Jonathan Quenneville

Pour lire cet article en français, cliquez ici.

So you like beer, you’re outdoorsy, and you want to do the amazing Montreal to Gaspe road trip?

You love to plan your trips, but having a well-curated and organized list of things to do and to see along the way would be GREAT, because it would save you so much time and effort… RIGHT?

If this is you, this post is for you!

I’m about to present to you a massive list of all the places you cannot miss in your upcoming road trip Montreal Gaspesie, as well as:

• At least one activity idea.
• One microbrew to NOT miss.
• One recommended beer.

Without further ado, let’s get started with the list of the BEST places to stop during your Montreal to Gaspe road trip:

Québec City:

What to do? Walk around old city. It is super touristy but truly beautiful and you’ll feel a good vibe.

Microbrew to visit: I highly recommend Noctem Artisans Brasseurs.

Suggested beer: La Catnip if you are into Hoppy IPA’s 

l’Île d’Orléans

What to do? Rent a bike or a scooter and ride around the Island coast. You will find many local food spots along the way and maybe you can even stop to do some fruit picking.

Microbrew to visit: Microbrasserie de l’Île d’Orléans.

Suggested beer: La Suzanne Marceau.

La Pocatière

What to do? visit The Biggest Labyrinth in the world . Or go get some rest at camping de la batture Sebka.

Microbrew to visit: Ras Le Bock or Aux Fous Brassants.

Suggested beer: La Glou Glou (Ras Le Bock) or La Rasade (Aux fous Brassants)

Le Bic National Park 

What to do? Go for a hike in the mountains and breathe the fresh air of St-Laurent. Appreciate this natural beauty and maybe you’ll get lucky and even see some seals.

This place is truly beautiful and you will want to spend the whole day. Which is perfect, as there is a great camping site! 

Microbrew to visit:  Tête d’Allumette.

Suggested beer: La blanche tête ou La tête carrée.

Rimouski

What to do?  Some people say it is not a MUST but real connoseurs will tell you that visiting Canyon des portes de l’enfer, l’île Saint Barnabé and the historical site at la pointe au père are totally worth it.  

Microbrew to visit:  Le Bien, le Malt.

Suggested beer: Cappy if you like Imperial Stouts or Gordon if you prefer IPA’s.

Matane

What to do? Wild salmon river catch , hike in Appalaches trail to admire species from the Réserve Faunique de Matane (wildlife sanctuary), or visit François-Gagnon Covered Bridge.

Microbrew to visit:  La Fabrique.

Suggested beer: La Gros Char 

Bonus suggested food: Classic Poutine or Fabrique Special Poutine

Matane

What to do?  3 words for you: Le. Mont. Albert.

You have many ways to explore this mountain:

• Hiking: You will have to get up early because it could take up to 8 hours to climb the mountain (up and down) and you will probably want to spend some time up there and have a picnic.
• On a Jeep: Extrême Chics-Chocs proposes Safaris for 140$ per person. 
• Climbing and rappelling: Eskamer Adventure offers this solution.
• Flying! : the company Vue du Ciel offers hang-gliding at at nearby mountain called Mont-St-Pierre.

If you are not into hiking or extreme sports, you will like to visit Exploramer Aquarium as a more laid back option.

Microbrew to visit:  Le Bien, le Malt. 

Suggested beer: L’avalanche 

Gaspé

What to do? Forillon National Park is a MUST. 

It’s amazing and you can spend many days in it.

They have nice camping spots and a loooooot of activities such as: hiking at a trail called “Au bout du monde trail”, bike rides, penouille beach, kayaking with seals, snorkelling with seals, paddle boarding, etc.

You can’t get bored!

Microbrew to visit: Frontibus et Cap Gaspé 

Recommended beers: La Saison Aux Trèfles Rouges (Frontibus) et La Belle Baie (Cap Gaspé) 

Bonus suggested food: chez Cathy snack offers old school American style drive in food. Their poutine is fantastic, and their crab or lobster guédilles are to die for!

Percé

What to do?  Many options for you here:

• Le Rocher Percé : very touristy but totally worth it.  Enjoy the moment!
• La maison du pêcheur: Please go to this restaurant, but make sure you reserve far in advance because it gets filled really quickly!
• Whale cruise: super fun but it’s not guaranteed that you’ll see any whales.

NOTE: the Campgrounds at Percé are VERRRRRY popular… Book your spot in advance!

Bonaventure Island

A good alternative is also to go to Bonaventure Island and watch the biggest gannets colony in the world. It’s very impressive!

During your boat trip towards the Island, you may see some whales, yay!!

Don’t forget to take a deep breath, meditate and relax for at least 30 minutes, as you contemplate this breathtaking scene!

This is an important step to recharge your batteries and be ready for the remaining places to visit.

Finally, another interesting activity option is to do some is sea kayak or go for a quick swim at Rivière aux émeraudes.

Microbrew to visit: Auval et Pit Caribou.

Recommended beers: La Nordet at Auval if they have some… all beers are fantastic so take out the maximum you can because it sells out so fast, there are limits per visit!

At Pit Caribou, you have two options: you go to the pub to drink right there on the spot, or you go to the factory and grab some bottles and cans to go. Your choice. Try La Saison C if you like funky flavors 🙂

Chandler

(pronounced tchandleuwr).  

What to do? Visit Nova Lumina. It’s a night trail in the forest designed by Moment Factory with lots of light and sound effects that will take you out of this world!

During the day, while waiting for your Nova Lumina experience, you may go kayaking a little bit.

Microbrew to visit: Wait a minute here! The next destination has a really nice spot. Or drink some of the beers from Auval that you picked up earlier!

La Baie Des Chaleurs

What to do? Go to the  beach at Newport or go for sport fishing by boat. However, I highly recommend you visit la rivière Bonaventure because it has one of the clearest waters in the world.

This is a MUST, unless the weather is really sh*tty.

At this point, your road trip Montreal Gaspesie is coming to an end. But there are other good places to visit on your way back to the city.

La Baie des Chaleurs (aka the “bay of warmth”) is the warmest part of Gaspésie. 

Here are few places to stop: 

• New Richmond for multicultural aspect
• Gesgapegiag to eat a delicious lobster roll at a Lobster Hut. 
• Le village Nouvelle for wild trout and salmon river catch
• Hike in the forest or do some canoeing over la Matapédia or la Patapédia river.

Microbrew to visit: Le Naufrageur.

Recommended beer: La Calico Jack ou la Coco Mango  

Bonus suggested food: La Mie Véritable, a bakery where you can choose from about 18 delicious fresh homemade breads!

Amqui

What to do? Pass over the Circuit du patrimoine bâti Matapédien bridge and go to La Captive microbrew for some well deserved rest! 

Microbrew to visit: Microbrasserie La Captive.

Recommended beer: La Pilleuse.

One Last Bonus: Max’s Tips

As I was writing this list, I asked my good friend Maxime (Montrealer who’s been living in Gaspé for the last 4 years) to get some feedback, and he APPROVES!

He also decided to add some of his own tips, as he often has to do the trip Montreal-Gaspé by car.

Whether you prefer my tips or those from Max, you now have everything you need to do an amazing road trip Montreal Gaspesie: many activity ideas, good beer spots and even some food suggestions!

If you need a vehicle to do this beautiful Montreal to Gaspe road trip, we offer campervan rental services from Verdun, Montréal

It’s your chance to test the vanlife without having to fully commit to it for long term…

Our Toyota Sienna camper vans are perfect for these kinds of roadtrips (Montreal Gaspesie). Besides, we are very generous with our included mileage 🙂 . Click here to learn more about all the inclusions and pricing.

You can save time in your road trip Montreal Gaspesie when you try the minivan camping car experience (

Let’s be real messing around with a tent isn’t always thaaat fun!

Ready to take action? Click here to tell us more about your travel project. It’ll be a pleasure to give you a quote, so you can make the best decision for your next trip.