Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Canada
Reload this Page >

Looking for places to visit in southern Quebec

Looking for places to visit in southern Quebec

Old Apr 9th, 2011, 02:44 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Looking for places to visit in southern Quebec

My sister and I are planning a trip to Quebec sometime this summer. We live in the southern half of Vermont, about 2 hours and 15 minutes from the US/Canada border. Both of us have recent passports, so hopefully getting over the border won't be a problem - but please tell me if you know of any potential difficulties we might run into!

So, I'm doing my research and trying to find out if there are any places near the Vermont border that would be nice to visit. We're not looking for anything fancy, and we won't be staying the night. The kind of things that would grab our attention would be small older towns, art galleries, museums - generally, things that are genuinely "Quebec" (aka not American).
gypsy_grey is offline  
Old Apr 9th, 2011, 05:59 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 4,412
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
My choice would be Sutton in the Eastern Townships--a lovely town and a good base for exploring that part of Québec.

Stay at the Vert le Mont B&B.
laverendrye is offline  
Old Apr 10th, 2011, 03:48 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 20,370
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The Eastern Townships would be my choice, too. My husband and I like to go up to that region for day trips from northern Vermont.
We enjoy visiting the abbey of St. Benoit du Lac in a beautiful setting on Lake Memphremagog. The monks conduct several services a day with Gregorian chant.

There is a wine route, and it might be fun to visit one of the vineyards. Restaurant Le Tire-Bouchon de l'Orpailleur in Dunham is good if you want to stop to eat, and it has a small exhibit about wine making. We have also enjoyed eating in Knowlton where the local specialty is duck

You can search for Eastern Townships and find some trip reports. This is the link to the tourist web site which has suggested routes.
http://www.easterntownships.org/

If you and your sister have passports, you should have no trouble at the borders. We often cross at small border crossings. They are more inclined to pop the hood and check on what we have brought back than they would be at busier places.
Vttraveler is online now  
Old Apr 10th, 2011, 03:07 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,717
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I will second the above recommendations - the wine route is lots of fun, and the abbey is beautiful. Another nice town is Magog, which is a small resort town on lake Memphremagog. A little like Burlington, but very French. Bromont and Sutton are also nice small towns that are in ski country. One of the best features of this part of Canada is the amazing network of paved and gravel biking trails - considered the best in the world by many. The major trail known as the Route Verte.
Of course the crown jewels of this part of the world are Montreal and Quebec City, but these would require at least an overnight.
Crossing the border at I-89 or I-91 is a piece of cake - usually a 5 or 10 minute wait. If you cross at I-89, you will notice the landscape changes dramatically once you are in Canada - very flat farmland dotted with tiny villages.
zootsi is offline  
Old Apr 10th, 2011, 03:56 PM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,464
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi gypsy_grey,

You say you look for things that are "genuinely Quebec (and not American)". I must say, when you get this side of the border, you'll see that things in Quebec really are most genuinely Quebec, which is North American in its own way... but you won't feel as if you're in the United States most places, if that's what you're asking.

Thinking close to the border, I agree that the Eastern Townships is a good choice of where to head. Magog is a great suggestion; I even liked Sherbrooke, a bit industrial on the outskirts, but with a pleasant central area and a Musee des Beaux Arts. Both have a nice walkable core. I also enjoyed Chambly in Monteregie (closer to Montreal) has a fort which is a National Historic Site and definitely worth a look if you like history... there's a number of charming houses and restaurants within walking distance of the fort.

Have fun and do consider a longer visit to Montreal itself at one point.

Best wishes, DAniel
Daniel_Williams is offline  
Old Apr 11th, 2011, 06:14 PM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,764
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Many of those small towns in Quebec will afford you quite the "not American" sense you seek.

When driving through some of them I was quite in awe of just how striking the local churches tend to be, and I'm sure there is plenty of French culture that will remind you that you're indeed in a "foreign" place.

(the bigger the city/town, the less immersed in French you are likely to be)
NorthwestMale is offline  
Old Apr 12th, 2011, 03:02 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 20,370
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Another National Historic Site near Vermont (besides the fort at Chambly mentioned in Daniel William's post) is Fort Lennox on Île aux Noix, in the middle of the Richelieu River. You reach it via a short boat ride. Both it and Chambly are interesting with pleasant natural surroundings.

the older part of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu along the water is also quite pleasant, and there are cruises from there to Saint-Ours along the Chambly canal (we have not taken a cruise ourselves)
Vttraveler is online now  
Old Apr 22nd, 2011, 08:39 AM
  #8  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you, everyone! These recommendations are very helpful.
gypsy_grey is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
BAHItaly
Canada
7
Jun 8th, 2018 11:10 AM
Iwan2go
Canada
7
Mar 23rd, 2015 06:50 AM
Mollie_McCune
Canada
4
Aug 14th, 2011 06:47 AM
cmcfong
United States
8
Jul 26th, 2011 02:54 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -