Tadoussac

Tadoussac, which started as a trading post, is the oldest still existing French settlement in the western hemisphere. Explorer Jacques Cartier visited the area in 1535, followed by Pierre de Chauvin in 1599 and Samuel de Champlain in 1603. The first official fur trade post in Canada was established in 1600; the village (which celebrated its 400th birthday in 2000) boasts of many homes more than a century old.
A small village hidden in a mountain valley, Tadoussac occupies a privileged position at the maritime crossroads of the Saguenay fjord and the majestic St. Lawrence river, with sand dunes and a small lake in the heart of the village.

By car

Quebec Route 138 crosses the Saguenay River from Saint-Siméon by ferry. This is the usual means of entry into the area from Quebec City and points westward. From Tadoussac, Route 138 continues downriver beyond Sept-Iles.
There is also ferry service across the St. Lawrence from Saint-Siméon to Rivière-du-Loup.
A highway (172 from Tadoussac or 170 from Saint-Siméon) follows the fjords of the Saguenay river westward to Chicoutimi-Jonquière (as this is mostly parkland, there are no services and no cell towers on this road). A bridge crosses the Saguenay in Chicoutimi-Nord.

By bus

• Intercar

  phone: +1 418-235-4733
  address: 414, rue du Bateau Passeur
  Intercity bus once daily from Québec City. Passengers originating in Montréal will incur a seven-hour trip (leaving at 6AM, then transferring from Orleans Express at Abraham-Martin).

By boat

Tadoussac is at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Saguenay rivers and accessible seasonally by boat.

• Marina de Tadoussac

  phone: +1 418-235-4585
  address: 100 rue Bord de l’Eau
  Marina with boat ramp, gas and diesel, on-site boutique, restaurant and bar. Wi-fi, laundry, showers.

• Marina de l'Anse de Roche

  phone: +1 418 236-4325
  address: 346, ch. de l'anse de Roche, Sacré-Coeur G0T 1Y0

You can walk from and to anywhere in town.

• Centre d'interprétation des mammifères marins

  phone: +1 418 235-4701
  address: 108 rue de la Cale-Sèche, Tadoussac G0T 2A0

• Club de golf de Tadoussac

  phone: +1 418 235-4306
  address: 367 rue des Pionniers, Tadoussac G0T 2A0

Whales and wildlife

The area is well known for its whale watching opportunities on the St. Lawrence River; multiple companies offer excursions on small boats. One of the best sites south of the Arctic to see beluga whales; fin whales, minke whales and harbour porpoises are particularly common, with humpback whales and blue whales also sometimes visible. Most boat tours are seasonal, running from May to September.
Excursions up the Saguenay River provide the opportunity to see belugas, as well as at least three species of seal (grey seal, harbour seal, harp seal) which give birth on the rocky shores.

• Otis Excursions

  phone: +1 418 235-4197 or +1 418 235-4537
  Run excursions in small boats of up to 12 passengers (2 or 3 hour duration).

• Tadoussac Autrement

  phone: +1 418-235-3333
  address: departs from marina, 100 rue du Bord de l'Eau
  Whale watching aboard a 12-passenger zodiac boat, fjord excursions, sea kayaking. Restrictive cancellation policy, no toilets on board.

There are restaurants at various hotels in the area.

• Mer et Monde Café

  phone: +1 418-232-6779
  address: 87 Principale, Les Bergeronnes G0T 1G0
  Café-bistro. This same organisation conducts Mer et Monde Écotours, which depart from Tadoussac (148 rue du Bord de l'eau).

• Hôtel Tadoussac

  phone: +1 418-235-4421
  address: 165 rue Bord de l'Eau
  Constructed in 1865, this seasonal (May–October) hotel has three restaurants, a bar, six holes of miniature golf, an outdoor tennis court and outdoor pool with lifeguard.

• Motel-Restaurant ChantMartin

  phone: +1 418-235-4733
  address: 414, rue du Bateau Passeur
  24-room motel with cable TV, Internet and 120-seat café/restaurant, open year-round, near snowmobile trail and ferry.

• Camping Tadoussac

  phone: +1 418 235-4501
  address: 428 rue du Bateau-Passeur
  Clean, well organised camping ground.