Bas-Saint-Laurent & Gaspésie 10-Day Itinerary: Grand Loop 2026

The Bas-Saint-Laurent-to-Gaspésie road trip is the most scenic long-haul drive in Quebec and, on most days of its 10-day arc, one of the most scenic in North America. The loop combines two distinct Quebec regions that are traditionally sold separately: the understated south-shore farming-and-estuary country of Bas-Saint-Laurent (Kamouraska, Rimouski, Le Bic), and the dramatic peninsula scenery of Gaspésie (Forillon, Percé, the Chic-Chocs, Chaleur Bay). Driven together as a 10-day itinerary from Quebec City, the trip gives the Bas-Saint-Laurent the 2-3 days it deserves before the main Gaspésie loop begins, and leaves the return via the gentler Chaleur Bay and Matapédia Valley with enough energy for the final driving day.

This guide is a 10-day detailed plan. For compressed versions see Gaspésie driving loop (7 days) and Bas-Saint-Laurent from Quebec City (2-3 days). A shorter, ready-made option is the Gaspésie loop in 7 days if the full 10-day arc does not fit your schedule.

At a glance
Where	Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie regions, Quebec, looping out from Quebec City
Cost	Car rental plus fuel from around CAD 90-130/day, mid-range lodging around CAD 130-220/night, park entries and boat excursions extra
Time needed	10 days for the full loop (7 days compressed, 14 days extended)
Getting there	Fly or take VIA Rail into Quebec City to start the loop
Best time	Late June to mid-September for full services; early October for autumn colour with reduced services
Park pass	Parc national du Bic, Parc national de la Gaspésie, Forillon and Miguasha are SEPAQ/Parks Canada sites — a day-use fee or park pass applies at each, it is not a single ticket that covers all of them

Overview

Total distance: roughly 2,100 km.
Starting point: Quebec City.
Direction: counterclockwise (north shore of Gaspé first).
Best season: late June to mid-September for full services; early October for autumn colour.
Car rental: essential; one-way rentals possible but standard loop preferred.

Day-by-day summary

Day	Route	Distance	Overnight
1	Quebec City → Kamouraska	150 km	Kamouraska
2	Kamouraska → Rivière-du-Loup → Trois-Pistoles	140 km	Trois-Pistoles / Le Bic
3	Parc national du Bic + Rimouski	80 km	Rimouski
4	Rimouski → Sainte-Anne-des-Monts	190 km	Sainte-Anne-des-Monts
5	Parc national de la Gaspésie (day trip)	Round trip	Sainte-Anne-des-Monts
6	Sainte-Anne-des-Monts → Gaspé	270 km	Gaspé
7	Forillon National Park (day trip)	Round trip	Gaspé / Percé
8	Percé + Bonaventure Island	Short drive	Percé
9	Percé → Carleton-sur-Mer via Miguasha	310 km	Carleton-sur-Mer
10	Carleton → Quebec City	550 km	—

Day 1: Quebec City → Kamouraska (150 km, 1h45)

Depart Quebec City 10am. Route 20 east, switch to Route 132 at Saint-Jean-Port-Joli.
Lunch at Saint-Jean-Port-Joli — the wood-carving capital of Quebec.
Afternoon: Kamouraska village, salt marshes, Cap Martin viewpoint.
Sunset: Kamouraska is legendary for sunsets — find a beach or viewpoint.
Overnight Kamouraska (small B&Bs; book ahead in summer).

Day 2: Kamouraska → Rivière-du-Loup → Trois-Pistoles (140 km, 2 hrs with stops)

Morning: drive to Rivière-du-Loup. Parc des Chutes waterfall walk.
Optional: Croisière AML boat tour out to the St. Lawrence islands (4-hour afternoon excursion, whale watching in season).
Lunch Rivière-du-Loup.
Afternoon: continue east to Trois-Pistoles.
Optional: Île aux Basques boat excursion (half-day, bookable ahead — Basque whaling history, birdlife).
Overnight Trois-Pistoles or Le Bic area.

Day 3: Parc national du Bic + Rimouski (80 km, 1.5 hrs)

Morning: enter Parc national du Bic. Hike Pic Champlain (1.5 hrs return, 150 m) for panoramic aerial view.
Shore walk, seal colony viewing at L’Anse-à-l’Orignal.
Lunch at Chez Saint-Pierre (Le Bic village, destination restaurant — book).
Afternoon: drive to Rimouski. Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père (Empress of Ireland museum, submarine Onondaga, lighthouse).
Dinner: Rimouski marina district.
Overnight: Rimouski.

Day 4: Rimouski → Sainte-Anne-des-Monts (190 km, 2.5 hrs)

Morning: Jardins de Métis (Reford Gardens) — one of North America’s great historic gardens. International Garden Festival installations. Budget 2-3 hours.
Lunch in Mont-Joli or Matane.
Afternoon: continue east on Route 132. Matane (famous for shrimp) is worth a stop; the wind farms above the town are visible for miles.
Arrive Sainte-Anne-des-Monts late afternoon.
Overnight Sainte-Anne-des-Monts.

Day 5: Parc national de la Gaspésie (Chic-Chocs)

Day excursion south from Sainte-Anne-des-Monts on Route 299 into Parc national de la Gaspésie.
Hike Mont Albert (full day, 800 m elevation, 17 km — strenuous) or Mont Jacques-Cartier (moderate, for caribou sightings) or Mont Olivine (shorter, 4 hrs).
Picnic in the park.
Afternoon: return to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts (1 hour drive out of the park).
Alternative (non-hikers): drive the park scenic route, visit the interpretive centre, drive back.
Overnight: Sainte-Anne-des-Monts second night.

Day 6: Sainte-Anne-des-Monts → Gaspé (270 km, 3.5 hrs with stops)

Classic north-shore coastal driving day. Route 132 runs on a narrow shelf between mountains and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Stops: La Martre lighthouse, Mont-Saint-Pierre (hang-gliding capital), Rivière-au-Renard fishing port.
Lunch along the route (small villages).
Arrive Gaspé late afternoon. Jacques Cartier historical site; Musée de la Gaspésie.
Overnight: Gaspé.

Day 7: Forillon National Park

Full day at Parc national de Forillon.
Cap-Gaspé “land’s end” trail (4 km return) to the lighthouse.
Cap-Bon-Ami viewpoint — among the best land-based whale-watching spots in Canada.
Optional: Zodiac whale-watching tour from Grande-Grave (2.5 hrs, ~$90).
Anse-Blanchette historical site.
Overnight: Gaspé second night or drive 1 hour south to Percé.

Day 8: Percé + Bonaventure Island

Drive to Percé (1 hour from Gaspé).
Morning: Bonaventure Island boat tour (half-day, 110,000 gannets).
Lunch in Percé (Maison du Pêcheur, Café des Artistes).
Afternoon: UNESCO Geopark gondola + Glass Platform; beach walk to Percé Rock at low tide.
Dinner: Percé.
Overnight: Percé.

Day 9: Percé → Carleton-sur-Mer via Miguasha (310 km, 4 hrs with stops)

Morning: depart Percé. Drive south/west via Chandler and Port-Daniel.
Stop: Parc national de Miguasha — UNESCO fossil site, 2 hrs.
Lunch Bonaventure — Musée Acadien du Québec.
Afternoon: continue along Chaleur Bay to Carleton-sur-Mer.
Overnight Carleton-sur-Mer (microbrewery, Acadian beach town).

Day 10: Carleton → Quebec City (550 km, 7 hrs with stops)

Morning: short drive to Pointe-à-la-Croix and the Battle of the Restigouche National Historic Site (site of last French naval battle in North America, 1760). 90 min.
Continue via Matapédia Valley (Route 132 then Route 17/132) to Sainte-Flavie.
Lunch Amqui or Causapscal (Atlantic salmon rivers).
Afternoon: direct highway return via Route 20 from Sainte-Flavie to Quebec City (5 hrs).
Arrive Quebec City evening.

Adapting the itinerary

7-day compressed version

Skip the Bas-Saint-Laurent deep coverage (compress Days 1-3 into a single transit day to Rimouski).
Execute the classic Gaspésie driving loop.

14-day extended version

Add 2 nights in Percé (extra day for Perch Rock hike and off-the-beaten-track coastal trails).
Add 1 night in Chic-Chocs backcountry (cabin stay at Auberge de montagne des Chic-Chocs — fly-in or 4x4 access).
Add 2 nights in Îles de la Madeleine via the PEI ferry loop (significant detour but iconic).

Adding the Madeleine islands

From Carleton, drive to Nova Scotia via the Confederation Bridge, cross to Prince Edward Island, ferry from Souris to the Îles de la Madeleine. Significant extra time but creates a once-in-a-lifetime trip. See Getting to the Îles de la Madeleine.

Where to stay

Kamouraska: small B&Bs; Auberge des Îles du Saint-Laurent.
Rivière-du-Loup: Hôtel Universel, Auberge de la Pointe.
Le Bic: Auberge du Mange Grenouille (quirky, highly rated).
Rimouski: chain hotels in the centre.
Sainte-Anne-des-Monts: Hôtel Monaco, chain options.
Gaspé: Hôtel Plante, La Normandie, multiple mid-range.
Percé: La Normandie, L’Anse au Sauvage, Riôtel Percé — book 3 months ahead.
Carleton-sur-Mer: Hôtel Baie Bleue.

Practical tips

Fuel: fill at every opportunity past Rimouski.
Cell coverage: patchy along north shore Gaspé.
Food stops: seafood is consistently excellent in Acadian villages.
Season: mid-June to mid-September for full services; early October for autumn colour but many businesses start to close.
Pair with: Gaspésie driving loop, Bas-Saint-Laurent from Quebec City, Îles de la Madeleine.

Entry requirements and getting to Quebec City

Most visitors arriving by air need an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) if they are visa-exempt — check requirements well before booking flights. See the Canada eTA and visa guide for the current process. Quebec City itself is worth a day before or after the loop; if time allows, add a night and see the best tours in Quebec City for options that do not require a car.

Whale watching along the route

The Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie coasts sit on one of the richest whale migration corridors in eastern North America. Minke, fin, and occasionally blue whales are seen from Tadoussac down through the St. Lawrence estuary and around the Gaspé peninsula, with sightings possible from Rivière-du-Loup through to Forillon between roughly June and October. Boat excursions (Trois-Pistoles, Forillon’s Grande-Grave) run around CAD 80-100 per person for a half-day trip; land-based viewpoints like Cap-Bon-Ami are free but less reliable. For details on species and timing, see the blue whale viewing guide for Quebec.

Comparing this loop to Cabot Trail

Travellers weighing this itinerary against Cape Breton’s Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia should know the two trips are different in character: Gaspésie is longer, less developed for tourism, and combines mountains with a true peninsula tip, while the Cabot Trail is more compact and easier to do in under a week. See the Cabot Trail vs Gaspésie comparison for a direct breakdown if this loop is one of several options on the table.

Mistakes to avoid

Mistake — Underestimating Day 10’s return distance (550 km) after nine days of driving. Avoid by splitting it into two days, overnighting in Rivière-du-Loup or Kamouraska again.
Mistake — Not booking Percé accommodation early. Avoid by reserving 3 months ahead for a July-August date, as noted in the Percé section above.
Mistake — Skipping Quebec City entirely because it is “just the start point.” Avoid by adding a night before or after the loop.
Mistake — Assuming Parc national de la Gaspésie and Parc national du Bic are free because they are provincial, not national, in name. Avoid by budgeting a SEPAQ day-use fee at each.
Mistake — Driving the north-shore Gaspé coast (Day 6) expecting reliable cell coverage. Avoid by downloading offline maps and telling your accommodation an approximate arrival window.

Frequently asked questions

Is 10 days enough for the Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie loop? Yes, 10 days is a comfortable pace for the full 2,100 km loop with time for hikes, boat excursions, and rest days built in. Under a week, compress to the 7-day Gaspésie driving loop and skip the Bas-Saint-Laurent extension.

Do I need a 4x4 for this drive? No. Route 132 and the connecting highways are paved, well-maintained roads suitable for any standard rental car. A 4x4 is only useful for the optional Chic-Chocs backcountry cabin extension mentioned above.