692.8 km via autoroute 20 E and 132 E.

I suggest you set out as early as possible because the driving time is long and there are several lovely places worth visiting along the way.

Suggested stops along the St. Lawrence River coast:

• Pointe-au-Père near Rimouski is home to three outstanding sites:

Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse, near Rimouski, Quebec

–> Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse is a national historic site and the second tallest lighthouse in Canada. You can explore the site on a guided tour. Unfortunately, for the year 2021, this site is still closed, hopefully we can visit next year.

HMCS Onondaga – Oberon-Class Submarine in Pointe-au-Père – one of two submarine museums in Canada – the other one is HMCS Ojibwa in Port Burwell, Ontario

–> Onondaga Submarine – Right next to the lighthouse, you can visit the 90-metre-long submarine on a self-guided tour. Onondaga is the first submarine museum that opened in Canada.

If you go: The submarine is reopened for summer season of 2021 (June 19 to September 19). You can buy tickets on site, no reservations needed.  They are open daily from 9 am to 6 pm and the admission fees are $17 per adult, $11 for kids between 8 and 17 with tax included. Children under 8 enter for free. You can buy a combined duo ticket for the submarine and the Empress of Ireland Museum for $23/adult and $15.25/youth 8-17.

–> Empress of Ireland Museum is located across the road from the lighthouse and documents the tragical sinking of the liner. Over a thousand people died in 14 minutes which makes the event the greatest Canadian maritime tragedy.

If you go: The museum is open for 2021 season. Between June 19 and September 19 from 9 am to 6 pm and the admission fees are $10.50 per adult, $7 for kids between 8 and 17 with tax included. Children under 8 enter for free. You can buy a combined duo ticket for the submarine and the Empress of Ireland Museum for $23/adult and $15.25/youth 8-17.

•  Grand-Métis is home to a unique botanical garden called Reford Gardens . These gardens are one of the few northernmost botanical gardens in North America.

If you go: Open daily between late June and early October from 8:30 am to 7 pm. Admission fees are $22 per adult, $19 for students, $11 for kids 14-18, and $0 for children under 13. Taxes are included. Every first Sunday of a month is free, but online reservation is mandatory.

•  You can also check out the La Martre Lighthouse in the village of the same name.

If you go: The lighthouse museum is open between June and September from 9 am to 5 pm.

• Further along the way, Cap de la Madeleine Lighthouse is a nice photo opportunity with a lovely view.

If you go: the museum is open from June to early September between 9 am and 5 pm.

• In Grande Vallée , you can drive to the red covered bridge for a nice photo.

Tonight, you are staying in or around Forillon National Park.  Make sure you have booked a stay for one night in this hotel or in this accommodation . They are the closest to the national park.

DAY 4: FORILLON NATIONAL PARK 

The 4 th day of your Quebec road tripping is dedicated to the exploration of the Forillon National Park, the tallest lighthouse in Canada and a whale-watching boat trip.

• Whale-watching cruise: I suggest you go on a whale-watching boat trip as early as possible so then you have the rest of the day for hiking and you don’t have to keep watching your watch for boat tour departure.

The whale watching tour departs from the pier in Grande-Grave. Come 45 minutes ahead to check-in, pick up your boarding pass, and use washrooms. The boat tour takes about 2.5 hours. You have to bring a rain jacket and a mask to be able to participate in the 2021 season. There are 4 tours a day, some have a bilingual guide, some are only in French. Check their dates and schedule .

If you go: Book 2 – 3 days in advance to secure the spots. Prices for cruises are $85 per adult and $55 for children between 3  and 15. You can also get a family ticket for 2 adults and 1 kid for $215 which saves you $10. Each additional child will cost you $40 which still saves you an extra $15. Taxes are included.

Furthermore, there is one more fee to pay – the national park entrance fee. You pay at the park entrance point.

• Hiking: After the whale-watching cruise, go and explore the beauties of the park by hiking one or two trails. You can choose from 10 diverse hiking trails that range between 0.5 km to 36.6 km in length. You’ll get the trail map at the park entrance, but I suggest the following trails:

–> La Chute trail – A short 1-km-long loop trail that takes you to a 17-metre-tall waterfall. The starting point is on road 132.

–> Les graves trail – You can choose between a longer or a shorter trail. They are both scenic because you hike along the coast, coves and pebble beaches. In both cases, you end at the Cap-Gaspé Lighthouse which offers a fantastic view from the cliff. If you look closely, you might see whales blowing the spray into the air.

Both trails are round trips. The shorter starts from the L’Anse-aux-Amérindiens parking lot and is 6.4 km long. The longer version starts in Grand-Grave and you’ll walk 15.2 km back and forth.

–> Mont-Saint-Alban trail – You can start from 3 different points: Grande-Grave, Cap-Bon-Ami, or Petit-Gaspé Beach. They all between 5 to 7 km in length and will offer you amazing panoramic views from the observation tower, not mentioning the epic ocean and cliff vistas. In my opinion, definitely worth the trouble of 280 m elevation gain.

• Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse : A great finish to the busy and active day is another too-beautiful view from the highest lighthouse in the country. Its light tower reaches 34 metres.

If you go: You can visit the site between June 24 and Labour Day in September. They are open between 8 am and 6 pm and you pay $3 per person. You can also take the guided tour of the lighthouse for $10/adult, $7 kids between 7 and 17. A family ticket costs $30 for 2 adults and 2 kids. Site entry fee included.

Tonight and the next 2 nights you’ll spend in Percé. Book accommodation for 3 nights in or near the village of Percé.

DAY 5: PERC É

Today you are going to explore the village of Percé. You’ll need hiking shoes and a backpack as well as beach stuff.

There is one thing you should know: The whole Percé area is enlisted as the UNESCO Global Geopark for its outstanding geology and landscape. And if it’s on the UNESCO list, it’s special. Currently, there are only five UNESCO Geoparks in Canada. Percé area is one of them, so observe, learn, and have fun while you’re there.

Percé is a cute little village that spreads around a towering cliff pointing to a colossal rock. Despite its sparse settlement, Percé is the top destination in this part of the world and gives you plenty of things to do. You should start your day as early as you can to squeeze in more fun. I suggest your day plan could look like this:

• Hiking: Mont Sainte-Anne and the surrounding mountains overlook Percé from the west and provide the village with another exceptional vantage point. Ask the local tourist office for a trail map and enjoy the morning in nature. There are over 18 kilometres of hiking trails with significant locations such as la Grotte, Trou sans fond (= bottomless hole), Crevasse, or Magic Forest.

The easiest trail for a short trip up the hill is the Sentier des Belvederes, or a Viewpoint Trail, which takes you from the Percé Church up to the Suspended Glass Viewing Platform and the Zipline stations. It takes around 40 minutes to walk up there.

The glass platform hangs some 200 m over the steep hillside. As you walk barefoot on the cold glass, your trust in errorless capabilities of engineers and builders deepens with the exhilarating panorama of the vast ocean and monumental Percé Rock.

If you go:   Suspended Glass Viewing Platform admission fees are $11 for adults and $8 for children, taxes included. Zipline has reopened for the 2021 season and the prices are $14 for adults and $10 for kids.

• Mont Joli Viewpoint: Besides the Suspended Glass Viewing Platform, Mont Joli Viewpoint is the best spot for viewing the Percé Rock from above. It costs $1 per person to go up there but it’s a small, symbolic price for the great view.

• Beach: The village has two beaches that go along both sides of the Mont Joli cliff. The beaches are covered in pebbles. The ocean water is cold and swarming with tiny shrimps which are fun to observe, especially for kids.

• Exploring the village: The next best thing is to check out the local gift stores, eateries, and pubs.

DAY 6: BONAVENTURE ISLAND

Day 6 is dedicated to a day trip to Bonaventure Island.  This island off the coast of Percé is a very special place for its natural beauty, great hiking, and the largest gannet colony in North America . The sea birds’ nesting areas are easily accessible, and visitors can observe them from a very close distance. Gannets are literally just two steps away from the viewing platforms.

Gannets are fascinating to watch. They are beautiful birds: large with white feathers, pointy beaks, and light blue eyes. One gannet pair only raises one baby every season and both parents take care of the little one. They are very loud. The ocean waves and breeze muffle the crying and shrieking of the busy birds.

To make the most of the day, plan to leave for the island on the first boat at 9 am. The ride takes around 40 minutes one way. After your arrival, the park staff will inform you about the rules of the island and then set you free to explore.

If you go: The only way to get to Bonaventure Island is by boat. The two local cruise companies that service the route sell boat tickets in the building by the pier. You don’t need reservations, just come and buy tickets for the same day or the next day.

They operate from the end of May to early October between 9 am and 4/5 pm. Boat tickets cost $40 per adult and $20 per child, taxes included.

Please note that Bonaventure Island is a national park and as such requires an entry fee. This fee is not included in the boat ticket and you must buy it separately. You can do so online in advance or from the office on the island when you arrive. It costs $8.90 per adult including the tax. Kids under 17 are free.

Book accommodation for one night in Rivière-du-Loup .

DAY 7: SOUTHERN GASPE COAST

Today we are leaving Percé and exploring the southern Gaspésie coast. To finish the road-tripping loop, you’ll drive from Percé to Rivière-du-Loup. I suggest you set out as early as possible because the driving time is 6.5 hours (550 km) and there are several lovely places worth visiting along the way.

Suggested stops along the Chaleur Bay coast and Matapedia River:

• Cap-d’Espoir Lighthouse : Located on top of a tall cliff, just 15 km from Percé, the lighthouse offers great panoramic views of the Gaspe coast as well as Bonaventure Island.

Can you spot a lighthouse? It’s the one in Bonaventure Point.

• Bonaventure Point Lighthouse : A nice pit stop by a cute little lighthouse on a long beach.

Duthie Point Lighthouse

• Pointe-Duthie Lighthouse : Hidden among tall trees away from the main road, you can find the Duthie Point Lighthouse easier if you follow the local road signs, not the GPS.

• Gesgapegiag : Further along the road, you’ll reach the village of Gesgapegiag. It’s a First Nation territory with three interesting sites:

The prettiest teepee-shaped church in the world is the Kateri Tekakwitha Church in Gesgapegiag, Quebec

–> Kateri Tekakwitha Church : The church of Sainte Kateri Tekakwitha is a unique Christian church built in the form of a huge teepee. There aren’t many teepee-shaped churches in the world and this one in Gesgapegiag is the most beautiful of them. It has all the elements of a typical Christian church but is decorated with beautiful Micmac art. If you are interested in attending a service, call for schedule: 418-759-3406.

–> Gesgapegiag First Nation Ceremonial Pow-Wow Grounds : A short drive further, you can see the Mawiomi Pow Wow Grounds directly from the road 132. At the end of July, you can join them to celebrate the Annual Gesgapegiag Pow Wow. Attending a Pow Wow is one of the most authentic Canadian cultural experiences. If you have never experienced Native American dancing, singing, drumming, or tried their dishes, plan your Gaspésie visit for mid-summer so you can incorporate the Gesgapegiag Pow Wow into your trip itinerary. This Pow Wow is open to the public and everybody is welcome.

–> You might like to read more about Pow Wows in Ontario.

–> La Grande Hermine : One of the cottages of Chalets de l’Anse Ste-Hélène is a replica of one of the three ships on which Jacques Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence River. You can rent one of the cottages in the resort for a fun experience and a great Chaleur Bay view.

• Beach in Maria : Check out the western part of the beach in the village of Maria. It’s a fun photo opportunity with a colossal picture frame on the background of the Chaleur Bay.

• Miguasha National Park : If you are into fossils and ancient history of the Earth, stop by at the Miguasha National Park which is a listed UNESCO Fossil Site. You need around 3 hours to visit the museum and the nearby fossil-rich cliffs.

• Matapédia : As you reach the village of Matapédia, you’ll see two salmon-rich rivers joining into one before flowing into Chaleur Bay. If you want a better view of the countryside, climb up to the  Belvédère des Deux-Rivières . It’s a viewpoint with a modern-architecture twist. The arm of the viewing platform is enveloped in a geometric wooden structure. If you are into modern art and buildings, you’ll like it.

• Routhierville Covered Bridge : Great view of this historic wooden bridge is right from the rest area by the river.

• Philomene Waterfall : Just before you reach Amqui, follow the signs for Chute à Philomène and turn right uphill to go to the Philomene Waterfall. Not too tall but charming, Philomene Waterfall is hidden off the main road. The spacious parking lot is just a few steps from the glass-floor viewing platform that hangs over the valley. After you check out the waterfall from the top, make sure you take a short walk down the marked trail. The waterfall looks nicer from the ground. No admission fee and no parking fee.

Tonight you are staying in Rivière-du-Loup. Book accommodation for one night in Rivière-du-Loup .

Day 7 closes the Gaspe road trip loop and you have three options:

• cross the St. Lawrence River to Saint Simeon and explore the Beaupré coast up to Quebec City
• continue along the road QC-132 and highway 20 E to Quebec City

This itinerary continues with option 1  for the Day 8, but you can skip it and continue with the itinerary on Day 9. From now on the itinerary is flexible and you can continue or drop any of the days. Days 8, 9, and 10 are just lovely additions to maximize the road-tripping experience in this part of Quebec. If you rarely come to this area, follow the trip plan. If Quebec is not too far, you may choose to visit the big cities on another trip.

For the next night, book a hotel for one night in Montreal. Get the best deals for Montreal hotels .

DAY 8: ST. LAWRENCE RIVER  AND BEAUPR É COAST

Another amazing day in front of you.  The plan is to cross St. Lawrence River and continue on the other side. You’ll need to get up early because the ferry from Rivière-du-Loup to Saint- Siméon leaves at 8 am. Get more information in the first part of this article in the section Ferry to the Gaspe Peninsula. To save time, it’s smart to book a hotel night as close to the ferry terminal as possible.

Crossing St. Lawrence River is not only fun experience, but also saves driving time because it takes only 65 minutes to get to the other side. Furthermore, you’ll have another chance to see the whales.

As you disembark, drive for 135 km (= 1 hour and 35 min) towards Quebec City. The following stops along the Beaupré coast are worthwhile.

• Canyon Sainte-Anne : St. Anne Canyon is directly on the road 138 and is a lovely pit stop in nature. Reserve 2-3 hours of your time for a pleasant and easy-to-moderate stroll along the dramatic river gorge. The canyon is a perfect place to get some fresh air into your lungs as well as stretch your legs after hours of driving. You’ll cross three suspended bridges and marvel at 74-metre-deep waterfall. Climbers can try out the Via Ferrata along the cliffs or perhaps the air cannon that will shoot you across the gorge at 50 km/h.

If you go : The canyon is open from May to October. Book your tickets HERE .

• Sainte-Anne de Beaupré: This small village is famous for the beautiful cathedral of impressive size that houses three relics of St. Anne. As one of the five national shrines located in the province of Quebec, St. Anne de Beaupre Basilica is a pilgrimage site with half a million visitors a year. It’s well-known for the healing miracles of sick and disabled.

If you go : The basilica is open Monday to Friday between 10 am to 5 pm and on Sundays between 9 am to 5 pm.

Did you know that Montmorency Waterfall is 30 m taller than Niagara Falls?

• Montmorency Falls: Just outside of Quebec City, majestic Montmorency Waterfall is a perfect road trip stop. The waterfall is 30 metres taller than the Niagara Falls. Plan to spend 2-3 hours here to walk around the parkland site, cross the suspension bridge to the other side, and descend to the lower viewing platform. If you dare to take 487 steps down and then up again.

If you go : Park your car at the parking lot on the western side of the waterfall on Boulevard des Chutes. The admission fees to the park are $6.96 per adult, $6.31 per senior above 65. Kids under 18 are free if accompanied by a paying adult. The car or motorcycle fee is $3.48 per vehicle.

After the Montmorency Waterfall, you can continue to Montreal and book accommodation there for one night . It’s 254 km from Quebec City to Montreal  which takes around 2:45 hours of driving via Trans-Canada Highway 20/Autoroute Jean-Lesage/road QC-132.

For the following two nights, book a hotel for two nights in Ottawa .

DAY 9: ONE DAY IN MONTREAL

Futuristic Tower above Montreal Olympic Stadium

Today you are exploring the biggest city of Quebec province. One day is barely enough to get a glimpse of this charming city, so we’ll concentrate on the prettiest part –  Old Montreal city centre.

The best way to see a new place is by walking and getting lost. But since we only have one day, we’ll make the most of it by taking a guided walking tour of Old Montreal . A former guide myself, I can assure you guided walks are the thing to do in any new place in the shortest time you have there. You don’t have to read and search for information about the place and the guide will show you the very best and the most important places in the city. The local guides’ brains are packed with insider information and will tell you the extra things you won’t find in the books. You can book your Montreal City tour ahead of time. Check out this list of amazing Montreal tours and experiences .

Another great option for a perfect sighseeing day in Montreal is taking a hop-on & hop-off bus tour .

If you prefer unprepared location exploration and just wander around on your own, don’t miss these places: Place Jacques-Cartier, Bonsecours Market, City Hall, Champs de Mars, Ferris Wheel ride , Clock Tower on the Quay, port, Place d’Armes, Notre-Dame basilica of Montreal.

When you have more time, you should check out Montreal Botanical Garden, Biodome, Olympic Stadium Tower and St. Joseph’s Oratory. The ultimate Montreal fun experience is the helicopter flight over the city . Do you dare?

After the Montreal city tour, head west to Ottawa via Trans Canada Highway 417 W which takes about two hours and 199 km.

Tonight and tomorrow, the last two nights of this trip, you’ll be staying in Ottawa. Make sure you have two nights booked there.

DAY 10: ONE DAY IN OTTAWA

Day 10 we spend in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa and explore the old city centre. The easiest plan would be to do a guided walking tour in the morning and have lunch somewhere around the Byward Market. In the afternoon, stroll around, explore shops, or perhaps visit one of the museums. Ottawa has several great museums that will satisfy adults and kids, too.

A perfect and convenient alternative is to take a hop-on & hop-off bus tour or a land-and-water tour by an amphibus . Or perhaps a guided Ottawa highlights bike tour .

Absolute must-see attractions in Ottawa are the Parliament buildings, Rideau Canal Locks, Bytown Museum, Fairmont Hotel , Byward Market, Notre-Dame Basilica, National Gallery of Canada, Canadian Museum of History, Canadian War Museum . You might like to learn about making coins in the Royal Canadian Mint . I also highly recommend the Canada Science and Technology Museum, especially for families with school-aged kids.

Did you know the Rideau Canal Locks in Ottawa are on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list?

DAY 11: DRIVING HOME

The fun is over and today we conclude our amazing Gaspe Peninsula road trip by a long drive home. Lucky are those who live within 2-3 hours.

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GASPÉ PENINSULA: DAY TRIP TO BONAVENTURE ISLAND

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Slavka is a travel writer and blogger based in London, Ontario, Canada. She specializes in family, multi-generational and couple travel in Europe and America. With the main focus on Central Europe and Canada, you can find her exploring cities, castles, caves and mountains in those areas. You can communicate with her in five European languages and follow her travel adventures, videos and advice on www.on2continents.com.

This has been on my local travel list for a long time! I am dying to do this road trip. Just for the scenic landscape alone. I have done parts of it when we drove to the east coast a few years back, but want to stop in on these tiny communities along the way. Pinned for future planning.

This is fabulous Slavka! I’ve never been there, but hope to go one day. I think you’ve included everything I could possibly need to know. So thorough!

Your photos are amazing! This is the perfect destination for a trip. Reading your article has definitely got me thinking about coming up with a plan to visit Gaspe Peninsula in the future at some point.

Whale wathing has been on my bucketlist for years, but I just never seem to get around to it. Or picking destinations where its possible 🙂

This is the first time I am reading about a Quebec road trip and honestly, this looks gorgeous. We have been planning for Canada for quite some time and we would love to do this itinerary. I love all those pretty lighthouses. My son will jump with joy when he sees them. And all that incredible food, wildlife, and natural beauty enroute. I am surely adding this to my list.

We are planning a trip this July and wanted to visit the gaspé area but I see there are so many lovely places to se along the way. We are think 5-7 days. What would you suggest? We are from Montreal and we don’t need to stop in Quebec City neither Ottawa. Thank you in advance

You are so lucky to be so close to beautiful Gaspésie, Lina! 5-7 days are plenty. I suggest you explore the eastern tip and south of the peninsula. There are so many hiking opportunities as well. You can follow the itinerary in this blog post from Day 3 to Day 6 or 7. Definitely don’t forget a day on Bonaventure Island! Read more about it here: https://on2continents.com/day-trip-bonaventure-island-gaspe-peninsula/ You’ll love it there. Have fun and when you come back, please let me know how you liked it 🙂

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A trip around the Gaspé Peninsula provides an endless succession of picture-perfect views. In the valley and along the coast, you’ll feel the call of the great outdoors. The mountains, sea, clear rivers, and beaches all vy for your attention, and the locals, with their colourful accents, do the same!

Spectacular parks

Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé National Park

A two-for-one! At one end, you’ll find a natural sculpture jutting up from the sea that’s admired the world over. At the other, a singular island is home to a massive colony of Northern Gannets and still harbours traces of its former human occupants. Take a boat tour or a hike to see it close up!

Forillon National Park

Look out over cliffs that tower above the sea at the very tip of the peninsula. The park’s fascinating rock formations and storied past add to the experience. No matter where you look, the views are simply stunning. Geocaches and whale watching tours give you two unique ways to play in this pristine natural environment.

Gaspésie National Park

Rising up in the Gaspé backcountry are the Chic-Choc Mountains. This impressive mountain range is home to some of the best hiking in the province, including Mount Albert and Mount Jacques Cartier. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a few caribou! For adventurer-seekers and nature lovers looking for a bit of added comfort, there’s a fabulous mountain inn.

Wow, what a view!

With its crystal-clear rivers and peaceful seashore, the gaspé peninsula gives you plenty of ways to enjoy the water. our travel counsellors share their favourites. where to get your fill:, camping du rivage.

Located in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts

Côte de la Surprise

Located just before the Percé Rock comes into view

Haldimand Beach

This beach on the Gaspé Peninsula is a perfect spot for families. Another option is Boom Defense beach, which is more rugged. It has vehicle access for launching boats. You can watch the sun set on one side while the moon was rising on the other. What a sight!

Cap-aux-Os Beach

Located in Gaspé

The town of Percé

No matter which side you arrive from, the view is simply breathtaking.

Carleton-sur-Mer

The Gaspé Peninsula offers 885 kilometres of inspiration . For the best views of the breathtaking coastal scenery, start from the Matapédia Valley in the south.

Good to know

Admire the fish and other underwater treasures at exploramer, stop and smell the flowers at jardins de métis—in the gardens and on your plate, take the family to meet all the animals at bioparc de la gaspésie, get paleontological with the fossils at miguasha national park, even more ideas…, feeling bold.

Here are 3 thrilling suggestions!

• Try tandem hang-gliding or paragliding in the skies above Mont-Saint-Pierre.
• Go canyoning and ziplining at Eskamer Aventure in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts.
• Try the treetop ropes courses or head out on the river at Cime Aventures, in Bonaventure.

Baie des Chaleurs has a microclimate that warms the water, making this beautiful bay perfect for watersports like sailing, diving, kayaking, and more.

In the evening, cozy up under a beach blanket and watch the sunset, then gather around a beachside campfire as the night sky fills up with stars. You can even invite the locals to join you for a round of fishing stories!

Did you know?

Cegep de la Gaspésie has an adventure tourism program , so the tour companies in the region are very professional and safe. If you’re interested in trying a new outdoor activity with a professional guide, there’s no better place!

Need help planning your dream getaway in a charming peninsula full of lighthouses and docks?

TALK TO A TRAVEL COUNSELLOR

Strong points

• Breathtaking coastal route
• Peaceful parks
• Refreshing, welcoming vibe

Keep in mind

• Given the size of the Gaspé Peninsula, expect a fair bit of driving between towns and attractions.

Be sure to stop at Le Malin on the Bonaventure River for the rapids and the beautiful beach. Don’t forget your swimsuit!

Marché des saveurs gaspésiennes is a local market in Gaspé with tons of great terroir products, including prepared meals perfect for a roadside picnic!

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The Beach at Carleton-sur-Mer

For the campground, lighthouse, and storytelling evenings, plus the impressive Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Saint-Joseph Oratory nearby.

During the summer, the village of Petite-Vallée comes alive in a big way during its international Francophone music festival . Get ready for a good time!

What to wear

Pack pants and long-sleeved shirts for those cool evenings by the sea.

What to eat

Fish and seafood, skillfully prepared by local chefs.

What to do in winter

Snowmobiling, skiing, and snowshoeing in the very best conditions!

What to bring home

• Beer from Pit Caribou craft brewery
• A “Tintin in Percé” T-shirt

Insider secret

Travel counsellor Geneviève Lebreux (Quebec City) highly recommends the skiing in Murdochville .

The Chic-Chac Inn even has backcountry skiing packages.

Travel insurance: just as useful in Quebec

Whether it’s for trip cancellation, vehicle repatriation or even ambulance transportation following an accident, many situations can turn out to be costly. Find out  why travelling with an insurance policy is a wise choice , even for your getaways in the province.

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Blue Gulf of St Lawrence waters prove a striking contrast to the green forests, bright fields and rock cliffs of Gaspe Peninsula. An outdoor enthusiast's playground, the fun lasts year-round, as does the scenery. A thumb of land carved out on the north by the St Lawrence River where it empties into the gulf, any trip to the peninsula includes a quiet interlude with seascapes and salt breezes.

A tour of this region takes visitors from the valley to the mountains, from Bay of Chaleur to Land's End and Upper Gaspe. Starting from the north, linked by ferry to the mainland, Montreal and Quebec City, there are rivers teeming with salmon, hiking to be done in the Parc de la Gaspesie and views to go around. Hang-glide from the heights of Mont St Pierre, snap some wide-angle photos from panoramic viewpoints and stop for sea birds, seals and whales at Forillon National Park. The Appalachian Trail ends here, so if you're after a bit of bragging rights to trekking time on this long-distance route, take a day or two to wander. Don't miss peninsular landmark, limestone Rocher Perce, or a brush with fossil facts at Parc de Miguasha.

Stop for some beach time in Carleton, get a bit of history at the British Heritage Village in New Richmond, or hunt local art work for something to remind you of your Gaspe Peninsula trip.

Gaspe Peninsula is 348 miles northeast of Montreal and 211 miles from Quebec City.

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In Maine, the escape to nature is more than just a getaway—it’s a lifestyle

Less than an hour from downtown Portland, National Geographic Photographer Michael George finds surfing, river sanctuaries, and a Civil War-era fort.

It is a bold choice to make your state’s motto “Vacationland.” In Maine , the phrase is spotted on license plates, welcome signs, and t-shirts. It is an open-arms invitation for visitors, but also a mantra for the year-round Mainers who live a more laid-back lifestyle compared to their neighbors in the Northeast (New Yorkers and vacationland? Fuhgeddaboudit. ) In a small stretch of coastline from Scarborough to Freeport , there are countless examples of Maine’s commitment to building cities in harmony with nature, not against it. This interlacing of waterfalls and river sanctuaries with urban delights is one of many ways life here is designed to remind you to slow down and take a walk. It may only be your hour-long lunch break, but that’s enough for a short vacation.

Less than 20 minutes from downtown Portland, I set out to experience three distinct beaches. Two Lights State Park has the classic cascading cliffside of rocks where ocean waves crash along the unique formations. I do feel the need to write a quick PSA: despite the name, the park harbors no lighthouses within its borders–its namesake lighthouses are located just down the road. But what the park does offer are colorful tide pools and many benches hidden among its pathways to relax and take it all in. As a Floridian with the irrational and entrenched belief that the ocean should be the temperature of bathwater, I prefer to stay dry and watch the Atlantic smash against the rocks.

However, for those of you with a backbone, Scarborough Beach , with its long stretch of white sandy beach, is a popular spot for surfers and swimmers. Walking along the cool edge of the water, I am excited to see surfers of all ages and genders tackling the waves. No surf rage in sight here. Nestled in between Scarborough and Two Lights, I stop at Higgins Beach , an inviting small town with classic houses right along the shore. At this early hour, dogs are comingling, and a fly fisherman tells me this is a special spot to catch striped bass. Regardless of how you like to enjoy the ocean, every option is within a short drive.  

Back in Portland, I travel from the Old Port to Back Cove , a 3.6-mile loop around an estuary basin with a picturesque view of the city skyline. Driving the cobblestone streets, Portland feels like someone took the small port from another city and hit it with a growth ray. The charming neighborhoods here are the whole thing. I continue past brick industrial buildings and elegant Queen Anne-style homes to arrive at Presumpscot River Preserve Trail . Walking from the Presumpscot Falls Bridge, after a half-mile it feels like I am hours from the city. Large herons and other birds sit along the waterfront, and a low fog settles in the forest. I climb over a few trees that fell after a recent storm. It feels wild despite being steps from civilization.

This reaction is echoed when I explore Fore River Sanctuary later in the day. Hiking by train tracks into a thick wooded area, I find Jewel Falls, Portland’s only natural waterfall. Local families are walking with their kids and dogs. One charismatic pup with an endearing limp approaches me for a scratch. Her owner is excited to share, “We walk here every day. It’s her favorite place, though she shouldn’t drink from the falls.” I look down. She’s drinking from the falls. But who am I to deny this indulgence? After all, she’s on vacation too.  

One of the unexpected sights from the East End of Portland is Fort Gorges , a historic military fort dating back to the mid-1800s and built on a small island not far from the piers. I want a closer look, and Zack Anchors, co-founder and owner of Portland Paddle , is just the person to get me there. I hold back a joke about his fitting last name as we climb into our kayaks. Zack, like many Mainers I talk with, left the state for a while but eventually came home. With easy access to the water, he guides day trips and multi-day excursions around the surrounding archipelago. “There aren’t many places where you can explore thousands of islands, many of which are uninhabited,” he says.

Even with the tide and wind against us, it doesn’t take long to arrive at Fort Gorges. Pulling our kayaks up on the shore, I feel a mythical sense of discovery. The architecture of the fort looms overhead, and native plants sprout along the top. Though nature has worked hard to take it back, the nonprofit Friends of Fort Gorges is committed to preserving and invigorating the space with arts and culture. They’ve hosted events like live opera singers and scavenger hunts. It is a stunning location for a show, a wedding, or, you know, to reenact a gladiator showdown. There are spiral stone staircases, and I marvel at the hand-carved granite slabs that were somehow transported out across the bay. Maintaining this space for the public is a never-ending battle with the elements. Storms wear away at the wharf and large tides shift the sand. Regardless, the Friends of Fort Gorges are committed and has grand visions to continue reimagining the fort for years to come.

Eager to learn more about the strength of the tides, I head to Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park , a dynamic peninsula just southeast of Freeport. I approach park manager Andrew Hutchinson, or “Ranger Andy,” who has worked for the park service for 40 years. At low tide, a massive expanse of mud is exposed, and he takes out a few tools to harvest a clam. Visitors at Wolfe's Neck can legally clam here without a license. In a few hours, the park will be unrecognizable. Islands become islands again, and water fills in the gaps between large slabs of rock. We amble across a bridge, and Andy stops me, pointing through a small break in the trees. An osprey nest is perfectly positioned atop a withered tree. As if on cue, an osprey chick pops its head above the edge of the nest. “They’ve nested here as long as we have recorded history,” Andy observes. I rave about how everywhere I’ve been is next door to neighborhoods and restaurants, but here the nature is pristine. It’s like traveling through portals into the natural world.  

I’ve worked here for decades for a reason: Mainers take care of each other. It is, as we call it, life in the slow lane. Andrew Hutchinson , Park Ranger

Mainers also take care of their land, acting as careful stewards of the bountiful nature that surrounds them. Experiencing this commitment so thoroughly, I’ve grown a connection to these serene oases in a matter of days. My time is wrapping up, and I think, “You can’t be on vacation ALL the time.” Isn’t that the point of vacation? It’s special because it’s temporary, fleeting: Magic found in a finite suspension of reality. Driving south out of Portland, I spot two neighbors talking over a white picket fence, laughing in the soon-to-be summer twilight. These folks have found a way to make a state of mind usually found only on vacation a part of their everyday lives. The speed limit increases from 30 to 45 to 60. My foot is hesitant to press the gas pedal down farther, life in the fast lane is coming back too quickly. It’s always hard when a vacation ends, but it’s even harder when you’re leaving Vacationland.

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