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French Canada & Gaspe Peninsula by Rail - 8 Days
Explore the Old World charm of Eastern Canada’s biggest cities, as well as the remote reaches of the eastern provinces populated with whales and seabirds on this Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec, and Montreal tour. Enjoy a rail journey through pristine landscapes to land’s end on the peninsula, a boat cruise to see unusual rock formations and a bird sanctuary, and a ferry across the St. Lawrence Seaway. Visit a saint’s shrine, a famous battlefield, and renowned formal gardens. Look for whales, seals, and puffins in Forillon National Park. Take in the historic sites and European atmosphere in Montreal and Quebec City, celebrating its 400th anniversary in 2008.
Day 1: Arrive in Montreal
Tour begins at 6:00 p.m. at the Delta Centre-Ville. Meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers at tonight's welcome reception followed by dinner.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: Delta Centre-Ville, Montreal
Day 2: Montreal to Gaspé by rail
Explore Montreal, a culturally diverse, cosmopolitan city located on an island in the St. Lawrence River. Today's Montreal tour highlights include St. Joseph’s Oratory, Olympic Park, and Notre Dame Cathedral. Then board the Chaleur for an overnight rail journey to Percé on the Gaspé Peninsula.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard the Chaleur, VIA Rail
Day 3: Picturesque Percé and bird sanctuary cruise
Enjoy seascape views from the comfort of your train berth or the domed observation lounge; the end of the line is the village of Percé. Take a boat cruise around Percé Rock, a curious geologic feature, and Bonaventure Island, a sanctuary for over 80,000 gannets. Poke around seaside Percé in your free time.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Riôtel Percé
Day 4: Puffins and more at Forillon National Park
Explore Forillon National Park, the headlands at the farthest point on the Gaspé Peninsula. It protects colonies of sea birds such as razorbills and Atlantic puffins, as well as seals, dolphins, and seven species of whales. Stop at historic Hyman’s General Store, still open during the summer season. Travel along the rugged coastline to the fishing village of Matane as your French Canada and Montreal tour continues.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Hôtel Belle Plage, Matane
Day 5: Gardens and Beluga whales
Visit Métis Gardens, designed in 1926 to cover 40 acres with more than 1,000 indigenous plant species. Take a boat cruise across the St. Lawrence Seaway, and watch for Beluga whales. Your French castle-style hotel sits atop a cliff at Pointe-au-Pic overlooking the river. Perhaps test your luck in the casino in the evening.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu, Pointe-au-Pic
Day 6: The Charlevoix region's shrines and revered sites
Drive through the Charlevoix region, and stop in Baie-Saint-Paul to admire the 19th-century homes; visit the Shrine of Saint Anne de Beaupré. Arrive in Old Quebec City, the heart of French-speaking Canada. The fortified colonial district is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and evokes the atmosphere of old Europe.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, Quebec City
Day 7: Explore Quebec City, just 400 years young
Tour the upper and lower parts of Old Quebec City, which is celebrating its 400th birthday in 2008. See Porte St-Louis, the Provincial Parliament Buildings, Place Royale, and the Plains of Abraham. Choose among a variety of museums and attractions during your free afternoon. Conclude your French Canada and Montreal tour with a festive farewell reception and dinner this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, Quebec City
Day 8: Journey home
Return by motor coach to Montreal (approximately 168 miles). Your French Canada, Gaspé and Montreal tour ends at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (formerly called Dorval) at 12:00 p.m.
Meals: Breakfast
Inclusive Prices:
Tour prices are per person in U.S. dollars. All hotel accommodations, motor coach transportation, first class accommodations aboard the Chaleur train from Montréal to Percé, special dinners, sightseeing, admissions, luggage handling, and the services of local guides, drivers and the Tour Director are included.
Hotel Accommodations
The tour price includes all hotel accommodations with private baths. The Tour Operator standard is to provide the best available accommodations without sacrificing value. Although the quality may differ slightly from place to place, this standard remains uncompromised. Two-bedded rooms are reserved in most hotels. Triples are usually two-bedded rooms with a rollaway cot where available and are not recommended for comfort.
Onboard the Chaleur, single bedrooms offer a window seat that converts to a single bed which slides out from the wall; some single bedrooms require a step-up for access. Double bedrooms offer a window and two armchairs which at night are replaced with one upper bed and one lower bed. Drawing rooms offer a window and two armchairs which at night are replaced with one upper bed and two lower beds. Amenities include a small closet, private toilet, mirror, and sink/vanity; the single bedroom toilet is not accessible when the bed is lowered. A public shower and rest rooms are located in each sleeping car.
Meals
Most meals are included as specified in the itinerary.
Tour Director
Each ‘French Canada & Gaspé Peninsula by Rail’ tour is conducted by a Tour Director who remains with the group throughout the tour. Your Tour Director is a professional, fully trained employee of Tour Operator.
Gratuities Included
All gratuities for restaurant, hotel and train staffs and local guides are included.
No Options Sold
Your Tour Director will assist you with information on free-time activities based on honest opinion and guidance, but will not sell you anything. This means better value and a more relaxed, pleasant experience for you.
Not Included:
Airfare to the tour departure point and from the tour ending point is not included. Airfare may be purchased from Tour Operator for travel originating in the United States.
Hotel Rooms Before and After Tours
To avoid jet lag and possible flight delays, you may wish to make hotel arrangements for the nights preceding or following your tour. As a service, Tour Operator will book additional nights for you on a space-available basis using special rates only available through Tour Operator. Hotel room charges will be added to the tour cost. If you wish to spend additional nights, please discuss it with the reservations agent when you book your tour.
Luggage Responsibility
Although every effort is made to handle your luggage carefully, we cannot be responsible, assume liability or accept claims for loss or damage to luggage and personal effects due to breakage, theft, or fair wear and tear through hotel, airline and group carrier handling. It is important for your own self-interest and protection that you make certain you have adequate insurance to cover these eventualities. We recommend Travel Protection, for more information please contact us.
Personal Expenses
Phone calls, room service, alcoholic and bar beverages, laundry, airline excess luggage charges, vaccinations, visa fees and services, individual airport transfers, and other optional or incidental extras are not included and may be significant.
Tour Director Gratuities
The customary gratuities for the Tour Director and driver are not included.
Priced from:
$2,690.00 US per person based on double occupancy
Departure Dates:
June – September 2008
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