In the southern corner of Québec, not far from Montréal, where rolling hills, pioneering vineyards, and wild apple orchards lie just north of the U.S. border, summer is calling. Here, birds chirp as morning mist rises off the ripening vineyards (the area is home to Québec’s first wineries); cyclists spin along the Route Verte; and hot air balloons drift into the skies with rhythmic bursts of flame, floating over a music festival. Also known as Montréal’s Charming Neighbors, this is where Québec slows down—and seeks company.
Bike the Route Verte
A cyclist pedals along the Route Verte in the Eastern Townships.
Courtesy of GouvQC
Cycle among monumental sculptures, vineyards, and bucolic villages along the Route Verte—North America’s largest signed cycling network. Take gourmet rest breaks at wineries, cider houses, artisan workshops, and charming farm-to-table restaurants—or simply stop to admire the gorgeous scenery of weathered barns and orchards heavy with fruit.
About an hour’s drive from Montréal in Granby, the experience becomes surreal. Along the Estriade bike path in Parc national de la Yamaska, near Lake Boivin, towering figures emerge from the landscape like gentle giants. These 60 sculptures by international artists are part of an open-air museum, born from five editions of the International Symposium of Monumental Sculpture.
Visit a Michelin-recognized farm
The Eastern Township’s iconic Abbaye de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac at sunset
Courtesy of GouvQc/Mathieu Dupuis
Espace Old Mill in Stanbridge East, a Michelin Green Star recipient (one of three in all of Québec), takes “local” to its logical extreme, seeking to inspire diners and fellow restaurateurs. Before dinner, guests tour the two-acre, human-scale farm where many of the ingredients for the meals are growing. Roughly half of each dishes comes directly from the garden; the rest is sourced within a 30-mile radius (with the rare exception of essentials like salt and oil, which are still Canadian, of course).
Pioneers of a regenerative, human-scale farm-to-table model in the Eastern Townships, the small-but-mighty team aims to lead the way for other farms and spark conversations around food independence. (It’s all the more inspiring given the farm only has two full-time employees.)
Espace Old Mill in the Eastern Townships
Courtesy of ©Espace Old Mill
Espace Old Mill isn’t an outlier, but rather an emblem of the region’s culinary ethos. Michelin Guide–recommended restaurants dot the countryside, sustained by a vibrant network of microbreweries, cheesemakers, honey producers, and sugar shacks. The Eastern Townships’ Anglo-Saxon heritage, layered over French culinary tradition, has created a food culture distinctly its own.
Follow the Cider Route
Montérégie is Québec’s apple capital, and in late summer, pick-your-own orchards invite visitors to join in harvesting. But the real treasure lies in what becomes of those apples—even the “wild” ones. Along Québec’s celebrated 87-mile Cider Route, award-winning cider houses craft natural ciders from heritage varieties, each one a liquid expression of terroir.
Some experimental cider houses play around with wild apples and combinations with other fruits and flavors like pears and ginger. Tastings reveal the range, from bone-dry to dessert-sweet (such as ice cider), from still to sparkling, from filtered to unfiltered, and from traditional to creative. A galaxy away from the ciders you may be familiar with, these are for the refined palate—ideal for wine lovers looking for something a little different.
Stay in a yurt or floating room
Montérégie
Courtesy of ©GouvQc/Tourisme Montérégie
Southern Québec’s accommodations lean into the landscape. Huttopia’s new glamping sites are between two lakes. Yurts and hammock tents await at Hébergement aux Cinq Sens. Zoobox forest lofts perch among branches. Flotel’s floating rooms rock gently on the water. For pure restoration, nature spas—including Strøm Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Spa Bolton, Spa Eastman, Balnea—have thermal baths framed by forest and mountain views.
Another relaxing retreat is the historic Manoir Hovey in North Hatley. Modeled after George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, the property can be reached by seaplane.
The historic Manoir Hovey in North Hatley
Courtesy of GouvQc/Jean Francois Hamelin
Stargazing and forest bathing
The world’s first International Dark Sky Reserve, Parc national du Mont-Mégantic, is a stone’s throw from the Maine/New Hampshire border (3–4 hours from Montréal). Here, you can ascend two of southern Québec’s highest peaks, Mont-Saint-Joseph or Mont-Mégantic (3,645 feet) at dusk and watch thousands of stars emerge—so bright and numerous they seem within arm’s reach.
The AstroLab and astronomy observatories offer guided stargazing, transforming visitors into amateur astronomers. While events like eclipses draw crowds, every clear night offers its own celestial show.
Closer to the Vermont border, about two hours southeast of Montréal, the enchanting Foresta Lumina trail through Coaticook Gorge (returning June 2026) transforms a night hike into a journey through mythology. Illuminated scenes bring Québec forest folklore to glowing life.
Attend a hot air balloon festival
Hot air balloons in Montérégie
©Tourisme Montérégie/Nicolas Didtsch
Come August in the Richelieu Valley, the region’s hot air balloon festival (Canada’s largest) fills the sky with floating jewels while live music pulses below. It’s perhaps the definition of everything these two regions offer—spectacle and serenity, adventure and ease, stars above and stars on the plate.
