Baie St. Paul is a popular weekend spot for residents of Quebec City, and despite its small size, it boasts a good selection of cafés, restaurants, galleries, and boutique shops. If you’re staying here, allow an afternoon to wander, or if you’re passing through, it’s a great place to stop for lunch. Further on, Baie St. Catherine and Tadoussac offer picturesque views of white weatherboard buildings with bright red roofs. These towns can feel disproportionately busy due to their main attraction: the whales. However, if you take the time to wander the streets, you’ll find charming souvenir shops and friendly locals who seem refreshingly unfazed by the hustle and bustle.

Up the hill from the ferry landing in Baie St. Catherine, the Pointe-Noire Observation Centre (open mid-June to early September) serves as a whale study post. It features informative exhibits about these incredible creatures, along with an observation deck and telescope. In Tadoussac, the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre is well worth a visit, and several short walking trails provide excellent viewpoints to spot whales frolicking in the waves.

In La Baie, the Musée du Fjord offers a fascinating look at the colonisation and industrial development of the area, as well as the ecology of the fjord. Highlights include a giant saltwater aquarium and a vivarium that bring the fjord’s unique ecosystem to life. Meanwhile, the Village Historique de Val-Jalbert in Chambord is a reconstructed 1920s company town that offers insight into the lives of workers during the paper mill heyday.

For those travelling between Baie St. Catherine and Tadoussac, there is a free roll-on/roll-off ferry that operates continuously, with departures roughly every 15 minutes. No pre-booking is required.