Accommodation is readily available in Chicoutimi, as the town hosts a variety of business conferences all year round. Budget rooms can be obtained through the college CEGEP de Chicoutimi , 534 rue Jacques-Cartier est (tel 549-9520 ext 258 or 257; up to $40), in the summer. Auberge Centre-Ville , 104 rue Jacques-Cartier est (tel 543-0253; $40-60), is a small, central hotel with cheap rates for rooms with shared bath, while Le Montagnais , 1080 boul Talbot (tel 543-1521 or 1-800/463-9160, www.lemontagnais.qc.ca ; $80-100), is a modern hotel further out.

There are numerous small restaurants on rue Racine, east of the tourist office. Recommended are La Cuisine Cafe-Resto at no. 387, which has French food in the $10-20 range; Au Cafe Croissant at no. 400 is good for light lunches. For a better class of meal, La Bourgresse , 260 rue Riverin (tel 543-3178), serves French cuisine for $20-40. Most nightlife is also located on rue Racine - the bars   Pub Avenue at no. 381 and L'International Cafe-Bar at no. 460 and the disco   Le Loft Dansing also at no. 460 are all young, lively spots.

Croisiere Marjolaine (tel 543-7630 or 1-800/363-7248) offer summer cruises ($34.75) on the Saguenay as far as Cap Trinite, stopping both ways at Ste-Rose-du-Nord , where they provide a coach back to Chicoutimi on the morning run (in the afternoon, the first Chicoutimi-Ste-Rose-du-Nord leg is by coach). Finally, the town is host to one of the best of Quebec's festivals . For the ten-day Carnaval Souvenir in mid-February, what seems like the entire population dresses in costumes from circa 1900; lumber camps, can-can clubs, operetta shows and the period-authentic-heavy drinking, augment the pioneer atmosphere.