Finally in Tadoussac!

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

After a couple days on the road on our Quebec Culinary Adventure, Tomiko and I made it to Tadoussac! Tadoussac itself is a town that is popular for tourists to go whale watching in the St Lawrence River. It is located at the convergence of the Saguenay and St Lawrence Rivers, where the mixing of fresh and salt water make it a superb environment for marine life.

We came to the end of the road – and drove onto a ferry to cross the Saguenay River, which is part of the Saguenay Fjord National Park. The Saguenay River is home to a resident family of beluga whales, and we were lucky enough to see them on our ferry ride back! Having gotten out of the car and looked around on the first crossing, we decided to stay put in our car on the way back. And then, I saw a flash of white in the water, despite the weather being very calm and there being no whitecaps on the river. Then I saw another, round, flash of white. Belugas! Tomiko and I quickly hopped out of our car and ran over to the railings to watch the beluga pod feeding. There were a couple white whales, plus a darker grey beluga. Amazing!

Tadoussac itself had a few cute restaurants and bakeries, including this boulangerie where we bought a loaf of bread and an amandine pastry.

The Centre D’Interprétation des Mammifères Marins is located in Tadoussac. We didn’t have enough time to go inside, but the centre offers whale models, real whale skeletons, and models of whales. Also, all proceeds from the CIMM directly support the whales of the St Lawrence.

The scenery was gorgeous.

Even the weathervane is a whale!

On a grassy patch next to the beach, a group had arranged a free drop-in library for kids who are not into messing around on the sand. What a great dea!

We walked along the lovely marina on this beautiful, sunny day.

The stately and historic 19th century Tadoussac Hotel.

I can’t get enough of the shiny metal Mansard roofs!

What an adorable Oma!

The Route des Baleines, the Whale Route, is the name of the St Lawrence River region that borders the river between Tadoussac and the Labrador Border. Thirteen species of whales live in the waters, including the blue whale and the belugas that we saw, and there are three world-class research facilities in the region.

We found a picnic area looking over the river and cooked up our dinner: chanterelles and cèpes; our fresh market veggies; and strawberries from the Île ‘Orléans.

Tomiko and I stayed at this charming little bed and breakfast, the bear-loving Les Domaines de Nos Ancetres. This bed and breakfast had only a few rooms, and there were only two other people were staying the same night we were. The breakfast they served included fresh crepes with maple syrup (so French Canadian!), flaky and tender croissants, and fresh fruit. Delicious!