Style Destination
Style destination: Charlevoix
Photography: Courtesy Repère Boréal (Maikan), DFMotion (SHISHIP), Courtesy Mousse Café, Courtesy Maison D'Affinage Maurice Dufour, Francis Gagnon for Faux Bergers
Style Destination
Style destination: Charlevoix
How to spend 3 days in Charveloix.
From picture-perfect hikes to intimate dining featuring extraordinary cuisine, this Quebec region offers up some of the best of Canada
Day 1
Welcome to Quebec, La Belle Province! If you’ve arrived by plane, pick up a rental car so you can explore the incredible Charlevoix region and surrounding areas with ease. Without missing a single beat, head directly to Parc National des Grands-Jardins, where you can hike or snow-shoe and take in panoramic vistas. Reward an active half-day by settling into an on-trend “micro” cabin at Les Éboulements-based Repère Boréal. From borderline roughing it to glamping, the resort offers various ways to tuck away in the woods. Your Canadian paradise is equipped with a firepit, so you can whip up dinner over an open flame, or opt to dine on a zero-prep cheese and meat board made up of finds from nearby Maison D’Affinage Maurice Dufour and Charcuterie Charlevoisienne. To wrap up the day, unwind in the shared sauna.
Day 2
Linger in your woodsy surrounds (maybe even make a rustic cup of coffee over the fire) before driving to St. Lawrence River-facingPains d’Exclamation! for your pick of pastries, sandwiches and a hot bevvie. After breakfast, make your way to Poterie de Port-au-Persil, based in Saint-Siméon, where you can purchase pieces made by local potters and, if you reserve a workshop spot, even create some of your own. Relish the scenic drive back to Les Éboulements, stopping in La Malbaie to sip a glass of French Bordeaux and try some local cheese at Bar La Brise in the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu hotel’s lobby.
Back at Repère Boréal, rest and reset before heading to dinner at Faux Bergers (book a table in advance). Every day, the chefs here prepare a new six-course tasting menu, which typically features vegetables, fish and meat cooked over a wood fire. It’s one of the most creative – and delicious – meals you’ll have all year, and it’s a steal at only $55 per person.
Day 3
Bid adieu to your micro home and set out early to enjoy a full morning in Baie-Saint-Paul. Stop at Le Mousse Café, a quirky cooperative housed in a former convent, for a simple but scrumptious breakfast (there are options for restricted diets). Then head to Rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste which, although short, packs in plenty of culture in the form of art galleries and handicrafts shops. Check out Shamâne for soap made with donkey milk (perfect for sensitive skin) and Charlevoix Pure Laine for the coziest woollen socks, mittens and hats.
Treat yourself to lunch at the acclaimed Le Mouton Noir, where award-winning French chef Thierry Ferré serves up refined comfort food, such as the pork shoulder casserole. Next, explore the contemporary Québécois art on display atMusée d’Art Contemporain de Baie-Saint-Paul or, if you’re feeling adventurous, book a helicopter ride with Héli-Charlevoix. From above, behold the awe-inspiring centre of the meteorite-formed crater (dating back 360 million years) that gives the area its stunning mountainous landscape.
Check into the nearby Hôtel & Spa Le Germain Charlevoix, which combines a Scandi aesthetic with country living (live-stock freely roams the property). The hotel’s Nordic-inspired spa is just the place to get some much-needed R and R before dining at the sleek on-site Les Labours restaurant. Whether you opt for Icelandic cod or Baie-Saint-Paul lamb, save room for dessert: The decadent maple pudding cake is the perfect way to end your jaunt on a sweet note.
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