Tadoussac, Quebec

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.