Canada Guide
Northern Québec
Tadoussac
One of Canada's oldest villages, TADOUSSAC is beautifully situated beneath the rounded hills that gave the place its name; the Algonquian word tatoushak means "breasts". Basque whalers were the first Europeans to live here and by the time Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 Tadoussac was a thriving trading post. The mid-nineteenth century saw Tadoussac evolve into a popular summer resort for the anglophone bourgeoisie: the first hotel opened in 1846 and by the 1860s steamer-loads of rich anglophones were arriving every summer to escape the heat of the city. Nowadays it's the best place in Québec, along with Bergeronnes and Les Escoumins just north along the coast, for whale-watching. Late June is a good time to be here, when traditional Québecois folk singers, jazz pianists and rock guitarists all play a part in the popular Festival de la Chanson.
The Tadoussac sector of the Parc du Saguenay offers some easy hikes around the village and a 42km trek to Baie-Ste-Marguerite further along the fjord; an information office (mid-June to Sept daily 9am–5pm) in the car park just after the ferry terminal supplies maps of the trails.
Whale-watching
Every season more companies appear offering whale-watching trips from Tadoussac and the surrounding communities (mid-May to mid-Oct). Prices for two- to three-hour trips from Tadoussac are around $45 in a large, sturdy and comfortable boat, and $52 in a zodiac, which provides a more exciting ride. The price drops the more northerly the starting-point: similar excursions from Bergeronnes and Les Escoumins cost around $35 in a zodiac. Pop into La Croisière, 231 rue des Pionniers in Tadoussac, who have full information and sell tickets (at the same price as the companies) for all the available trips; you can also compare directly down at the quay. Officially, boats are not allowed to stray within 400m of the protected belugas, but the whales don't know that and often come thrillingly close to the craft.
For trips in zodiacs contact Les Croisières Express, 161 rue des Pionniers ( 
418/235-4770 or 1-888/235-6842); Compagnie de la Baie de Tadoussac, 145 rue du Bord de l'Eau ( 418/235-4548 or 1-800/757-4548); or Otis Excursions, 431 rue Bateau-Passeur ( 418/235-4197). Croisières AML ( 418/237-4274 or 1-800/563-4643) gives you the option of a large boat or 24-person zodiac, and the other big outfit, Croisières Famille-Dufour at the Hôtel Tadoussac, 165 rue du Bord de l'Eau ( 418/235-4421 or 1-800/561-0718), offers whale safaris aboard a catamaran, a 48-person zodiac or a more sedate 1922 schooner. Tayout, 148 rue du bord de L'Eau ( 418/235-1056), offers whale-watching trips in sea kayaks.
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