The chemin Royal

Accessible year round

Around the Island

When you enter Île d'Orléans, you are on the chemin Royal. Turn right at the traffic light in order to go to Sainte-Pétronille, the smallest of the six parishes on the island. You can go around the island on this road built at the beginning of the colony. The first three villages you will meet, Sainte-Pétronille, Saint-Laurent and Saint-Jean, are part of the Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec Association.

In Sainte-Pétronille, you can admire views on Québec City and Lévis from a unique viewpoint. Farther down the road, in Saint-Laurent, fruit and vegetable farms are everywhere up on the hill, and along the St. Lawrence River, you can admire ancestral houses dating back to the 18^th and 19^th centuries. In Saint-Jean, you should stop at the quay to observe the South shore and also walk on the pebble beach. There is always a soft breeze here.

From Saint-François, at the end of the island, you can observe the magnificent Mont-Sainte-Anne, summer and winter alike. Sainte-Famille, located a little farther, is the oldest village on the island. Here, you can observe charming stone houses as well as apple orchards as far as the eye can see. Finally, in Saint-Pierre, you will have a breathtaking view on the mountains of the North shore. At the end of summer, during the Loto-Québec International Fireworks Competition, you can come here by the bridge and watch the multi-coloured fireworks illuminate the Montmorency Falls on the other side of the river.

All along your drive, you will have many occasions to observe the St. Lawrence River, the villages located on the South shore as well as the mountains on the North shore… keep your eyes open! Note that it is also possible to tour the island by bike.