10-day Quebec itinerary: Montreal, Quebec City, Charlevoix, Saguenay Fjord and whale watching. Day-by-day plan with bookings and drives.

Quebec 10-day itinerary: Montreal, Quebec City, Charlevoix and Saguenay

Ten days is the length at which a Quebec trip stops being a sampler and starts being a proper tour of the province. The two days beyond the classic week allow the addition of either Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (whales, fjord, Val-Jalbert) or Gaspésie — and for first-time visitors we recommend the Saguenay extension because it folds cleanly into the Montreal-Quebec City-Charlevoix arc and delivers some of Quebec’s most memorable landscape experiences. This itinerary is that plan: the classic week extended to 10 days with a Saguenay Fjord and Tadoussac extension.

For variants, see the classic Quebec 7-day itinerary, the autumn-optimised Quebec fall 7-day itinerary, or the 10-day Gaspésie alternative at Bas-Saint-Laurent to Gaspésie.

Overview

  • Route: Montreal → Quebec City → Charlevoix → Tadoussac → Saguenay Fjord → Lac Saint-Jean → return.
  • Total distance: ~1,200 km.
  • Car rental: pick up in Montreal; return at YUL (Montreal) or YQB (Quebec City).
  • Best season: late June to early October; peak foliage first week of October.

Day 1: Arrival Montreal

  • Arrive YUL.
  • Check in (Old Montreal for first-timers; Plateau for a quieter neighbourhood feel).
  • Afternoon: walk Old Montreal — Place d’Armes, Notre-Dame Basilica, Rue Saint-Paul, the Old Port.
  • Mont-Royal Park for city overlook.
  • Dinner: brasserie classique (Joe Beef, L’Express, Les Enfants Terribles).

Day 2: Montreal — food and market day

  • Jean-Talon Market (Montreal’s landmark food market).
  • Bagel brunch: Saint-Viateur or Fairmount in Mile End.
  • Afternoon: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal (free permanent collection) or CCA for architecture travellers.
  • Late afternoon: smoked meat at Schwartz’s on Boulevard Saint-Laurent.
  • Dinner: Quartier des Spectacles or Plateau evening stroll.

Day 3: Montreal → Quebec City

  • Pick up car. Drive via Autoroute 40 (3 hrs direct) or via Trois-Rivières (4 hrs with stop).
  • Check in to Old Quebec hotel.
  • Walk: Place Royale, Petit-Champlain, Terrasse Dufferin, Château Frontenac.
  • Dinner: Le Lapin Sauté in Petit-Champlain or Chez Ashton (poutine at source).

Day 4: Quebec City — inside the walls

  • Morning: Plains of Abraham, Citadelle de Québec.
  • Lunch: L’Affaire est Ketchup.
  • Afternoon: Musée de la civilisation.
  • Quartier Saint-Roch for café culture.
  • Dinner: Légende par La Tanière or Le Buffet de l’Antiquaire.

Day 5: Quebec City day trip

  • Choose one:
    • Île d’Orléans loop: 40 min, strawberries/vineyards/sugar shacks.
    • Montmorency Falls + Wendake: 15 min to falls + 10 min to Huron-Wendat Nation; half-day combo.
    • Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier: glacial canyon hiking 45 min north.
  • Dinner: Chez Muffy (Auberge Saint-Antoine) or Panache.

Day 6: Quebec City → Charlevoix (Baie-Saint-Paul)

  • Morning: drive Route 138 east to Baie-Saint-Paul (1h20).
  • Lunch Baie-Saint-Paul old town.
  • Afternoon: drive Route 362 (Route du Fleuve) with stops at Les Éboulements, Port-au-Persil, Cap-à-l’Aigle.
  • Overnight: Baie-Saint-Paul (Auberge La Muse, Le Germain) or La Malbaie (Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu).

Day 7: Parc des Hautes-Gorges OR Le Massif

Option A — Hautes-Gorges hiking day:

  • Drive 1h15 from La Malbaie to the park.
  • Acropole des Draveurs hike (5-6 hrs) or Malbaie River boat cruise (90 min).
  • Return to La Malbaie for dinner.

Option B — Le Massif + Route du Fleuve:

  • Ride the Massif gondola for panoramic views.
  • Extended Route 362 drive.
  • Dinner at Le Mouton Noir (Baie-Saint-Paul) or Auberge des 3 Canards (La Malbaie).

See Parc des Hautes-Gorges and Le Massif.

Day 8: Charlevoix → Tadoussac (whale watching)

  • Morning: drive from La Malbaie to Baie-Sainte-Catherine (50 min). Take the free 10-minute ferry to Tadoussac.
  • Lunch in Tadoussac village.
  • Afternoon: whale-watching tour (book 2-3 weeks ahead).
    • Zodiac: 2.5 hrs, closest encounters (~$90). See Zodiac whale tours.
    • Larger boat: 3 hrs, calmer and family-friendly (~$75).
  • Evening: dinner in Tadoussac at Hôtel Tadoussac or Le Bateau.
  • Overnight: Hôtel Tadoussac (iconic red-roofed 1942 hotel) or B&B.

Day 9: Saguenay Fjord → L’Anse-Saint-Jean

  • Morning: drive west on Route 170 along the Saguenay (1h30).
  • Stop at Baie-Sainte-Marguerite for beluga viewing from the Parc marin du Saguenay–Saint-Laurent viewpoint.
  • Arrive L’Anse-Saint-Jean — officially “one of the most beautiful villages in Quebec.”
  • Afternoon: kayak tour of the fjord from L’Anse-Saint-Jean (2-3 hrs, ~$65) OR hike Le Sentier de la Statue (4 km, 500 m, panoramic fjord view).
  • Dinner in the village — Auberge des Cévennes or Auberge des Paysannes.
  • Overnight: L’Anse-Saint-Jean.

Day 10: Val-Jalbert + return

  • Morning: drive west 90 min to Val-Jalbert — Quebec’s best-preserved industrial ghost village with a 72-m waterfall, historic mill, and cable car. 3 hrs visit. See Val-Jalbert.
  • Lunch on-site or in Roberval.
  • Afternoon: return to Quebec City via Route 175 through the Réserve faunique des Laurentides (3 hrs) for YQB flight, or continue to Montreal (another 3 hrs) for YUL.

Alternative 10-day structures

Cities-heavy variant

  • Days 1-3: Montreal.
  • Days 4-6: Quebec City + Wendake + Île d’Orléans.
  • Days 7-10: Charlevoix 4-day deep dive (Baie-Saint-Paul, Hautes-Gorges, Île aux Coudres, Grands-Jardins).

Nature-heavy variant

  • Days 1-2: Montreal.
  • Days 3-4: Quebec City.
  • Days 5-10: Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean full loop (fjord, lake perimeter, Val-Jalbert, Mashteuiatsh, Péribonka).

Gaspésie substitute

Replace Days 5-10 with the Gaspésie driving loop for a peninsula-focused 10-day version.

Where to stay

  • Montreal: Hôtel Nelligan or Sofitel (Old Montreal); Le Germain Hôtel (Plateau-adjacent).
  • Quebec City: Château Frontenac, Auberge Saint-Antoine, or Hôtel Manoir d’Auteuil inside the walls.
  • Charlevoix: Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu (grand historic), Hôtel & Spa Le Germain Charlevoix (modern upmarket), Auberge La Muse (Baie-Saint-Paul boutique).
  • Tadoussac: Hôtel Tadoussac (iconic), Le Vent du Large (quieter).
  • L’Anse-Saint-Jean: Auberge des Cévennes, Auberge des Paysannes.

What to book ahead

  • 3-4 months ahead: hotels everywhere for July-August or peak foliage.
  • 2-3 months ahead: Fairmont hotels, whale-watching tours for peak dates.
  • 2-4 weeks ahead: destination restaurants (Chez Muffy, Légende, Les Labours).
  • Day-of acceptable: most museums, parks, Baie-Sainte-Catherine ferry (free).

Practical tips

  • Ferry wait at Baie-Sainte-Catherine to Tadoussac: 30-min interval in summer; can queue 60-90 min on summer Saturdays.
  • Cell coverage: weak on Route 175 across the Réserve faunique des Laurentides and inside Parc des Hautes-Gorges.
  • Language: French dominant outside Montreal and Quebec City; a few phrases help in rural Charlevoix and Saguenay.
  • Pair with: Quebec 7-day itinerary for the core structure, Saguenay from Quebec City for fjord detail, Charlevoix from Quebec City for the regional drive.