Spring is coming, and in Quebec, that means it’s time to go for a drive in the countryside. When the snow melts and the ground thaws, you suddenly smell the scent of pine trees and wet earth, taste the salt of the river and the sweetness of the first blades of grass.
While we’re all fans of road trips, sometimes taking a train is more economical—and much more romantic. Taking the train to the Lower St. Lawrence, which follows the St. Lawrence River to its mouth in the north, offers the most beautiful views of the cold water.
You also have access to villages whereyou can take a boat to visit the fjords of the North Shore, and it’s much more eco-friendly.
Departing from Montreal, ViaRail makes four stops in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region:
- Rivière-du-Loup (one of the major towns in Kamouraska)
- Rimouski (from where you can access Bic National Park)
- Mont-Joli
- Matapédia (at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula)
Traveling by train
Quebec, during the colonial era and beyond, was for a very long time a region defined by its railways.
Whether we’re talking about the neighborhoods of Montreal that were formed around the immigrant populations who built the railroads, or the North Shore as a commercial highway by land and water, railroads have been of paramount importance in shaping Canada as it is today.
Today, we don’t take the train as often—and that has obviously transformed the experience into an absolute romantic getaway. Whether it’s the Quebec City-Montreal line (always late) or the Montreal-New York train,each journey is spent gazing into the distance and engaging in an almost gothic form of forced meditation.
Practical Information
Tickets to the Lower St. Lawrence region cost around CAD$80-100, and you can purchase them (in advance, as it’s always cheaper and better) on the ViaRail website—here!
Have a great train trip!