Quick facts
- Duration
- 3 days / 2 nights
- Distance from Montreal
- 90 minutes to Magog
- Best season
- May to late October
- Transport
- Rental car essential
- Budget estimate
- CAD 220–380/day per person
Three days is the right length for the Eastern Townships. Any less and you sacrifice either the wine country or the lake country; any more and the rhythm starts to slacken. This itinerary runs as a loop from Montreal, hitting the wine route of Brome-Missisquoi on day one, anchoring around Lake Memphrémagog and North Hatley on day two, and returning through Mont-Orford and a final loop on day three.
The Townships are intentionally slow country. Driving distances are short (longest legs are under an hour), and the reward is in lingering — at a vineyard patio, at a village café, at a lakeside dock. For a fuller regional overview see the Eastern Townships region guide.
Day 1: Montreal to Dunham wine country
Leave Montreal mid-morning — no earlier than 9:30 is necessary. The Townships are 90 minutes away and nothing opens before 11am. Take Autoroute 10 east to exit 68 (Cowansville) and head south on Route 202 toward Dunham.
Mid-morning: first stop at Vignoble de l’Orpailleur in Dunham — Quebec’s oldest commercial vineyard (founded 1982) and still one of its best. Free self-guided walk through the vines; the tasting room opens at 10am. The house specialty is the “Orpailleur” white (frontenac blanc grape); allow 45 minutes for tasting and a walk.
Lunch in Dunham village or push 10 minutes south to Frelighsburg — the most photogenic village on the wine route, with a heritage covered bridge and two excellent cafés.
Afternoon: continue along the Route des Vins — a circular itinerary through 22 wineries in the Brome-Missisquoi region. Pick 2–3 more stops based on interest:
- Domaine Pinnacle (Frelighsburg): the producer that effectively put ice cider on the map. Tasting plus orchard walk.
- Vignoble Les Pervenches: biodynamic, small-batch; the “Couchant” is consistently one of Quebec’s best whites.
- Union Libre cidre & vin: both cider and wine; the most innovative producer on the route.
Early evening: drive 40 minutes east to Sutton for dinner and the night. Sutton village has European-feeling architecture, excellent restaurants (Tomifobia Nature Trails, À la Mijoteuse), and dozens of boutique B&Bs.
Overnight in Sutton.
Book Eastern Townships tours on GetYourGuideDay 2: Sutton, Lake Memphrémagog and North Hatley
Start slow. Sutton’s Saturday market (if visiting in season) runs 9am–1pm at the village core.
Morning: hike Mont Sutton. The PAAS Plein Air Sutton trail network covers 80 km of routes; the Round-Top loop (10 km, 5 hours) is the full commitment, but the shorter La Dos-d’Orignal (5 km, 2.5 hours) delivers similar views with less elevation. Summer chairlift runs weekends for those preferring a ride up. Summit cost: hiking pass $12 or chairlift $25.
Lunch back in Sutton village, or pack a picnic from the Saturday market.
Afternoon: drive 50 minutes east to Abbaye Saint-Benoît-du-Lac on Lake Memphrémagog. The Benedictine monastery was founded in 1912 and the monks still produce cheese (the “Bleu Bénédictin” and “Moine” are nationally famous) and ice cider. The church hosts vespers daily at 5pm with the monks’ Gregorian chant — extraordinary to witness. The on-site shop sells the cheeses plus ciders.
Late afternoon: drive 30 minutes south to North Hatley on Lake Massawippi. The village is the prettiest on this lake and has the strongest concentration of heritage architecture in the Townships — the result of a 19th-century American summer-colony legacy. Walk the waterfront, visit the galleries on Main Street.
Dinner and overnight at Manoir Hovey — the landmark heritage hotel and Relais & Châteaux property on Lake Massawippi (budget well above standard) — or at one of several more affordable B&Bs in the village.
Day 3: Mont-Orford and return via Magog
Morning: drive 30 minutes northwest to Parc national du Mont-Orford. Hike one of the park’s classic trails — Mont-Giroux (4 km return, 2 hours) if you want a moderate summit, or Pic-de-l’Ours (3 km return, 1.5 hours) for quicker views. For a no-hike option, the Ski Mont-Orford gondola runs weekends in summer/fall ($28 adult).
Lunch in Magog on Lake Memphrémagog — the region’s largest town and a natural lunch stop. The waterfront promenade, the Rue Principale terraces, and the Saturday summer market all concentrate here.
Afternoon: drive Route 247 south along the east shore of Lake Memphrémagog — one of the most scenic short drives in Quebec. Stop in Georgeville (ferry dock and heritage village) and continue to Fitch Bay. Turn around at the US border (Stanstead) or cross into the village of Derby Line, Vermont, if you have passports and time.
Return to Magog, then north on Autoroute 10 toward Montreal. Total return drive: 90 minutes.
Optional add-on: before heading home, detour 20 minutes to Bromont for the Musée du Chocolat and the Magasin de la Chocolaterie — one of Quebec’s better chocolate makers.
Arrive Montreal by 6–7pm.
Practical tips for the weekend
Booking: reserve accommodation 2–3 months ahead for summer weekends and October foliage. Sutton, North Hatley, and the Route des Vins B&Bs sell out first.
Reservations: Manoir Hovey and most North Hatley restaurants require bookings. Vineyard tastings don’t generally need reservations mid-week but do on weekends in October.
Drinking and driving: the wine route crosses multiple municipalities; designate a driver or book a guided wine tour. Several local operators run full-day van tours from Magog or Knowlton.
Seasonal adjustments:
- Spring (April–May): sugar shacks open — substitute Day 1 with a cabane à sucre experience.
- Fall (October): add or extend to include foliage-specific viewpoints.
- Winter (December–March): replace Sutton hike with Mont-Orford or Owl’s Head skiing; replace North Hatley lake activities with spa treatments at Strøm Spa Nordique.
Alternative 2-day version: if only two days, skip Mont Sutton and focus on wine country Day 1 + Magog/North Hatley Day 2.
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