yellowrose477

We will be in Quebec City and Montrel the first week in June. Is this too early to see whales? If not, where would be a good location to try and see some? I have never seen a whale in the wild. Would be fantastic. Thanks

laverendrye

The best place to see whales is at Tadoussac, where the Saguenay River joins the St. Lawrence. They don't go as far up-river as Québec City nor Montréal (where the river is fresh water). Tadoussac is about a three to four hour drive down river from Québec City, so you would want to make it an overnight stay. However the number and variety of whales you can see there makes it a prime location for whale watching. There are several companies that run cruises either in zodiacs or larger boats.

Here's some information on whales in the St. Lawrence

http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/routebaleines0.html

http://www.whales-online.net/indexe.html

yellowrose477

Thank you so much for the information. I will look into it.

kkukura

We did the whale watching in Tadoussac last July. The town is gorgeous! We stayed at a chalet right outside of town in a clean camping area. We took a 4 hour whale watching tour on a large boat. There are many options available, but we chickened out of going on the the smaller boats, mostly due to the fact we didn't have warm enough clothing (or enough clothing in case of getting drenched) because we were on a longer vacation. We did rent a car in Montreal, drove to Quebec City, left it, for the most part, in the parking lot of the B & B (except to drive to a baseball game and to the waterfall close by), and then drove up to Tadoussac (driving back to Montreal for our departure). It was cheaper for us to rent the car for a week even though we used it less, then renting for a shorter time frame.

Erick_L

It's early but whales or not, an overnight trip to Tadoussac is worth it. There are many things to see on the way there. You'll pass by Montmorency falls, Ste-Anne Basilica, Baie-St-Paul and its many galleries, île-aux Coudres (free ferry). Make sure you take highway 362 between Baie-St-Paul and La Malbaie. On your way back, I suggest driving the back road linking St-Aimé-des-Lacs, Notre-Dame-des-Monts and St-Urbain de Charlevoix. I believe they call it the Mountain Route. You could also do a side-trip to Hautes-Gorges park.

Beluga whales are present year-round in the area. A good spot for whale watching on terra firma is at Cape Bon-Désir, a bit passed Tadoussac.

yellowrose477

Could you tell me how long a drive it is up to Tadoussac?

yellowrose477

Sorry - I see in the first message that it is a 3-4 hour drive. It sounds beautiful - I may add this in to our itinerary - will see if it fits.