Seeing whales from shore
Whales never come as far upstream as Quebec City, but around the mouth of the Saguenay, about three hours' drive away, a few lookouts let you watch from the rocks. A lookout costs little and nobody gets seasick, though you usually see less than from a boat. This guide covers each spot and how to pair one with a cruise.
Not from Quebec City
The St. Lawrence at Quebec City is wide and handsome, but its water is still fresh to brackish there, and the whales keep to the salt estuary far downstream. Do not plan on spotting one from the boardwalk below the old city.
The whales gather around the mouth of the Saguenay, where the seabed rises sharply at the end of the deep Laurentian Channel and pushes cold water rich in krill and small fish toward the surface. That is about 130 miles (210 km) from the city by Route 138. The shore there drops steeply into the river in places, and on a calm day you can watch from land. Which whales you will see explains the feeding and the species in more detail.
Pointe-Noire, facing the Saguenay mouth
The Pointe-Noire Interpretation and Observation Centre, a Parks Canada site, stands on the point at Baie-Sainte-Catherine where the Saguenay pours into the St. Lawrence. It looks straight across the fjord mouth, the water where belugas come to feed, and seals are regulars in the current below. It is in the same village as AML's Baie-Sainte-Catherine wharf, so drivers can stop before or after a cruise. The boats pass the point on their way out, so you may see it from both sides in one day.
Belugas are the reason to come. The St. Lawrence population lives in the estuary year-round, so they can turn up on any day, though never on cue. Look for white backs rolling low in the water rather than a tall blow, and expect the grey young to be harder to pick out. Our beluga guide covers who they are and why boats keep 400 m (about 1,300 ft) away from them.
Cap-de-Bon-Désir, at Les Bergeronnes
Parks Canada's Cap-de-Bon-Désir Interpretation and Observation Centre lies at Les Bergeronnes, roughly 30 minutes north-east of Tadoussac by road. Deep water runs close to the shore there, and whales sometimes pass near the rocks. Visitors come here hoping for one of the larger whales rather than a beluga, with no guarantee of either.
The site charges an entry fee, which Parks Canada sets, and from Quebec City you need the free ferry across the Saguenay to reach it. Check the current fees and opening times with Parks Canada before you go, since we do not list them here.
Tadoussac on foot
In Tadoussac itself, the Pointe de l'Islet trail follows the rocky point beside the bay and looks across the Saguenay mouth toward Pointe-Noire. Belugas and seals are the likely sightings, with the odd whale further out. The big boats pass this point on their itinerary too.
Outside the village, the Tadoussac dunes give a wide view over the St. Lawrence from high sandy ground. Anything out there is a distant shape, so binoculars do the work. Back in the village, the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre, a small museum, shows whale skeletons and makes a sound choice on a wet afternoon.
What you need on land
- Binoculars. Most sightings from shore happen hundreds of feet out, often more. Bring your own pair;
- A calm day. Wind chops the surface into whitecaps that hide a beluga's back, while flat water shows every blow;
- Patience. Plan an hour at a lookout rather than ten minutes. A whale that dives can stay down for several minutes before it surfaces somewhere else;
- A car. The lookouts are spread along Route 138 on both sides of the ferry, and the bus day from Quebec City only passes Pointe-Noire from the water;
- Warm layers. The water sits at roughly 35–50 °F (2–10 °C) through the summer, and the wind off it chills the rocks. What to wear on the river works on shore too.
Shore or boat?
A lookout costs little, and you keep your feet on solid ground and your own timetable. Nobody gets seasick on a rock, which settles the question for some travelers. If that is you, seasickness on the St. Lawrence covers whether a boat could still work.
What you give up is range. From shore you see what passes your stretch of coast, usually further away and often only belugas and seals. A boat heads to wherever the fin whales and minkes are feeding that day, out in the channel, and reviewers on a typical trip count two to four kinds. Tour boats must stay 400 m back from belugas and blue whales, so now and then a beluga passing close to the Pointe-Noire rocks is nearer to you than to any boat.
The boat that covers the rest of the river
AML's three-hour boat sails from Baie-Sainte-Catherine and Tadoussac, the same villages as the lookouts, with glazed indoor rooms and restrooms on board, from ~$130. Cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
A day with both
The two fit together well. AML's Zodiac, from ~$130, has an early run from 8–10 am that leaves the whole afternoon free, and the big boat, from ~$130, suits anyone who prefers a steadier deck. Spend the morning on the water, then take lunch and binoculars to a lookout. The bus day from Quebec City cannot do this, since the coach leaves soon after the cruise, so bus tour or drive yourself? is the place to weigh the car.
Fog changes the plan. A foggy morning hides the river from a boat and a lookout alike, and the boats still sail in it. When fog sits low early and lifts later, an afternoon on the rocks can rescue the day. The best months for whales covers when fog is most common.
Not a whale trip, the Quebec City river cruise
Visitors with a single day in Quebec City sometimes look for a cheaper way onto the water. AML's sightseeing river cruise in Quebec City, from ~$46, spends 1.5 hours on the St. Lawrence below Old Quebec. The catch is plain. It sees no whales, because the river there lies far upstream of them, and it sells itself as a skyline cruise for the view of the city. For travelers with only one day, whales on a cruise ship stop sets out what a short stay allows.