Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/809166
In Québec City, small music clubs, funky bars, boîtes à chansons (intimate venues for the province's singer/songwriters) and music festivals like the Québec City Summer Festival (Festival d'été de Québec), one of Canada's biggest music festivals ( www. infofestival.com), contribute to a vibrant arts scene. Cosmopolitan Montréal sits at a cultural crossroads, rooted in both Anglo and franco- phone heritage. This year, Montréal celebrates this diversity as a part of its 375 th anniversary. The city has put together itineraries to help inspire visitors (www.tourisme-montreal. org/blog). Montréal abounds with theatre and dance, music and circus arts, and museums and art galleries showcasing everything from cutting- edge works to timeless classics. An under- ground system of pedestrian passageways, RÉSO, connects Métro stations and corridors fi lled with boutiques and small shops. Montréal is renowned for its lively summer gatherings—from jamming sessions to dance fests. In cool contrast, take in a concert at Old Montréal's Notre- Dame Basilica, a neo-Gothic masterpiece with marvellous acoustics ( www.basilique nddm.org/en). Or visit the quays of the Old Port on foot or by Segway, where perfor- mances range from reggae to harbour symphonies created with ships' horns. Year-round, chic prevails in Old Montréal's clubs, trendy bistros and the free- spirited Latin Quarter's cocktail bars. The city teems with bars, discos, microbreweries, cigar lounges, cafés and outdoor terraces. THE GREAT OUTDOORS Outdoor enthusiasts can soak up Québec's untamed wilderness by visiting the province's numerous parks. With thousands of crystal-clear lakes and an impressive range of wildlife, they are idyllic for camping, canoeing, fi shing, cycling, mountain biking and hiking. In winter, the guarantee of snow creates a paradise for downhill and cross-country skiing, dogsledding and snowshoeing ( www.sepaq.com). Every August the sky becomes a canvas for the shooting stars of the Perseid meteor showers, and in Tremblant they mark the occasion with a family-friendly event, "Tremblant Beneath the Stars" ( www. tremblant.ca ). Two-wheelers take to "la Route verte," a 5,300-km (3,293-mi.) web of cycling and multi-use paths that criss-cross the province, creating the largest cycling network in the Americas. Spectacular sightlines are the norm at about 300 Québec public golf courses. One of the most challenging is Le Géant at Mont-Tremblant, a master's 18-hole championship course carved out of the Laurentian landscape. In the Laurentian Mountains north of Montréal, Le P'tit Train du Nord Linear Park is a former railroad track converted into a 230-km (143-mi.) level biking trail—and a cross-country ski trail in winter—between Saint-Jérôme and Mont-Laurier ( www. laurentides.com/en). Or ride a panoramic gondola to the summit of Mont-Tremblant. Whale watching from Tadoussac, Baie- Sainte-Catherine and Rivière-du-Loup, gets visitors close to nature with sightings of minke, humpback and even the rare blue whale, as do boat cruises from the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula to the seabird sanctu- ary at Bonaventure Island ( www.quebec maritime.ca). HERITAGE AND CULTURE Montréal has designed a unique way for anyone with a good helping of curiosity and an interest in heritage to learn about the city. "Montréal en Histoires" is an interac- tive way to play with history and test knowledge using a mobile app that guides users through 60 points of interest. The project includes daytime and nighttime scenarios, including 19 short movies projected on buildings, streets and trees through Old Montréal ( www.montrealen histoires.com). Québec City is the only walled city north of Mexico, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a textbook of 17 th and 18 th century architecture. Begin with a visit to Battlefi elds Park, also known as the Plains of Abraham, the site of pivotal clashes between French and English forces ( www.ccbn-nbc. gc.ca ). Catch the view from the Duff erin Terrace overlooking the St. Lawrence River, or stop for tea at Le Château Frontenac, the world's most photographed hotel ( www. quebecregion.com ). One of Canada's premiere community festivals happens in the Old World ambi- ence of Québec City. The summertime New France Festival (Les Fêtes de la Nouvelle- France) is a showcase of the roots of francophone culture. Costumed revellers celebrate all that makes Québec unique, from music and history to food and literature ( nouvellefrance.qc.ca/home). The Québec Aboriginal Tourism Corporation is home to the Pow-Wow Trail, a one-stop list of First Nations special events including music, dance, handicrafts and food ( www.quebecaboriginal.com ). MUST SEE, MUST DO More than 40 tall ships will be rallying at Québec City (July 18-23) as part of Rendez- vous 2017's celebration of the 150 th anniver- sary of Canada's Confederation (www. rdv2017.com). The region of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean is well-known for its premier biking routes, including the Véloroute des Bleuets (Blueberry Route) encircling a scenic lake ( www.veloroute-bleuets.qc.ca/en). The city of Montréal is marking its 375 th anniversary with a year-long celebration of more than 175 events including musical shows, world-class dance, parties, historic experiences and giant marionettes ( www.375mtl.com). SNOWSHOEING • TOURISM LAURENTIANS QC 114