The valley
Fields and hills.
Veilleux79 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paul Paradis — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Stéphane Batigne — CC BY 3.0 · Paul Paradis — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hayden Soloviev — CC BY 4.0
Baie-Saint-Paul is a small city in Quebec on the north shore of the St Lawrence at the mouth of the Gouffre River, the seat of the Charlevoix region, with about 7,371 people at the 2021 census, less than a kilometre from its centre in a straight line. The bay appears on 16th-century maps, and Samuel de Champlain called it the Baie du Gouffre in 1632 after a whirlpool at the river mouth; the present name was in use by 1641. Cirque du Soleil began here in the early 1980s, and the first show under that name was held here in 1984. The town lies in a wide green valley between forested hills, with a spired church at its heart and fields and farms reaching to the broad river, and the woods turn red and orange in autumn. It is known for its art galleries, restaurants and local produce, and it has a museum of contemporary art. Lookouts on the roads into town give views over the valley, and autumn is one of the loveliest times.
Fields and hills.
In the streets.
Coloured woods.
Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada
Summer and autumn.
About an hour by car.