Search 
Photo credit: Francis Gagnon
With so much space to breathe in the fresh air, exploring Baie-Saint-Paul with family is the certainty of finding an exciting activity for young and old alike.
There are plenty of sports to practice and outdoor activities to partake in, such as lounging in the sun at the Baie-Saint-Paul wharf or enjoying the nearby beach.
To find out what to do during your family stay, have a look at our article on the six things to do with your family in Baie-Saint-Paul, or check out our other two articles on things to do in the winter and in the summer in Baie-Saint-Paul.
Book a cottage for rent in Baie-Saint-Paul now to enjoy these activities!
Photo credit: Steve Deschênes
Mont du Lac des Cygnes (“Swan Lake Mountain”) is located in the Grand-Jardins National Park and is its highest peak. This area is part of the natural complex that makes up the Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve. Among other truly rare elements, you can discover a very special ecosystem, the taiga.
Access to this complex is possible via well-marked and well-indicated hiking trails, perfectly adapted for visiting families. Information panels line the routes to give all visitors useful information about the surrounding flora and fauna.
Mont du Lac des Cygnes also offers the ideal lookout for observing a unique element: the remains of a crater that is the impact of a meteorite that fell several hundred million years ago in Charlevoix, better known as the Charlevoix astrobleme.
With a diameter o about fifty kilometres, this impact is visible today in the structure of the relief, and the lookout point of Mont du Lac des Cygnes is the ideal point to observe it.
Photo credit: Émilie Langevin
The Quai de Baie-Saint-Paul (“Baie-Saint-Paul wharf”) is the perfect place to go for a family walk during the warmer season. An outing that can be enjoyed according to the weather and season, some of the activities that can be partaken in are a picnic outing, a sunbathing outing, or a swimming outing for the more adventurous – or a simple walk in the mud when the tide is low.
Photo credit: Émilie Langevin
Going a little further, the Boisé du Quai offers a short hiking trail, the Sentier de la Tour, which runs alongside the Saint Lawrence River over a distance of 2.5 km. The trail crosses a pine forest and runs parallel to the sand dunes of Baie-Saint-Paul beach.
Further west is an observation tower that overlooks a swamp, allowing you to discover fauna and flora specific to this place between land and sea.
Photo credit: Volières de Baie-Saint-Paul
Les Volières de Baie-Saint-Paul is a small farm that is dedicated to the breeding and processing of game birds and small game (pheasant, guinea fowl, quail, rabbit, goat, sheep, and wild boar).
The activity of raising game birds takes place in outdoor aviaries of enormous size. These can be visited through landscaped trails, and this family visit is often very appreciated by little ones who marvel at the sight of the animals.
On site, the company also transforms the raised game into deli meats such as pâtés, rillettes and sausages, as well as prepared traditional meals whose names make the mouth water.
The ready-made products are available in the Volières boutique, located in Baie-Saint-Paul, as well as in numerous shops in the Charlevoix region.
The establishment is also a stop point on the Flavour Trail.
Photo credit: La Reine et le Millionnaire
Serving as a means of transportation for the settlers of the Canadian Far North of yesteryear, dogsledding is now a recreational—even sporty—activity for a small number of enthusiasts.
In Baie-Saint-Paul, La Reine et le Millionnaire makes its sleds available to families wishing to learn about this unusual activity. Always respectful of dogs and working with competent professional guides, you will be free to contemplate the majestic landscapes of the Charlevoix region behind your canine friends.
Depending on your goal for the day and your level of experience, you can be guided by the musher (a sled driver pulled by a dog team), or take control of your sled.
Photo credit: Francis Gagnon
Very short in length (1.3 km), the Remy River Trail is perfect for a family walk. A picnic stop with tables and benches is ideal for a snack break or simple resting time. The trail follows the bed of the Rémy River, and walkers who follow its path are accompanied by the soft sound of flowing water.
Following the Rivière Gouffre (“Gouffre River”), this slightly longer trail (7.4 km) connects the village of Baie-Saint-Paul to the Le Genévrier campsite.
Vantage points are installed throughout the trail, allowing you to observe the village of Baie-Saint-Paul, the St. Lawrence or the Gouffre River along your hike. Equipped with a picnic area and toilets, this trail will delight families who have the greatest sporting ambitions.
This 18.2 km-long, intermediate-level trail connects Baie-Saint-Paul to Saint-Urbain in the Charlevoix hinterland.
It allows families wishing to test their sporting abilities to observe the region through nine vantage points accessible along the route. The trail is equipped with a picnic area, toilets and a lookout.
Photo credit: SAQ.com
The Baie-Saint-Paul Christmas market is held over two weekends, specifically in late November and early December. The event is pure pleasure and allows you to gather to shop for the holidays with your family in Baie-Saint-Paul.
The Baie-Saint-Paul Christmas market is the meeting place for local producers, artisans and artists with the goal of introducing as many people as possible to the magic of Christmas markets, a European tradition. Even if the tradition is imported from Europe, the products of the artisans that permeate the atmosphere of the Christmas market of Baie-Saint-Paul are 100% from Charlevoix.
Activities are planned every year, and the very commercial Saint-Jean-Baptiste Street is, of course, very active. Other activities allow you to discover the attraction of Baie-Saint-Paul with your family, such as the ice hockey tournament or the inevitable passage of Santa Claus.
In the family area, children receive special reception and care, which allows parents to go for a peaceful stroll through the streets of Baie-Saint-Paul.
Check out our other articles on the best things to do in the Charlevoix region!