While every season has something unique to offer, there’s no season quite like autumn, or fall as it’s also known. Vibrant colours like red, orange, yellow, and green take over and you’re left with breathtaking landscapes, especially in the country-side, but even in the cities! The air is cool and brisk, there are stunning sunsets, and clear nights perfect for star-gazing. It’s the perfect comfort-season; people love to snuggle-up in light sweaters and scarves with a hot drink in hand. There are plenty of delicious foods to savour from the harvests; pumpkins, apples, and cranberries to name a few, and not to mention all the sweets that can be made with them. People are also looking forward to Thanksgiving with family and planning their costumes for Halloween. It’s easy to see why most people cite fall as their absolute favourite season. Read on to see what activities Québeckers or Québecois like to do during this gorgeous time of year.
Situated in a beautiful natural park and flanked by 74m high waterfalls, Canyon Saint-Anne is a must-do activity for people in Québec, especially in the fall, when the surrounding trees turn a myriad of beautiful colours. When walking over its hanging bridges and along its footpaths it is the perfect place to look at fall foliage. Adventurous souls even go ziplining! Just a little over a half hour drive from Québec City, it is no wonder that this destination is so popular among locals.
A great thing that locals love about Mount-Royal is that they don’t even have to leave the city to get to it. A large and gorgeous mountain in Montréal with a lookout, walking trails and a lake, Mount-Royal is a natural haven situated in a sprawling metropolis. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who was also the co-designer of Central Park in New York City! In the fall it truly comes to life when all of the trees turn beautiful shades of red, orange and gold.
Autumn in Canada is a great time to get to see the Northern Lights, or the aurora borealis if you prefer. While you’re better off heading to the Yukon to see the real deal, the Old Port in Québec City has a permanent lighting installation. It’s an artistic work by Robert Lepage and Martin Gagnon, inspired by the beauty of nature, and projected onto the Old Port grain silos.
Québeckers are foodies at heart, and as much as fall is a feast for the eyes it’s also a feast for, well, the stomach! Squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie! Oh yes, and pumpkin-spice everything! We definitely love food and fall here, and the two go together like… peas and carrots! Or sugar and pie. (Sugar pie, a Québec favourite, check it out!) MMMmm.
While summer definitely takes the cake for festival season, fall has a few beautiful festivals of its own. This time of year can be a great opportunity to explore other regions of Québec such as Montérégie, the Eastern Townships, or Gaspésie to name a few. The reason being that they all have plenty of Fall-themed festivals celebrating the colours of the season, as they are all surrounded by nature. Citizens of Québec love going there for pumpkin picking, apple-picking, kayaking, hiking, you name it! It’s the perfect season for city-dwellers to go and get more of that fresh country air.
Québec is a great destination for students of the French language. Have your students learn all about Autumn traditions and write a report in French detailing what their perfect Fall day in Québec would be. Or, get them inspired to write French seasonal poetry by introducing them to Québecois poet Émile Nelligan, who wrote the poem Automne. If you would like to see Québec with your students, in Autumn, or in any season, call your Prométour Tour Consultant today!