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Nature lovers, whale watchers, gourmets, heritage and art lovers, wine connoisseurs, francophiles - they all enjoy traveling La Belle Province by bicycle, one of the best ways to experience all this and more and have a really relaxing vacation.
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Start Your Vacation in Montreal
Bicycles are almost as iconic to Montreal as gondolas are to Venice. 350 km of bike paths include hilly downtown Mont Royal Park, several islands in the St. Lawrence River and the banks of the Lachine Canal. In 2007 the locally-developed public bike-share program, BIXI was launched. The name comes from the first two letters of “bicycle” and the last two letters of “taxi”. Use your credit card to unlock one of 5,200 bikes and afterwards drop it off at any one of 460 stations across the city.
North of Montréal in the Laurentians, an abandoned railway line called the P’tit Train du Nord (the “little train of the north”) has been converted into a 230 km biking and walking path, travelling through forest, alongside rivers and through lovely villages with cafés, bistros and lovely B&B's along the way.
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La Route Verte - Bienvenue Cyclistes!
Planning a multi-day bike ride in Quebec? There’s a handy guide / organization “Route Verte” welcoming cyclists "Bienvenue Cyclistes". Members are savvy about local bicycle repair centres, bicycle rental outlets and nearby tourist information offices. Good to know: Cyclists are guaranteed a space even if they don’t have a reservation.
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Route des vins, Wine Route.
Southeast of Montreal along the Eastern Township’s visit local farmer’s markets, taste artisanal cheeses and wines, dine on local cuisine or visit a grand Benedictine abbey where monks are producing cider and award-winning cheese. Stop at quaint New England-style towns that have officially been designated as the province’s most beautiful villages.
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South Shore St. Lawrence River
The Eastern Townships and the South Shore are my favored areas in Quebec - and once you discovered them you will know why...
St.-Antoine-de-Tilly: Located 25 km from Quebec City, a real gem with it`s beautifully restored heritage homes, surrounded by quaint farm country and apple orchards. A small park dotted with picnic tables on the river shore allows you to watch big ocean freight liners on their way to and from Montreal's port. The Manoir de Tilly, built in 1786, serves fine local cuisine, the Bergeron fromagerie offers tastings and tours.
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Take your time to explore this and many more beautiful villages along the mighty St Lawrence. From Lévis, across Quebec City, via a lovely ferry ride, cycle to the town of Montmagny, about 60 km away while you will experience farmland with river views, and rural villages with tiny churches and cafes. Don't miss the islands of the Lawrence River: From Berthier-sur-mer, take a ferry to historic Grosse Île National Historic Site. Or from Montmagny, to L'Île-aux-Grues, for a tranquil route past dairy farms.
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Route Verte #6 from Québec City.
An old, abandoned railway route from just outside Québec City to Riviere-a-Pierre has been converted into the leisurely, forested and almost flat 68 km Jacques-Cartier/Portneuf cycling path, part of the Route Verte #6 with villages and scenic viewpoints along the way. Don't miss to stop at the Wendake Nation Reserve. Find out about this self-governing territory next to Québec City, with a thriving community of artists and artisans. Don't miss the yearly famous Pow Wow in late June. The magnificent Kabir Kouba Falls plunges through a canyon right next to the town.
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North Shore - Charlevoix.
Explore the Charlevoix region northeast of Québec City from the Montmorency Falls, the famous Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre basilica, further on to Baie-Saint-Paul and to La Malbaie, a landscape made famous by Québec painters. See their work in Baie-Saint-Paul’s many galleries, then stop in at farms, cheesemakers and restaurants serving farm-to-table cuisine with views of the St. Lawrence River.
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Saguenay Fjord and Whale Watching.
No matter on which shores of spectacular Saguenay Fjord you cycle, you can spot Beluga and Minke whales, hike or kayak the fjord. One doesn’t need to board an expensive zodiac, whales are easily to observe from the shore at sunrise or after sunset. Observe St. Lawrence Belugas in Sainte-Marguerite Bay all summer long. Walk to the lookout to see if you can spot the whales! From May to October many types of Whales are abundant, especially in the area between Tadoussac and Rimouski.
Experienced cyclists may take on the Cols du Fjord, a three-day, challenging cycling excursion! Others want to pedal leisurely the Blueberry Route in the Saguenay-Lac Saint-Jean region. Wild blueberries in late summer and a flat, paved route around Lac Saint-Jean make cycling a delicious and relaxing experience.
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Where is La Belle Province, Quebec? It's Canada's second largest province by area. Quebec is bordered to the west by the province of Ontario, James Bay, and Hudson Bay; to the north by Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay; to the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador; in the south it is bordered by the Canadian province of New Brunswick and the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York.
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All photos by Doris-Maria Heilmann. Read also:
http://www.marvelous-canada.blogspot.ca/2011/12/hull-quebec-or-gatineau-canada.html
http://www.marvelous-canada.blogspot.ca/2010/06/most-beautiful-villages-of-quebec.html
http://www.marvelous-canada.blogspot.ca/2009/11/st-lawrence-river-whales.html
