Okay, I cribbed this from Toro Magazine, but it just sounds amazing, so here it goes:
Day 1: Kingston to Montreal
Drop off your bags @ Hotel Gault(HotelGault.com from $250/night) in Old Montreal. Style is high contemporary, but it’s not so minimal you feel like you’re trapped in a little white box.
Tuck into New France at a table(best to reserve) at the convincingly Parisian L’Express (3927 rue St. Denis (514)845-5333). The steak frites is as good as it gets. AFter dinner stroll to Reservoir (9 Duluth Est, (514)849-7779) for a fine and fresh home brew. Still thirsty? Twenty steps away is Laika (4040 St. Laurent, (514)842-8088), a neighbourhood favourite filled with cool, creative types.
Day 2: Montreal to Quebec City
Rise and shine for a two-and-a-half hour drive to Quebec City, where you’ll check into Hotel Dominion 1912 (HotelDominion.com, from $170/night), anothr contemporary charmer in Basse-Ville, the lower town. After stretching your legs on the 4.6-kilometer stonewalled rampart that dates to when Wolfe and Montcalm duked it out on the Plains of Abraham, head through the streets of the UNESCO-protected city and dig the Euro vibe.
For more scenery, get back in the car and do a clockwise loop of nearby Ile d’Orleans. The Saint-Pere to Saint-Famille stretch will spoil you with brilliant views north to Mont Sainte-Anne, while the towns of Saint-Laurent and Saint-Petronille will remind you that Canada is a lot older than confederation.
Later in the evening, do it up for dinner. Try a rack of lamb and the oysters at the chic French-Italian-Far East-inspired Toast! (17 Rue Sault-au-Matelot). Back in Quebec City, cap off your stay with a visit to the Grand-Ailee, the eat-drink-dance and people-watch zone.
Day 3:The North Shore
Get up early and start makng your way east on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence, where Quebec City quickly turns to forest and mountains. After an hour or two of rolling highway, drop into the artsy town of Baie Saint-Paul. It’s a popular spot on the tourist trail, so after lunch, keep rolling – the next bit is some of the best. Avoid the main road that leads inland and take highway 362 along the river. Make the detour to Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive and buy fresh croissants at La Boulangerie Laurentide (319 rue Felix-Antoine-Savard).
Make La Malbaie your next stop and hit the riverside Casino de Charlevoix, next door to the historic Hotel-Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu. If you still have money for gas, drive the final stretch of the day to calm and quiet L’Oasis du Port (OasisDuPort.com, from $120/night), which has killer views of the sleepy port. There are no restaurants in Port-au-Persil, but you can grab a simple meal and a cold criquante (Labatt 50) in the nearby town of Saint-Simeon.
Day 4:Tadoussac
In the morning, make the short drive to Tadoussac. This is whale country, mon ami, so get yourself into a boat such as the Croisieres AML (1-800-563-4643, CroisieresAML.com). If you’re up for something a little more vigorous, try your hand at sea-kayaking in the Saquenay Fjord. This rugged region is best explored from water and a half-day of paddling is the perfect answer (Fjord en Kayak, (418)272-2024, Fjord-en-Kayak.ca). For sleeping, try the red-roofed classic, the Hotel Tadoussac (HotelTadoussac.com, from $150/night). Cafe Boheme (239 rue des Pionniers) is all you need to know in the restaurant department: boho vibe, great food, and dynamite coffee. On rue Bord de l’Eau you’ll find a fun bar or two to keep you from going thirsty.
Day 5:Ferry across the St.Lawrence to the South Shore, Kamouraska
In the morning, it’ll take 90 minutes to cross the river to the South Shore town of Trois-Pistoles from the ferry terminal in Les Escoumins (1-866-851-4676). Head west to riverside Kamouraska and check into the two-room Villa Saint Louis (LaVillaSaint-Louis.com, from $95/night), where you’ll find loads of character, a superb sun porch, and an even better pool. Follow your nose to Boulangerie Niemand (82, avenue Morel) for sandwiches made from a huge selection of old-world wholegrain. If that’s not going to keep you busy enough, contact the folks at Sebka (Sebka.ca, (418)493-9984), an outdoorsy outfit that can coordinate rock-climbing, walking, and sea-kayaking excursions.
Day 6:Back to Montreal
It woud be a crying shame to wake up and drive all the home today. So don’t. Find your way back to Montreal and spend a night wining and dining on the Main before returning home.
VIVE LA POUTINE
If you haven’t had poutine in Quebec, you haven’t had poutine, period. Try some of the best at one of these Montreal instititutions:
Chez Claudette (351 Laurier Est)
Their basic recipe wins, hands down.
Curd and gravy on potato never tasted so good.
La Quebecoise (3520 Ontario)
The avant-garde ‘La Quebecoise’ poutine is served with sliced turkey.
Au Pied Du Cochon (536 Duluth Est)
Live large with the foie gras add-on.
And don’t forget the smoked meat and bagels!
brought to you by Trufflepig Travel. Trufflepig.com
