In Montreal, it sometimes seems that everything you need to get through the summer is available on the island – the tam-tams, our iced matchas, the music stages of summer festivals, the markets, the terraces of microbreweries, the botanical gardens…
But not far from us, just a 45-minute drive (or 1? hours by public transport with the REM and two buses), you can take a stroll through a delightful little town, where in August you can see the iconic International Balloon Festival.
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is a small town in the Haut-Richelieu region of Montérégie, on the banks of the Richelieu River. Historically, it was a Canadian transportation hub – Canada’s first railroad, linking Saint-Jean to La Prairie, was inaugurated in 1836. Its port activity, in addition to its rail activity, made it the main gateway to Canada-US trade.
It’s also a mecca for Canadian military history, and you can visit the Fort Saint-Jean Museum, on the site of the Collège Militaire Royal de Saint-Jean, which has been established here for over 350 years.
The town lies between the Richelieu and St. Lawrence rivers, and to get there – if you’re on the road by car – you have to drive through fields.
Across the fields
When you’re out and about in the region, whether by bike or by car, you absolutely must visit the farms and country tables – for a real afternoon in the countryside.
For cyclists (and those who like to put flowers picked up on the side of the road in their little basket hanging from the handlebars – it’s not a race, after all) there are 300km of roads and cycle paths in the region, and plenty of circuits starting from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
The region’s cycling guide is here!
For a break, a glass of wine or a gourmet picnic to be eaten with the grass caressing your ankles and between two applications of sunscreen, there’s the organic vineyard Le Mas des Patriotes, which offers a tasting of all their wines for $20/person.
Then there’s Ferme Bika, where you can sample the farm-to-table cuisine of Turkish-Canadian chef Fisun Ercan in a restaurant ranked among Canada’s top 100 restaurants.
The tasting menu is $185+tax for dinner and $135+tax for lunch, and it’s an experience with a taste of Bika’s garden. You can also reserve a place in one of their culinary workshops…
We’ve got a list of pick-your-own farms (with harvest dates to check before you drop in, to avoid disappointment!);
- Les Fraises Louis Hébert, for strawberries
- Les Jardins de Versailles, Bleu Élixir and Le Bleuésime, for blueberries
- Les Vergers Pierre Tremblay et fils, le Verger Henryville and les Vergers et cidrerie Charbonneau, for apples
As for the rest, our new favorite website is the Haut-Richelieu agri-food directory, which you can visit here to plan your visit without missing a thing.
The International Balloon Festival
This year’s festival (which is also a music festival as well as a hot-air balloon festival) will be held on the weekends of August 8-10 and August 14-17.
This year, in addition to hundreds of hot-air balloons taking to the skies above Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, there will be performances by Star Académie, Marie-Mai, T-Pain and Diplo (among others)…
We love the fact that the festival announces its lineup in two posts; one with the musical artists, and one with the hot-air balloon pilots who will be taking part.
Tickets are already on sale, because the festival is incredibly popular in the region! Prices vary from day to day, with general admission ranging from $45 to $70. You can also rent a place in the camping area for $30.44 a night ($91.31 on weekends).
For the full program and tickets, visit the festival website here!
Enjoy your visit and the festival!