Quebec | Ideas for getaways to end the winter well

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Fancy a getaway to enjoy the last moments of the winter season in Quebec? See our suggestions.


Massif du Sud: a (less and less) well-kept secret

  • The descent into the Enclave sector of the Massif du Sud regional park is gentle and predictable, but nonetheless exhilarating!

    PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS

    The descent into the Enclave sector of the Massif du Sud regional park is gentle and predictable, but nonetheless exhilarating!

  • Our guide at the Massif du Sud Regional Park Michel Larrivee has told us many times: you have to know how to save your strength during the climb because it is essential to have enough energy to master your turns downhill.

    PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS

    Our guide at the Massif du Sud Regional Park Michel Larrivee has told us many times: you have to know how to save your strength during the climb because it is essential to have enough energy to master your turns downhill.

  • Our Massif du Sud ski resort guide, Amélie Dumas-Aubé, shows us the Extreme zone, characterized by sections of slope inclined at almost 60 degrees.

    PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS

    Our Massif du Sud ski resort guide, Amélie Dumas-Aubé, shows us the Extreme zone, characterized by sections of slope inclined at almost 60 degrees.

  • The Massif du Sud ski resort is located on the northern slope of Mont du Midi, the main summit of the Notre-Dame mountains, the highest mountains between Mont Bélanger, in the Eastern Townships, and the Chic- Shocks, in Gaspésie.

    PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS

    The Massif du Sud ski resort is located on the northern slope of Mont du Midi, the main summit of the Notre-Dame mountains, the highest mountains between Mont Bélanger, in the Eastern Townships, and the Chic- Shocks, in Gaspésie.

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The best kept secret. This is what you can read in the Massif du Sud tourist resort ski guide. Indeed, the place is often confused with the other massif, that of Charlevoix. However, the pearl of the Appalachians has absolutely nothing to envy to its cousin across the river.

Quebec and its gourmet crown

Tourism in Quebec has returned to its pre-pandemic level. Hotels are posting similar occupancy rates to 2019 and the Winter Wonderland promotion is in full swing. Want to stay there while avoiding the hustle and bustle? The crown is full of pretty nuggets.

Lifted by the belly

  • Ready to assemble, Alicia Sanchez's gourmet boards are portioned for two, four or six people. You can also eat on site, the café has around twenty seats and a counter frequently used for wine tastings.

    PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS

    Ready to assemble, Alicia Sanchez’s gourmet boards are portioned for two, four or six people. You can also eat on site, the café has around twenty seats and a counter frequently used for wine tastings.

  • You won't find an IPA smoothie or pastry stout at Le Corsaire, which sticks to the classics. This does not prevent brewers from arriving regularly with new brews, offered at the La Traverse pub, at the Lauzon tasting room, but also at Justine, a new speakeasy recently opened by Martin Vaillancourt, in Old Quebec.

    PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS

    We will not find IPA smoothie or of pastry stout at the Corsair, which relies on the classics. This does not prevent brewers from arriving regularly with new brews, offered at the La Traverse pub, at the Lauzon tasting room, but also at Justine, a new speakeasy recently opened by Martin Vaillancourt, in Old Quebec.

  • Served hot, Jeff the baker's donuts are light as air and taste like heaven. It's one of the Lévis artisan's most prized specialties: “Often, they don't come home,” warns the friendly baker.

    PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS

    Served hot, Jeff the baker’s donuts are light as air and taste like heaven. It’s one of the Lévis artisan’s most prized specialties: “Often, they don’t come home,” warns the friendly baker.

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Treasures of Wendake and the western suburbs

  • It has been almost a year since French chef Marc de Passorio took charge of the kitchen at La Traite, the gourmet restaurant of the First Nations Hotel-Museum in Wendake.

    PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS

    It has been almost a year since French chef Marc de Passorio took charge of the kitchen at La Traite, the gourmet restaurant of the First Nations Hotel-Museum in Wendake.

  • Farine Basilic is well established in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, but the fact remains that the majority of the pasta cooked in the huge kitchen in the basement is intended for restaurants in the Quebec region – we are told, however, that the reputation of Émie Bain's creations could soon lead her to shine much further.

    PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS

    Farine Basilic is well established in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, but the fact remains that the majority of the pasta cooked in the huge kitchen in the basement is intended for restaurants in the Quebec region – we are told, however, that the reputation of Émie Bain’s creations could soon lead her to shine much further.

  • Established six months ago in the heart of Vieux-Cap-Rouge, Ambre is led by Étienne Nadeau, a young 29-year-old chef who made a name for himself in Quebec City with his Recipes Paumées street food trucks and El Gordito Tacos Truck. Étienne Nadeau applies the concept of seasonal cuisine to the letter.

    PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS

    Established six months ago in the heart of Vieux-Cap-Rouge, Ambre is led by Étienne Nadeau, a young 29-year-old chef who made a name for himself in Quebec City with his Recipes Paumées street food trucks and El Gordito Tacos Truck. Étienne Nadeau applies the concept of seasonal cuisine to the letter.

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Sweets from the Jacques-Cartier Valley

  • Developed and maintained by the teams of the Entourage-sur-le-Lac hotel, the Lac Beauport skating rink stretches over nearly 3 km in a bucolic setting, 20 minutes from downtown Quebec City.

    PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS

    Developed and maintained by the teams of the Entourage-sur-le-Lac hotel, the Lac Beauport skating rink stretches over nearly 3 km in a bucolic setting, 20 minutes from downtown Quebec City.

  • The dining room of the La Souche microbrewery bistro in Stoneham can accommodate 140 customers – we add as many on the terrace in the summer. It offers a menu that differs from the original branch in the Limoilou district: “The veggie sandwich is more popular here, underlines co-owner Olivier Giguère. The slates also allow us to test new dishes. We try to source locally. For example, we have a large back garden, which provides us with fresh vegetables during the summer. »

    PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS

    The dining room of the La Souche microbrewery bistro in Stoneham can accommodate 140 customers – we add as many on the terrace in the summer. It offers a menu that differs from the original branch in the Limoilou district: “The veggie sandwich is more popular here, underlines co-owner Olivier Giguère. The slates also allow us to test new dishes. We try to source locally. For example, we have a large back garden, which provides us with fresh vegetables during the summer. »

  • PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, THE PRESS

    “We have 25 kinds of bread, but around a hundred products in all,” explains Charlie Tribouillard, pastry chef at Pascal le Boulanger. We also have homemade jams, fifteen kinds of sorbets and ice creams. For the pastry, we try to change regularly, we add a pastry item every two or three months, the same goes for the cakes that we replace as we go along. »

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Winter adventures in Charlevoix

  • The famous suspension bridge of the Palissades via ferrata

    PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS

    The famous suspension bridge of the Palissades via ferrata

  • Dogs are happy to go on an adventure.

    PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS

    Dogs are happy to go on an adventure.

  • We go on an adventure on surprisingly changing ice: sometimes covered with snow, sometimes smooth, sometimes cracked, sometimes superimposed in small mounds, sometimes covered with a little water.

    PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS

    We go on an adventure on surprisingly changing ice: sometimes covered with snow, sometimes smooth, sometimes cracked, sometimes superimposed in small mounds, sometimes covered with a little water.

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Charlevoix is ​​a land of adventures. This is true for summer, it is also true for winter. And behind these experiences, there are passionate people. Story of a trip to Charlevoix that revolves around dog sledding, via ferrata and ice canoeing.

North Hatley welcomes a public sauna to its municipal beach

The promoters of the floating sauna project at the MacPherson dock in Magog operate a mobile sauna on the site of the North Hatley municipal beach, on Lake Massawippi.

Chelsea: village stay 15 minutes from Ottawa

  • The Biscotti, in Chelsea, is as welcoming by day as it is by night.

    PHOTO PATRICK WOODBURY, THE RIGHT

    The Biscotti, in Chelsea, is as welcoming by day as it is by night.

  • The Village Lofts are a new place to stay in Chelsea.

    PHOTO PATRICK WOODBURY, THE RIGHT

    The Village Lofts are a new place to stay in Chelsea.

  • The Chelsea Pub is an institution in the village.

    PHOTO PATRICK WOODBURY, THE RIGHT

    The Chelsea Pub is an institution in the village.

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Fifteen minutes from Ottawa, there is a very pretty village that not only deserves a detour, but also a stay, Chelsea. Here, you can spend the morning exploring Gatineau Park on cross-country skis, snowshoes, or even on your fat-tire bike (fat bike), eat in one of the many restaurants in the village and spend the afternoon at the Nordik spa.

Experience Center: BRP A novice on the trails


PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS

Our journalist experienced his first ride in a side-by-side vehicle and on a snowmobile at the BRP Experience Center in Montebello.

This winter, the guides of the new BRP Experience Center will accompany beginners and experts on the Outaouais trails on snowmobiles or ATVs (also called side-by-side vehicles). Our reporter went on an excursion.

Skiing and aperitif at Club Med Québec Charlevoix

Last spring, a journalist from New York Times lived the experience offered by Club Med Québec Charlevoix. Here is his report.

Want to travel differently?

The basics of winter caravanning


PHOTO PROVIDED BY VANLIFE MTL

The majority of caravanners use their vehicle in winter for short outings, such as skiing.

Winter caravanning requires a different state of mind than the one we have in summer. “Your life in your van must be embellished with activities, that other places contribute to your living environment, insists Catherine Vachon, co-owner of VanLife. It can be a café, a ski resort, hiking trails, you have to be able to juggle a rhythm of life that allows you to get out of your van. »


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