Feedback on Quebec itinerary in September-October

Hello, I need some advice because I can't decide on an itinerary. We're going to join our son around September 20th, who's spending a year in Canada on a working holiday visa. I did the classic Quebec loop over 30 years ago, so I’m ruling out the Saguenay Fjord and Lac Saint-Jean right away. Here are the stops (overnights) I’ve tentatively planned:

D1-2-3: Quebec City D4: Malbaie Gorges National Park via Routes 360 and 362 D5: Malbaie Gorges National Park (fishing and canoeing) D6: Tadoussac (walks and whale watching from the shore, hiking up to Cap du Bon Désir) D7: Whale-watching zodiac excursion – ferry – Bic National Park D8: Bic National Park D9: Carleton-sur-Mer via the Matapedia Valley D10: Percé D11: Percé (Bonaventure Island excursion) D12: Forillon National Park D13: Forillon National Park D14: Sainte-Anne-des-Monts via Route 132 D15: Sainte-Anne-des-Monts (Gaspésie National Park) D16: Kamouraska D17: Quebec City D18-19-20: Montreal

I feel like one night in Tadoussac is too short. Wouldn’t it be better to add another night there and only spend one night in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, skipping Gaspésie National Park? Just to clarify, we love nature and hiking but limit ourselves to about 10 km per day.

Also, I’m wondering about the distances (even though I tried to keep them reasonable), the short stops (max 2 nights except in Quebec City and Montreal, so not much time to settle in), and the weather in Gaspésie in late September-October (my husband doesn’t handle the cold well). Maybe it’d be better to only go as far as Bic National Park, then head back, and add more nights at Malbaie Gorges National Park (I didn’t stay in a park on my first trip, and my son, who got his fishing license, would be proud to bring us dinner 😊), Tadoussac, and maybe around Bic/Rimouski?

One last detail: the plan is to land in Quebec City, rent a car on D4, return it on D17, and take the train or bus to Montreal the next day, where we’ll catch our flight 4 days later. This is to cut down on rental costs and avoid having a car in Quebec City.

Thanks for reading this far—I hope I can count on your advice! 😊

Claire

hi! as for temperatures and the cold, it can still be mild with Indian summer. However, it all depends on where you are. In northern Quebec, nights get chilly. As for traveling between Quebec City and Montreal, it’s pretty much only possible by bus. Check out the Orléans Express website. Canada’s Via Rail train system isn’t very developed. The only time I took the train there was to travel from Montreal to La Tuque.

Hi, Thanks for your reply. We’ve decided to skip Gaspésie after all, and our rough plan is now: Quebec City (3 nights) – Charlevoix (3 nights) – Tadoussac (3 nights) – Bic National Park (2 nights) – Kamouraska (1 night) – Quebec City (1 night) – Montreal (3 nights). We’ll take the bus instead of the train between Quebec City and Montreal, as you suggested.

Alternatively, since we’re dropping Gaspésie, we could rent the car in Montreal instead of Quebec City and add 2 nights in Mauricie Park. If that’s the case, would it be better to visit Mauricie at the start or the end of the trip, considering fall colors and weather? Our vacation period is between September 19 and October 12.

Thanks!

Claire

hi, for Mauricie Park, check the opening period on the website. Because after that, it might be closed. So go at the beginning.

Ok, thanks! 😊

Hey, I’m jumping into this discussion a bit late, but since your trip is planned for next fall, I’m still on time 😉 I assume you’re leaving from Brussels, and if I’m not mistaken, there are no direct flights from Brussels to Quebec City—all of them have a layover in Montreal (or at least that’s how it seems). So, it makes more sense to do a Montreal-to-Montreal loop. That’ll save you from those "drop-off" fees (when you rent a car in one place and return it somewhere else). For the weather, summer can "drag on" like it did last September—I was with some French friends visiting, and we were in T-shirts during our Gaspésie tour (late September to early October!). Let’s hope it’s the same this year!! Starting from Montreal, you’re better off doing Parc de la Mauricie first because, as Mathews mentioned, many of the park’s activities (including camping sites) close after the second Monday in October (Thanksgiving, the last 3-day weekend before Christmas). For the fall colors, you’ll be right on time, and you’ll definitely see them! Parc des Hautes-Gorges with the colors is going to be a beautiful memory!! For info, here’s a site: Where to see fall colors in Quebec? | Bonjour Québec that’ll give you the daily progress of the colors!! Around Quebec City (on the Charlevoix route), I recommend spending a little time at the Cap Tourmente Reserve to see the many geese stopping during migration. You should be there during their stopover (and I can guarantee that seeing 40,000 geese all at once is impressive!! Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area: hiking trail map - Canada.ca

For lodging near Quebec City, Île d’Orléans could be a good option. Here’s an address I tried several years ago (but it should still be up to par): Cottage on Île d'Orléans - Cottage on Île d'Orléans

Happy trip planning—I’ll be following along 😏

Thanks for your tips—they’re not too late at all, quite the opposite! We’re actually doing the Montréal–Montréal loop but adding Parc de la Mauricie at the start. I’ll note Réserve de la Tourmente—it looks stunning and barely takes us out of our way 🙂 —plus the site to track the fall colors.

I checked out the B&B on Île d’Orléans, but I’ll probably skip it since we’re bringing our son (he’s in British Columbia right now) who’ll meet us in Montréal, and it’s a bit pricey for the three of us. Ideally, I’m looking for places where we can sleep 3 to a room. Still searching—it’s not easy...

Quick question: If we spend 3 nights in a national park, do we pay the entrance fee for each night, or is once enough?

Hi, For the Cap Tourmente reserve, it’s definitely on the way between Quebec City and Charlevoix. It’s worth stopping by even if the peak number of geese hasn’t been "reached" yet. There’s a nice walk that goes up to a small belvedere with a great view of the river. What you can do is leave Quebec City in the morning, stop at the reserve late morning, have a picnic, then take a walk around the reserve before continuing on to Charlevoix. I get your choice of accommodations, and I’d suggest looking into motels—you’ll probably find some nice, affordable ones . In the National Parks, entrance fees are daily, so you have to pay for each day you visit. As far as I know, when you book a night’s stay, the daily park access isn’t included. Happy planning!

Hello, Thanks for the tips! I’ve refined the itinerary and booked all the accommodations—all cancelable for now. So, I’m still open to suggestions. Flight tickets aren’t booked yet, but the plan is from 09/19 to 10/07.

Day 1: Arrival in Montreal at 11:35 AM, pick up the rental car, drive to La Mauricie National Park. Stay nearby for 2 nights. Day 2: La Mauricie National Park Day 3: Drive to Quebec City. Is Trois-Rivières worth stopping for? Check into the B&B (just steps from Montmorency Falls) for 3 nights. Visit the falls. Day 4: Quebec City Day 5: Quebec City / Île d'Orléans. Is Île d'Orléans a must-see, and how much time should I budget for it? Day 6: Head to Hautes-Gorges de la Malbaie Park, stopping at Cap-Tourmente National Wildlife Area (hike and picnic) and Baie-Saint-Paul via Routes 360 and 362. Stay in the park for 3 nights. Apparently, fishing isn’t allowed after 09/01—bummer... Days 7 & 8: Hautes-Gorges de la Malbaie National Park. I’m actually hesitant about staying 3 nights *inside* the park vs. outside because, in that case, you have to pay for 3 days of access upfront—even if, after one day (depending on the weather, first day’s activities, etc.), you might’ve had enough. On the other hand, there might be animals, sounds, etc., that you only see/hear at night in the park. And what else is there to do if you stay nearby? Day 9: Drive up to Tadoussac with a stop in Port-au-Persil, and stay there for 3 nights. Any other nice stops along the way? Days 10 & 11: Walks, Cap du Bon-Désir Observation Center, and a zodiac cruise. Other ideas? A short detour to the fjord without paying an access fee? We won’t do a fjord cruise—we’ve already done one in Norway. Day 12: Take the ferry from Les Escoumins to Trois-Pistoles, then head up to Sainte-Luce and Sainte-Flavie (Le Grand Rassemblement). Are the Jardins de Métis worth it in the fall, given there won’t be flowers and we’ll see colorful trees in the parks anyway? Then head back down to Le Bic for 2 nights. Day 13: Bic National Park Day 14: Drive to La Pocatière for one night, with a stop in Kamouraska along the way. Day 15: Continue south. Visit the Quebec Maritime Museum. Stay in Yamachiche, south of Trois-Rivières. Day 16: Drive back to Montreal to return the car. Stay for 3 nights and explore. Days 17 & 18: Montreal Day 19: Montreal and departure for the airport (flight at 7:10 PM).

So, I hope this itinerary holds up—thanks for your input!

Claire

Hi, Well, personally I think all that holds up pretty well 😛 but hey, it's just my opinion, worth what it's worth 😉 I’ll try to answer your questions: Day 1: Arrival at 11:35 AM, so Air Canada flight. FYI, you also have a direct flight option with Air Transat—it’s often (usually...) cheaper than Air Canada... (except for the return flight on the 5th or 9th!) To speed up immigration, I highly recommend using ArriveCAN: Use the Advance Declaration to save time at the border - Canada.ca Day 3: Trois-Rivières might be worth a stop, but if you want to see Trois-Rivières, you can do it when you stay in Yamachiche—it’s only 20 minutes from Trois-Rivières. For the Falls, there’s an access point "from the top." In my opinion, you can walk there from your B&B (the closest address to the Falls entrance: 2579 Avenue Royale (corner of Avenue des Rapides)). Day 5: Île d'Orléans is really nice—nowadays, it’s a must-see... You can drive around and stop at a few places. Roughly estimate 1.5 to 2 hours. You could do it in the late afternoon after visiting Quebec City "on your way back to the B&B." Days 7-8: Parc des Hautes-Gorges is kind of "in the middle of nowhere" (well, mostly in the middle of nature, lol), so there’s not much to do around the park. Maybe consider staying near La Malbaie instead!!! To be honest, every time I’ve been to Charlevoix, it was for Parc des Hautes-Gorges, so I don’t have much else to suggest besides that!! In the park, don’t miss the Acropole des Draveurs—it’s a pretty intense hike, but the view from the top is amazing! Just in case (but you’ve probably already checked): Guide-touristique-Charlevoix-2025-2026.pdf Day 12: As for the Jardins de Métis, it’s certain that in autumn, it won’t be as flowery!! Personally, I’d "drive by without stopping" in autumn! There you go—good luck with the rest of your planning! 😏

Hello everyone,

If you're passing through Montreal and it interests you—and depending on our mutual availability—I could act as your guide for a neighborhood of your choice (I do this for free with Quebec retirees).

If you're interested, we can discuss it in private messages. 😊👍

Cheers! 👋

I don’t know Quebec very well—I’ve only visited once—but I found Montreal pretty underwhelming. Since you’ve got a return flight at the end of the day, that leaves you with 2.5 days there. In my opinion, that might be one day too many, and you could use that time elsewhere if you wanted to lighten your itinerary.

Hello,

The flights are finally booked with Air Canada since Air Transat didn’t work with our dates. Now we just need to reserve the car. Since we’re renting it on arrival (thanks for the "ArriveCAN" tip!), we’ll pick it up at the airport and drop it off there before taking a bus to our hotel. Any car rental agencies you’d recommend or avoid?

Since the chalets in Hautes-gorges de la Malbaie Park aren’t available on the days we planned, we’ll be staying outside the park. I’ve noted the hike "l’Acropole des Draveurs," but I see it’s rated as difficult. Is it still doable for an average hiker? Trekking poles are highly recommended—I hope they fit in a suitcase! 😏...

Hi there, Thanks for the suggestion. I’m still working on the overall itinerary, but I’ll keep it in mind when I dive deeper into Montréal. We’ll be there from the 7th to the 10th of October. Cheers, Claire

We’ll actually be staying there for 3 nights, but we’re planning to take the opportunity to visit a nephew’s workshop who’s set up there. Plus, that way, we won’t feel like we’re constantly rushing from one place to another 🙂

Hey, Flights are booked, now it's just a matter of waiting for the holidays! 😛 At the airport, you'll find the big rental car banners. There used to be a discount code for Hertz floating around Voyage Forum. I don’t know if that kind of code still exists, but you can always start a discussion! 😛 For accommodation, in my opinion, you should find a nice little motel in La Malbaie! I don’t know any specifically, but I’m sure other VF members could give you some great recommendations!! As for the Acropole des Draveurs, I think it’s rated as difficult because of the significant elevation gain. But I did it back in the day with my 8-year-old son... The key is to allow plenty of time to climb at a relaxed pace (packing a little picnic at the top is the best idea). Honestly, the view from the summit is stunning (and you’ll probably get the fall colors too). A picture’s worth a thousand words, so here’s the photo I took back then:



good luck with the prep

Wow, it must really be worth going up there!!

Yes, absolutely! And as I mentioned earlier, the fact that it’s rated Difficult shouldn’t hold you back. Just make sure to allow enough time for the ascent and descent!! Basically, plan a full day for this hike. But it’s totally doable, and it’s *so* worth it!!

At the airport, you'll find the big rental banners. There was a time when a discount code for Hertz was circulating on Voyage Forum. I don’t know if that kind of code still exists.

The "generic" code for discounts at Hertz, according to @Jpg13, who was the expert on the topic but is no longer on the forum, is: At HERTZ, I get good prices by entering the code 510000 in the CDP discount field, and BEST or WOW in the RQ rate code Check if these codes are still valid.

For this summer, I managed to book with Avis at a great rate with a North America promo using the AWD code "J04600". Worth testing?

For this summer, I was able to book with Avis at a great rate using a promo for North America with the AWD code "J04600".

Correction: It's J046300 Sorry

The codes listed for Hertz no longer work. However, the J046300 code with Avis works well. I’ll get back to you about this in my other post.