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Tadoussac
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One of Canada's oldest villages,
TADOUSSAC
is beautifully situated beneath the rounded hills that gave the place its name - it comes from the Algonquian word
tatoushak
, meaning "breasts". Basque whalers were the first Europeans to live here and by the time Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 Tadoussac was a thriving trading post. The mid-nineteenth century saw Tadoussac evolve into a popular summer resort for the anglophone bourgeoisie: the first hotel opened in 1846 and by the 1860s steamer-loads of rich anglophones were arriving every summer to escape the heat of the city. Nowadays it's the best place in Quebec for
whale-watching
. Pop into
La Croisiere
, 231 des Pionniers, who have full information and sell tickets (at the same price as the companies) for all the available trips; you can also compare directly down at the quay. If you can't afford a boat trip take the short hike around the Pointe de l'Islet from the marina, which has lookout points for whale-watching. Late June is a good time to be here, when traditional Quebecois folk singers, jazz pianists and rock guitarists all play a part in the popular
Festival de la Chanson
.
The waterfront rue de Bord-de-l'Eau is dominated by the red roof and green lawns of the Hotel Tadoussac , a landmark in Tadoussac since 1864 and the focus of the historic quarter. Across the road is the oldest wooden church in Canada, the tiny Chapelle de Tadoussac (late June to early Oct daily 8am-9pm; $2), built in 1747; visits are possible out of season by reservation (tel 235-4324). Tucked on the other side of the hotel, the steep-roofed wooden Poste de Traite Chauvin (daily: May, June & Oct 9am-noon & 3-6pm; July-Sept 9am-9pm; $2.75) exactly replicates - right down to the handmade nails - the first trading post on the north shore of the St Lawrence as described in Champlain's 1603 diary. It houses a small museum of beaver pelts and bits and pieces pertaining to the fur trade, but a peek in from the doorway will suffice. Following the waterfront towards the harbour brings you to the modern Centre d'Interpretation des Mammiferes Marins , 108 rue de la Cale-Seche (daily: mid-May to mid-June & late Sept to late Oct noon-5pm; mid-June to late Sept 9am-8pm; www.gremm.org ; $5.50), run by the nonprofit Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM). This is a must if you intend to go whale-watching, as its excellent documentary films and displays explain the life cycles of the whales in the St Lawrence and the efforts being made to save their ever-diminishing numbers. The small, but informative Musee Maritime de Tadoussac , back near the ferry terminal at 145 rue du Bateau-Passeur (July-Sept daily 9am-5pm; $2), has exhibits on the history of shipbuilding and navigation in the area.
The Tadoussac sector of the
Parc du Saguenay
offers some easy
hikes
around the village and a 42km trek to Baie-Ste-Marguerite further along the fjord; an
information office
(mid-June to Sept daily 9am-5pm) in the car park just after the ferry terminal supplies maps of the trails. From near the Chapelle there is a two-hour walk along the beach - you should check what time the tide rolls in as you'll have to clamber over rocks at high tide. It ends northeast of Tadoussac at the long terraced
sand dunes
on the Baie du Moulin-Baude, known locally as
le desert
. To reach the 112-metre-high dunes, you can also follow chemin du Moulin-Baude for 5km to the interpretive centre, the Maison des Dunes (mid-June to mid-Oct daily 9am-5pm; free). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Canada,
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