The youth hostel (tel 862-7566 or 1-800/461-8585; up to $40), on the same street at no. 46, occupies an attractive wooden building with ornate banisters and balustrades. A similarly inexpensive and equally convenient option is the CA?GEP , 325 rue St-Pierre (tel 862-6903 ext 282; up to $40), a college residence offering 100 spartan rooms throughout the summer. Motels and hotels include the bargain-basement Motel au Vieux Piloteux , 185 Fraser (tel 867-2635; $40-60). More agreeably, the Auberge de la Pointe , 10 boul Cartier (tel 862-3514 or 1-800/463-1222; $60-80), has comfortable rooms and its own health spa. Two magnificent B&Bs are virtually across from each other on a gorgeous tree-lined stretch of Hwy 132 west of town: Auberge La Sabline , 343 rue Fraser (tel 867-4890; $60-80), and the summer residence of Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. MacDonald, Les Rochers , at no. 336 (tel 868-1435; $80-100). The municipal campsite , exit 507 from Hwy 20 (tel 862-4281; $17 a pitch; mid-May to late Sept), is off Hwy 132, near the harbour.

Pricey restaurants abound in the centre of town - Le St-Patrice , 169 rue Fraser, being among the best and devoted to serving regional produce. A walk down rue Lafontaine, near the river, reveals less expensive alternatives - the best value is La Gourmande at no. 120, where salads and vegetarian meals average about $11, though things get more pricey in the evenings; closer to the pier, Aux Boucaneux offers seafood in a funny little restaurant fronted by a teepee and an Indian head. Les Jardins de Lotus , no. 334, is your last chance to get Asian food on the peninsula. In the evenings, the bright young things of RiviA?re-du-Loup gather at L'Estaminet , 299 rue Lafontaine, a bar with 150 types of beer.