It feels like France, but a France gone wild. Yes, there are châteaux - you'll stay in one - and gourmet cuisine and rich Gallic culture. But complementing the refinement is a palpable sense of adventure, pushing boundaries, exploration, fun. Québec's untamable spirit. The glacier-carved fjords, wooded capes and arctic tundra exude it. The St. Lawrence Iroquoians and Jacques Cartier felt it. Now it's your turn. Unleash your intrepid self on a zip-line flight. Kayak alongside beluga whales. Revel in superb wine, fresh apple cider and elegant Québec City.
Days 1-2 Explore Tadoussac,
Canada's oldest village, set on a crescent harbor 
Sample delicious artisan cheese from a local sheep farm and fromagerie Play on sand dunes left behind by age-old glacier activity Kayak the mighty St. Lawrence River alongside vibrant marine life that call this river home.
Day 3 Whales at two o'clock!
Look for breaching beluga, minke and fin whales during a boat ride with a naturalist Hike through the Charlevoix, where the pristine landscape offers extraordinary views of the winding Rivière Noire Kids take to the air on a zip-line adventure before heading to Poterie de Port-au-Persil for a hands-on pottery-making lesson.
Day 4 Ferry to Isle-aux-Coudres
for an idyllic spin past stone cottages, historic churches and picturesque farmland Visit Papeterie St. Gilles, a paper mill that uses cotton to produce their unique paper products Learn about the region's rich nautical heritage at the open-air Charlevoix Maritime Museum.
Days 5-6 Historic Québec City, North America's only remaining fortified city, with impressive architecture and French heritage
The youngsters ride a gondola to the top of Mont Ste-Anne for a short walk and lofty views of Île d'Orléans - where adults are biking today Kids don their chef hats and aprons for a cooking and dessert-decorating lesson Adults explore old Québec on a gastronomic walking tour of town.
Trip Highlights
- Ride bucolic roads, stopping to visit artisans, organic farmers and a cider house
- Kayak along the mighty St. Lawrence River
- Hikes in the World Biosphere Reserve of Charlevoix
- Kids have their own fun riding zip-lines, making pottery and decorating desserts
- Historic Québec City, with impressive architecture and French heritage
Premiere & Casual Inns
Hotel Tadoussac (2 nights): Scenically perched above the Saguenay Fjord, this historic hotel offers incredible views of the fjord, where whales can often be spotted breaching. (pool, spa)
Fairmont le Manoir Richelieu (2 nights): Nestled majestically between sea and mountains, this "Castle on the Cliff" combines quiet countryside charm with world-class elegance. Travel + Leisure World's Best. (pool, spa, golf)
Auberge Saint-Antoine
(1 night): Located in a former 17th-century warehouse and skillfully blending history and modern sophistication, an impressive property with 300-year-old beams, slate floors and artifacts discovered during construction. A Relais & Châteaux member. Condé Nast Traveler Gold List; Travel +
Leisure World's Best. (spa)
Routes For All Abilities
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of
interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one
day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat
from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each
day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
| Daily Route Options | |||||||||||
| Day | Activity | EASYGOING | ACTIVE | AVID | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | |||||||
| miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | ||
| 1 | Walking | 4.1* | 500 | ||||||||
| 2 | Biking | 7 | 100 | ||||||||
| Walking | 1.9 | 100 | |||||||||
| Kayaking | On the St. Lawrence River (2.5 hours) | ||||||||||
| 3 | Walking | 2.9 | 700 | ||||||||
| Other | Whale-watching excursion (2.5 hours) | ||||||||||
| Kids | Zip-line adventure (1 hour) | ||||||||||
| Kids | Pottery activity (1 hour) | ||||||||||
| 4 | Biking | 7* | 200 | ||||||||
| Biking | 10* | 100 | |||||||||
| Biking | 14 | 100 | |||||||||
| Biking | 17 | 100 | |||||||||
| Other | Musée Maritime de Charlevoix visit (30 minutes) | ||||||||||
| 5 | Biking | 17* | 200 | 31 | 500 | 41 | 500 | ||||
| Kids | Activities at Mont Sainte Anne (including a scenic gondola ride and canyoneering) | ||||||||||
| 6 | Biking | 6 | 400 | ||||||||
| Other | Gastronomic walking tour of Old Québec (2.5 hours) | ||||||||||
| Kids | Cooking class at Espace MC (2 hours) | ||||||||||
* Includes a shuttle
2013 Dates & Pricing*
FAMILY TRIPS
- 7/14-19 Price: $3098 pp dbl. occ., (+ $810 for sgl. occ.)
- 7/21-26 Price: $3298 pp dbl. occ., (+ $810 for sgl. occ.)
- 8/4-9 Price: $3098 pp dbl. occ., (+ $810 for sgl. occ.)
- 8/11-16 Price: $3198 pp dbl. occ., (+ $810 for sgl. occ.)
*Prices may change. Once you book your trip, your price is guaranteed.
Recommended Kids Ages
Minimum Ages:
- Recommended minimum age for the trip: 6 years
- Minimum age restriction to ride own bike: 9 years
- Minimum age restriction for kayaking, climbing and canyoneering: 6 years
- There is a height restriction for the zip-lining
- No burleys available on this trip
General Info on Minimum Ages:
We strongly encourage families to join our Family Trips, designed with kid- and adult-friendly features. Please note that we have a minimum age requirement of 1 year for all Inn trips and 2 years for all Camping trips. Other than that, we do not restrict trips to a minimum age except in the rare case of a hotel age restriction. We do, however, recommend minimum ages based on the following criteria:- 12+ amount of cultural appreciation, difficulty of activities, routes
- 9+ difficulty of activities/activity age restrictions, routes
- 6+ several longer dinners; routes are difficult for pulling a Burley and therefore not appropriate for younger children; difficulty of activities/activity age restrictions
Guest Trip Reviews
I cannot say enough about the fantastic time my family and I had this past week on our Quebec trip. It is almost 1 a.m. in the morning and time to hit the hay, but I am still coming off such a wonderful high that I didn't want to go to sleep until I shared my feelings. Sometimes everything just lines up....the weather, the people, the food, the moment in time when all is at peace. When Backroads takes over, you know you don't have to worry. The company stands for quality and you came through again. I am impressed with the talent you hire. I feel it is a one-week show and all the actors know their parts. You have a well-oiled machine and we just have to show up. We are hooked! It is only where and when we will be together again.- Plantation, FL