ON THE ROAD TO L’ILE D’ORLEANS – 2 GIRLS AND 3 DAYS OF DISCOVERING

Discovering l’Ile d’Orléans, only 20 minutes from Québec City was in all honesty never on my radar.

I had been there once briefly in Winter but my knowledge of l’Ile d’Orléans, home to 7 000 souls, stopped there.

It was only after trying out a frozen strawberry drink with my best friend last May that this girl’s little road trip came about.  I was telling her about my latest article on June activities to do in and around Montreal, notably about strawberry picking, that she mentioned Ile d’Orléans.

According to my friend, L’Ile d’Orléans has the best strawberries and their harvest season starts 2 weeks after Montreal’s. We should go there, she said. Sure, but it’s a bit far to go strawberry picking for a day don’t you think? Let’s make a weekend out of it then!  And so, this is how we started “planning” our road trip between us girls with no spouse, no kids, and no dogs.  FREEDOM!

Actually, we didn’t really do much planning and just went with the flow.  All we did was book an Airbnb after we had checked when the strawberry harvesting season starts on the island.  The answer is at the end of June around La Saint-Jean (June 24th).

Since my friend had lived in Québec City, she was also familiar with the island and had other places in mind where we could stop so that she could do some shopping.

Although we took this road trip just us girls, you can do pretty much the same trip with kids and dogs.

We left Montreal on a sunny Friday around noon and left the island on yet again a sunny day, early afternoon.  If it had been possible with our schedules, we would have left earlier the Friday morning and left later the island on the Sunday.

A brief history of Ile d’Orléans

The island was named after Henri II of France, then Duke of Orleans.  

It’s 34 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide at its broadest.  Due to its fertile soil, it was one of the first areas to be settled in New France.

Many of the settlers came from France from regions like Poitou, Perche, and Normandy.  These large families are in fact the ancestors of many French Canadians.

The landscape still bears the characteristics of the first families with the houses and farms dating back to the 17th century.

Each year, more and more people are drawn to the natural beauty and tranquility the island has to offer.

Although traditional farming is still the main breadwinner for the island’s dwellers, the island is also now producing wine and cider, cheese, and other derivatives of farming products. Making tourism the second most important economic activity to the island.

Getting to l’Ile D’Orléans from Montreal

It’s not a road trip if you don’t make stops along the way. If you were to go straight from Montreal to Ile d’Orléans, it would take you roughly 3 hours.  It took us 6.

We weren’t in a rush and had no particular schedule to uphold.

Instead of taking Highway 40 straight up, we took the Chemin du Roy up to Trois Rivières. It’s the scenic route.

There aren’t any buses that run to l’Ile d’Orléans so you’ll have to cross the bridge that dates back to 1935 either by car or taxi, on foot or on a bicycle.  

To get around the island you’ll need a car or a bike.

Chemin du Roy (Rte 138)

At the time of its creation in 1737, the Chemin du Roy became the longest road North of Rio Grande.  It stretched over 280km linking Québec City to Montreal following the St-Laurent river shoreline.

Today, Rte 138 follows mostly the original road, from Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures to Repentigny (around exit 97).

For a century and a half, the Chemin du Roy would convey mail and travelers by chaise, stagecoach, mail coach, and sleigh in winter. There would be up to 29 relay stations along the way. Among the busiest, owing to the location, was Berthier, where lunch was always served, and Deschambault. The trip could be made in two days at full gallop!

lecheminduroy.com

By taking the scenic route, you’ll discover charming little towns with victorian style homes, odd cemeteries, a nature park to walk your dogs in Berthierville and so much more.

Places of interest

We made our first pit stop at the Halte de Ste-Geneviève de Berthier.  It’s right by the river and has clean running toilets.  It’s a calm place to stretch your legs and have a picnic but it does get a bit windy there.

Berthierville has an old Chapel, a little chenal that leads to a tiny beach, and a Nature Park which is free to park and access.  This park is accessible to dogs and has about 10km worth of trails.  Watch out for the mosquitoes!.

Otherwise, we passed by Rôtisserie La Victorienne in Lavaltrie, which the building really intrigued us.  Let’s just say that there is a lot going on there.  It does seem to have good reviews though.

The towns of Louisville and Maskinongé have beautiful old homes, including a “special” cemetery where you’ll get to see a full-blown statue of Saint-Anne which gave us the creeps.  Learn about Jesus’s journey to his crucifixion which is depicted throughout the tombstones.

Trois Rivières

On our way to L’Ile d’Orléans, we swung by the town of Trois-Rivières which is the halfway mark to Québec City and the island.

Until now, I had never been inside this city.  The only experience I had was two pit stops by the highway, one to clean up Blondie Bear’s puke and another time it was Nouki’s (our Newfoundland dog).  Both used to get car sick and I’m so glad that they have gotten over their motion sickness in the car.

There are some places of interest with mentioning within the city, such as:

• The Prison and POP museum.  It was the longest running prison of Canada
• Boréalis Museum. You get to learn all about paper making.
• The Boardwalk

Sleeping on l’Ile d’Orléans

Camping will be your cheapest option in terms of lodging in Ile d’Orléans and there are two on the northeastern tip of the island.

Another viable option, if you have a little camper van, is sleeping on the parking lots on the southern part of the island by the water for $20 per night.

We opted for a boho Airbnb located close to the entrance of the island by Ferme d’Orléans which was about $110 per night.  It was perfectly located for what we wanted to do and see on the island and was in a very quiet area.

Discovering l’Ile d’Orléans – Things to do

If I had to sum up our road trip to L’Ile d’Orléans I would say: We basically ate our way through the island.

It wasn’t the primary reason for our trip as we originally went there to pick strawberries and ride our bikes. But I’m glad we went with the flow and discovered all these beautiful places along the way.

The foodie activities

Although it’s not something I tend to do often since my husband is a picky eater and my kids could care less, stopping in different places to buy locally grown and made food to make our evening meal was actually fun.

As you drive around the island making your stops, you’ll also notice vegetable and fruit stalls. Bring a large basket as you will need it.  Everything looks so good on Ile d’Orléans.

Cassis (Blackcurrant)

At Cassis Mona & Filles, it’s a family thing.

During the 70s, Bernard Mona decided to immigrate from France to Ile d’Orléans and export his family business there which started in 1872.

He has since then passed on the family tradition to his two daughters who now run the business.

There, you can participate in a tasting of crême de cassis and also their vodka which is a derivative of the whole blackcurrant process. They are also working on making their own gin, but the recipe is not fully developed yet.

In France, we traditionally use crême de cassis to make a Kir or Kir royal which is a mixture of a drop of blackcurrant with either white wine or champagne.  These drinks are best drank as an appetizer.

At Cassis Mona & Filles they suggest using it to make sangria.  It has become so popular that they even put the cocktail recipe on the label on the back of their bottles.

On-site you’ll find a little cocktail bar, a shop with all their products, a snack bar, an ice cream shop, and a restaurant.

On the grounds, you’ll find plenty of places to lounge while sipping one of their drinks and soaking up in the sun.

The restaurant’s terrace offers a beautiful sunset view making it the perfect spot on l’Ile d’Orléans for a happy hour drink.

Their products can also be ordered online or found at Marché des Saveurs in Montréal next to Marché Jean-Talon.

Kids and dogs are allowed on site and it is FREE to park.

Cheese

We found two cheese places on the island.  The first one was Les Fromages de l’isle d’Orléans. They offer a variety of cheeses all made on the island along with saucisson. Due to the Pandemic, no tasting tray was possible to order.  We left this cheese store with over $50 worth of cheese and saucisson.

Another cheese place is Ferme Audet. Their specialty is goat cheese but we didn’t see any (goats that is).  We were able to taste their different cheeses for FREE and even their ice cream made from goat milk.  It sounds yucky but it wasn’t half bad.  The flavors are chocolate or vanilla.  Despite not liking goat cheese, I did enjoy the tasting, except the feta. That wasn’t particularly good.

Near Ferme Audet, there is a local soap store and candy store.  The candy store is not very authentic as they don’t make their own candy but they do make their own chocolate.

Bakery

The best and most popular bakery on the island is La Boulange.  There was always a line (even early morning) when we swung by there so we didn’t get to taste anything.  Instead, we bought their bread from a convenience store and it was good.

In front of the bakery, you’ll find one of the many churches the island has to offer and access (through the parking lot) to the shores of the island which are walkable but a little rocky.

Ice Cream

Who doesn’t love to eat ice cream on a hot summer day?

Our Airbnb host had a sweet tooth craving at 8pm the one night we were there. So we decided to tag along on the quest for an open ice cream parlor.

The one from Cassis Mona & Filles was already closed so we went a bit further down the road to Auberge Au Poste de Traite which is actually a restaurant.  However, the owner, another Frenchman, started making his own vegan ice cream or gelatos.

I ordered the strawberry and blackcurrant flavors as the ingredients come from l’Ile d’Orléans and it was really savory.  It’s another good place to catch a sunset.  In terms of food, we didn’t eat there but it offers a mixed menu of French and Québécois influence.  It does have a good rating.

Fun fact: The owner is presently working on a keto ice cream.

Apple and Strawberry picking

While cycling around we saw a couple apple orchards and a lot of strawberry farms.  

The apple orchards we saw are located close to the entrance to the island and the most noticeable one was Domaine d’Orléans.

In terms of strawberry picking, we went to the one close to our Airbnb which was Ferme François Gosselin. Parking is FREE and for one 3L case, it cost $10.

We really wanted to do the picking at Ferme Jean-Pierre Plante. Despite having called ahead, when we got to l’Ile d’Orléans, the strawberry picking season was already over.  That didn’t discourage my friend who ended up going to their store from buying two whole cases of strawberries ($60 each).

If you’re wondering what to do with all those strawberries after, here is a list of drinkable recipes to try right HERE.

We did the strawberry picking at the end of our little road trip to l’Ile d’Orléans. Since they were going to be in the car for a while, we wanted to give them the best chance of survival for the trip back.

Restaurants

There aren’t a whole lot of places to eat on Ile d’Orléans and they are pretty scattered.  I already mentioned Cassis Mona & Tulles and Auberge  Au Poste de Traite.

We did grab a bite to eat at Bistro du Hangar.  The food was ok but the staff was really friendly.  They also serve huge litters of beers and have a little ice cream shop adjacent to it.  From there you can go and walk along the shores.

Otherwise, while we were cycling (again) we stopped in front of Auberge la Goeliche located on the southern tip of the island.  If you want to eat on the edge, this is the place to go.  The menu looked pretty good with some decent prices.

Obviously, no matter where you eat out on the island, it will be expensive.  Most platter prices fall between $18 and $24 on average.

Enjoying the outdoors

After all our eating on the island, we needed to burn off some calories.  We did so by cycling the 20km loop which is the shortest one located on the southern part of the island.

The island is not all flat and gets windy, so it’s not as quaint and easy as one would think. Especially for us city girls. We saw some gorgeous century-old houses, discovered some walking trails along the way, and stopped at every available viewpoint we came across.

It would have been wiser to do this activity at the end of our first day and not before hitting the road the next and even less so before strawberry picking.

It’s possible to rent bikes on the island from Motel Ile d’Orléans for $20 per person for about 4 hours.

Also, another option is to either an electric bike ($50) which will come in handy when going up the steep slopes or a scooter. ($120 for two)  Riding on one along the shores of L’Ile d’Orléans won’t be like the Adriatic Coast but is still a nicer option than doing it by car.

Kayaking and windsurfing

Through Quatre Natures discover the Ile d’Orléans from a different point of view, the water.

Hop in a sea kayak and take a 3h guided tour. Starting age is 8 years old ($19) and for adults, it cost ($59).

If kayaking isn’t your thing, you can watch windsurfers do their thing on the rough waves and crazy wind by La Boulange. It’s actually pretty incredible to watch and intense as they maneuver the wind, trying to stay on top of there while they make their turn on the edge of the shorelines.

Walks

We did not see a whole lot of places to go on walks (aside from along the road).  That doesn’t mean they don’t exist, just that we didn’t see many.

Here are the spots we found where you can stretch your legs with kids and dogs if need be.

For a panoramic view, head to the North-East corner of the island. There is an observation tower and a rest area.

To walk on the island’s shores the two spots we found were located by La Boulange  (South-East) or by La Chocolaterie de l’Ile d’Orléans (South-West) and the Gîte au Toit Rouge.  You can easily park there.

Finally, we discovered a 2.5km trail, Le Sentier du Flâneur, located right next to Cassis Mona & Filles.  Since we were on our bikes we did not explore this trail. 

The difference in level reaches 85m.  The trail stops in the riparian forest, but will soon extend to the wetlands (according to the information panel at the entrance).  You can park for FREE across the street and access to this trail is FREE as well.

Around l’Ile d’Orléans

Ile d’Orléans is located 20 minutes from Québec City.  Québec City is the only fortified city in North America and is worth a stop, especially if you’ve never been to Europe.  It’s relatively easy to park but more often than not you’ll have to pay for parking.

There you’ll see the old ramparts and supposedly the most photographed hotel in the world Chateau Frontenac. Just walk around the old part of town and immerse yourself in old European-style architecture.

Parc de la Chute-Montmorency

Across the bridge from the Ile d’Orléans lies the impressive 83m high waterfall of Montmorency.

It is now part of the SEPAQ which means you have to pay to access it along with parking. However, if you go to the top of the falls, you can park in one of the side streets.  This will spare you $10 but make you walk a little extra.

These waterfalls are pretty impressive no matter what time of year you go. 

There is also a beautiful Manor on top of the falls that has been turned into a restaurant which makes it a perfect spot for a family brunch if you can afford it. From there you’ll be able to admire from afar the Ile d’Orléans. Meals vary between $19 and $32.

For a less expensive and not a formal sit-down option, in the summer, you can find a food truck on the grounds.

Staircases allow visitors to view the falls from several different perspectives. A suspension bridge over the crest of the falls provides access to both sides of the park. There are some quaint little spots to picnic at the top and you can even try your skills at rock climbing.  At the time of our visit, the zipline was not open.

Activities to do

Rock climbing is possible to do with kids ($25,50) and adults ($34,25). It’s a one-of-a-kind activity on a rock wall.  Impressive aerial views await you!

Guided 1h tours are also available to families and start from the Manor. You’ll discover the fascinating and electrifying history of the Parc de la Chute-Montmorency. It’s available every day from 11 am to 2 pm until October 10th, 2021. The cost is $6,25 per adult and $3,15 for children + taxes. Reservation is required.

Despite our short road-trip to l’Ile d’Orléans, we felt like we did and saw a lot. It was a real breath of fresh air.