Quebec whale watching
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Anonymous
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We went to Tadoussac and opted for the book tour vs the kayak/canoe ones. The tours are several hours, and I wanted access to a bathroom, food and to be able to move around. Also it can get very cold and windy (we went in July) so I didn't want to be super wet.
We really enjoyed it. We saw several whales, was cool. |
Anonymous
Where did you stay? |
Anonymous
I'm the poster who went last summer to QC and then Tadoussac for two weeks (total). In Tadoussac, we stayed at the hotel motel le beluga. Stay in the motel part as it is much more spacious and you get your own private patio. https://le-beluga.qc.ca/. We did the tadoussac autrements whale watching tour which was the only local tour company left. It also had the benefit of being the only covered zodiac boat. Happy to answer any questions you have. From QC to Tadoussac I'd highly recommend staying in La malbaie for a few nights and seeing some sights there. It was one of the highlights of our trip. A few things to do there include: Maison du bootleggers The boat building museum There is also an observatory in la malbaie which we planned to go to but cancelled due to rain. |
Anonymous
Thank you! Where did you all stay in Malbaie? We are trying to decide whether to stay in Tadoussac itself or to drive in from somewhere else for a day trip. We are a late on planning for August so Tadoussac itself is pretty booked. We have also looked at Saint Simeon or even basing in Malbaie for several days, which has quite a few options that work a little better for a family with young kids. We will have our car. Really welcome all thoughts! Never been to this area before and excited about the beautiful scenery, short hikes (something a 5 year old could do), possible whale spotting, food. We will also be spending some time in QC at the end of this trip. |
Anonymous
I'd really recommend that you stay in Tadoussac if possible. It's truly lovely. We were there for 4 nights. The sand Dunes, the restaurants, the whale museum, the fjords. What are your dates for being up there? I'll see what I can Google for you. We didn't stay in la malbaie (I wish we had). We stayed in the town before it for two days. The name is escaping me. It's where cirque du soleil started. It is a really cute town, however, as much as I wanted to love it, I didn't. The highlight of our time there were the activities we did in la malbaie: https://www.maisondubootlegger.com/ https://museemaritime.com/?lang=en https://astroblemecharlevoix.org/ |
Anonymous
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Ok you all convinced me! In mid August we’re doing two nights in Tadoussac, two nights in Malbaie, and two nights in Quebec City.
Would love more specific recs. We have two young kids (5 & 7) who are not particularly outdoorsy. But they can be coaxed/bribed into hikes. They do love animals (so possibility of whale-spotting thrills them), going out to eat at restaurants and bakeries, water sports and games, playgrounds, etc. We’ve done Montreal and everyone loved the Science Center, Biodome, and just hanging out at playgrounds. |
Anonymous
Fantastic choice. I wish you could do a few more days in each place, but that's OK. There is so much to do in each. In QC - two days can be spent just walking around the city, visiting the citadel, going to LA plage (their beach that is right on the St. Lawrence), the aquarium, etc. If you had an additional day or two, I'd add a visit to canyon St. Anne which was one of our favorites and the church nearby (name escapes me but it's famous and honors Mary I believee). Add another day and you can do the waterfall - mount morency falls, which was pretty incredible, followed by isle d'orleans. I've already shared our favorite activities in la malbaie. We drove from QC straight to the ship builder museum. After spending a few hours there, we went straight to maison du bootleggers for dinner, followed by a tour of the place. They offered an English tour later in the evening for all of us non-fluent French speakers. The restaurant turns into a really cool party by around 9 pm. Our boys (10 and 7) loved it. I'll write more about Tadoussac tomorrow. |
Anonymous
Lol, I minored in French and got stumped ordering in French at Canadian McDonalds. Happy Meal is Joyeux Festin. You're welcome! Funny how reading stuff like La Princesse de Cleves and Therese Desqueyroux for class leaves you unable to perform the simplest and most basic tasks of daily life. |
Anonymous
DP - I lived in Montreal and spoke French. But they speak Quebecois! A lot of slang and slurred words. Re Je ne sais pas --> shay pas le (phonetic). But I wouldn't worry about that. Use Google translate if needed and write or show what you are trying to say. |