When the snow melts and the ground thaws, suddenly you smell the scent of pine trees and wet earth, and you taste the salt of the river and the softness 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 Bas-Saint-Laurent region, which follows the St. Lawrence River all the way to its mouth in the north, offers the most beautiful views of the cold water.
Departing from Montreal, ViaRail makes four stops in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region:
- Rivière-du-Loup (one of the major cities in Kamouraska)
- Rimouski (from where you can accessBic National Park)
- Mont-Joli
- Matapédia (at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula)
Wake up in Matapédia, surrounded by nature
If you board the train in Montreal at 6:30 p.m., you’ll wake up in Matapédia at 5:35 a.m.
Matapédia is a municipality at the very tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, named after the Matapédia River, which joins the Restigouche River near the town.
It’s one of the most beautiful places in Quebec for ATV enthusiasts (those small 4x4s for off-road driving in the forest) and for those who love hunting and fishing.
For more info or for a weekend getaway, we recommend the Auberge de la Rivière Matapédia—here!
For those who just want to wander, get lost (with a map to find your way back, of course) in the forest, and for those who desperately need a dose of nature this spring, there are some beautiful walks to take;
- the Belvédère des Deux-Rivières
- the Horizon des Rêves Lookout
- the Picot Falls
Practical Information
Tickets to the Bas-Saint-Laurent region cost around $100 CAD, and to book them (in advance—it’s always cheaper and better), visit the ViaRail website—here!
Enjoy your train ride!
