Page 113 - Travel Guide to Canada 2019

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DOWNTOWN MONTRÉAL • SHUTTERSTOCK/YRIAS

Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé Montréal is renowned for its lively sum- 5,300-km (3,293-mi.) web of cycling and
national parks (www.sepaq.com/animaux/ mer gatherings—from jamming sessions to multi-use paths that criss-cross the
index.dot?language_id=1). dance fests. In cool contrast, take in a concert province, creating the largest cycling
at Old Montréal’s Notre-Dame Basilica, a network in the Americas.
In the heart of Old Québec, the new Strøm neo-Gothic masterpiece with marvellous Spectacular sightlines are the norm at
Nordic Spa uses hot and cold water thermal acoustics (www.basiliquenotredame.ca/en ). about 300 Québec public golf courses. One
therapy to contribute to overall good health Or visit the quays of the Old Port on foot, by of the most challenging is Le Géant at
and well-being. Strøm was founded on the Segway or hoverboard, where performances Mont-Tremblant, a master’s 18-hole
simple idea of combining Nordic spa and range from reggae to harbour symphonies championship course carved out of the
urbanity, for a rejuvenating relaxing created with ships’ horns. Laurentian landscape.
experience (www.stromspa.com). Year-round, chic prevails in Old Chemins d’Eau is a tourist route

Montréal’s clubs, trendy bistros and the dedicated to the Ottawa River (the province’s
CITY LIGHTS free-spirited Latin Quarter’s cocktail bars. longest river), retracing the steps of the

The province’s unique European sensibility The city teems with bars, discos, micro- First Nations, explorers and wood barons
fl avours the intersection of art, culture and breweries, cigar lounges, cafés and outdoor (www.tourismeoutaouais.com ).
history. This is a big part of the city centres— terraces. In the Laurentian Mountains, north of
Montréal and Québec City—with their wealth Montréal, Le P’tit Train du Nord Linear Park
of museums, galleries and special exhibits. Quick Fact is a former railroad track converted into a
In Québec City, small music clubs, 232-km (144-mi.) level biking trail—and a
funky bars, boîtes à chansons (intimate LE MASSIF DE CHARLEVOIX SKI HILL HAS cross-country ski trail in winter—between
THE HIGHEST VERTICAL DROP EAST OF THE
venues for the province’s singer/songwrit- Saint-Jérôme and Mont-Laurier (www.
ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
ers) and music festivals like the Québec laurentides.com/en ). Or ride a panoramic
City Summer Festival (Festival d’été de gondola to the summit of Mont-Tremblant.
Québec), one of Canada’s biggest music THE GREAT OUTDOORS Whale watching from Tadoussac,
festivals, contribute to a vibrant arts scene Outdoor enthusiasts can soak up Québec’s Baie-Sainte-Catherine and Rivière-du-
(www.feq.ca/en ). untamed wilderness by visiting the Loup, gets visitors close to nature with
Cosmopolitan Montréal sits at a province’s numerous parks. With thousands sightings of minke, humpback and even the
cultural crossroads, rooted in both Anglo of crystal-clear lakes and an impressive rare blue whale, as do boat cruises from the
and francophone heritage. The city has put range of wildlife, they are idyllic for camping, tip of the Gaspé Peninsula to the seabird
together itineraries to inspire visitors, from canoeing, fi shing, cycling, mountain biking sanctuary at Bonaventure Island (www.

nightlife to shopping to annual festivals and hiking. In winter, the guarantee of quebecmaritime.ca ).
(www.mtl.org/en ). snow creates a paradise for downhill and Nova Lumina is a 1.5-km (0.9-mi.)
Montréal abounds with theatre and cross-country skiing, dogsledding and multimedia nighttime seaside walk under
dance, music and circus arts, and museums snowshoeing (www.sepaq.com). the starry skies at Chandler in the Gaspésie,
and art galleries showcasing everything Every August the sky becomes a canvas where the land meets the sky (www.
from cutting-edge works to timeless for the shooting stars of the Perseid meteor bourgdepabos.com/en/nova-lumina ).
classics. An underground system of showers and the Velan astronomy pavilion Try a nomadic wintertime experience
pedestrian passageways, RÉSO, connects at Domaine Saint-Bernard off ers regular at Tursujuq National Park, located near the
Métro stations and corridors fi lled with stargazing sessions (www.tremblant.ca ). shores of Hudson Bay. Nine-day excursions
boutiques and small shops. Two-wheelers take to “la Route verte,” a to explore the Inuit way of life include