Winter stopover in Gaspé | The Press

Stormed by tourists in the summer, the Gaspé coast sometimes seems asleep in the heart of winter. With its CEGEP and its many service centres, Gaspé remains very much alive. Some ideas to spend some time there before or after off-piste skiing.

Simon Chabot
The Press

Forillon National Park and Le Griffon Cultural Center

The city of Gaspé extends over a territory of more than 1300 km² which is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Quebec, including the cliffs of Forillon National Park. The park is closed in the winter, but volunteers maintain a few trails for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and fat biking (fatbike), in the mountains and on the coast, notably that of La Taïga, in the Bay of Gaspé. Good to know: the Le Griffon Cultural Centre, housed in a former cold store in L’Anse-au-Griffon, lends snowshoes for free. On weekends, the Café de l’Anse also serves meals, including hearty lunches. Along the way, you can also admire the magnificent Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse.

557 Griffon Blvd.

Oh the breads and Café des Artistes

Rue de la Reine brings together most of the most popular addresses in Gaspé. For lunch, the Oh les pains bakery, open from Wednesday to Saturday during the cold season, offers small pizzas, a soup of the day and excellent desserts (sugar and maple pie, cheesecake and with sea buckthorn, etc.). The breads and croissants also look very good…perfect with a coffee for a breakfast on the go. Another option: the Café des Artistes, in the same street, which is open every day until 3 p.m. in winter. You can have lunch there with a viennoiserie or a bagel with smoked salmon, for example, and have dinner with a very nutritious sandwich, served with a soup of the day and a coffee, the beans of which are roasted on site.

Oh the breads: 114B, rue de la Reine

Café des Artistes: 101, rue de la Reine

ocean liner

The Montreal café Paquebot opened a branch in Gaspé last fall. The menu is still short, but the coffee machine is already well established. The place also organizes happy hours to discover natural wines by the glass. A boutique corner has good bottles, beers and everything you need to make excellent coffee yourself.

123 Queen Street

Gaspé flavors market

Quebec cheeses, charcuterie, snacks and local beers… the Marché des Saveurs Gaspésiennes offers a wide selection of fine products. Ideal for stocking up for a walk in nature or before hitting the road. Keep an eye out for arrivals from the famous Gaspé microbrewery Auval. If the fridges are empty, find out, the owners may agree to give you a call to let you know when the next bottles are on sale…

119 Queen Street

Stubborn

The Baker Hotel restaurant is home to the Tétû “Gaspesian tavern”. The menu is varied, from morning brunches to evening Neapolitan pizzas. There are also burgers, poutines, pasta and, Gaspésie oblige, seafood products. The fish tacos are prepared with responsibly caught cod. In the evening, the atmosphere can be reminiscent of a sports brasserie. During our visit, the clientele was rather old (no CEGEP students in sight). Another option for dinner, still on rue de la Reine, is the classic bistro Brise-Bise, which is open all year round.

Stubborn: 178 Queen Street

Brise-Bise: 135 Queen Street

Inn under the trees

Room prices are more affordable in Gaspé in winter. The Inn under the trees offers its own, with a decor reminiscent of the bourgeois houses of the beginning of the XX^and century (think floral wallpapers, velvet curtains and armchairs, antique furniture…), from $110 a night. And in our quiet room, the mattress was particularly comfortable…

146 Queen Street