Quebec - fall foliage/small towns
 

Was in Montreal many years ago, but never to Quebec City. Husband has never been to Canada. Thinking October might be a good time for a visit. If we were to drive between Montreal and Quebec City, are there "quaint", scenic small towns/villages to stop at along the way, and would this be a good fall foliage route? Thanks in advance for any input you can give.

I don't know how long you have to travel between Montreal and Quebec City, but you would have to detour to find the best fall foliage routes and picturesque towns.

The three best areas in my opinion are the Laurentians (Laurentides), to the north of Montreal, which you could do as a day trip; the Eastern Townships (Cantons de L'Est) which is south-east of Montreal; and the Charlevoix (to the east of Quebec City. If you want to take a couple of days getting to Quebec, you could detour through the Eastern Townships. Charlevoix is a nice day-trip from Quebec, but once there, I think that you will want to stay longer, say overnight in Baie Ste. Paul or La Malbaie .

If you have only one day, follow the north shore of the St. Lawrence along the Chemin du Roy (Hwy 138). There are lots of historic towns and villages along the way. Plan to take a whole day to do it.

The Association des Plus Belles Villages du Québec (most beautiful villages in Quebec) has a website which might help you:

http://www.beauxvillages.qc.ca/anglais/accueil_a.html

orangetravelcat, I am considering a simialar trip. Do you think September or October will be better for leaf peeping?

Laverendrye, thanks for the link to the website about the villages. It looks interesting. I think we will spend a week in total, so three days Montreal, two days Quebec City, and two days to travel between the two.

First week in October was best this year: it can vary...

Are advance reservations needed for lodging in the small towns, or is it like leaf peeping in New England, where one must make reservations months in advance? Would prefer to "wing it" if possible.

I think you'll be fine "winging it." You may not get your first choice of accommodation, but you should have no problem finding a good place to stay.

I prefer the eastern townships for the leaves, but I would aim for the very end of September. If it is very windy or rainy, the leaves have sometimes been blown off by October.

I opened a new threat with my proposed itinerary if anyone cares to comment. Thanks.