This six-day itinerary takes in the the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, with a slight dip into the Gaspesie before crossing the St. Lawrence River by ferry into the Cote-Nord region and continuing onto the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region.
Already familiar with the Pacific Marine Circle Route, between Victoria and Port Renfrew, my daughter and I were ready to travel farther afield this summer and do another road trip around a major waterway.
Along the way we would drive past panoramic sea views, watch minke whales feeding near the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, explore a submarine, climb a lighthouse, cruise Quebec’s only fjord and experience what it was like to live in a pulp mill town from the 1920s. In short, creating memories while learning about Canada’s early history and experiencing a province renowned for its culture and fine food.
To truly make this an evening devoted to authentic indigenous tourism experiences we stayed at the First Nations-owned Hotel-Musee Premieres Nations in nearby Wendake, just 15 kilometres from downtown Quebec City. The hotel has an onsite longhouse and a museum where we learned more about the Huron-Wendat culture the next day, and one of the best restaurants in Quebec featuring indigenous cuisine.
In recent years, this coastal village has become a popular foodie destination, so we made sure to stop in at the local bakery and chocolate shop. At La Fee Gourmande, we indulged in their homemade chocolate ice cream and bought decadent chocolate brownies for the road. Gaspesie region Close to Rimouski we dipped into this region to visit Reford Gardens and to see the International Garden Festival .