La Vallée-du-Richelieu travel guide

La Vallée-du-Richelieu is a regional county municipality (RCM) of Montérégie, Quebec. In the 21st century, the Richelieu River is very popular for both U.S. and Canadian recreational boaters, providing a connection that can bring boaters all the way from the outlet of the Saint Lawrence River to New York Harbor.

Understand

Dramatically different from the mountainous terrain to the south, the river valley is a vast plain that has been developed with extensive farmlands. The region includes the towns adjacent to the Richelieu River in its central part and is made up of suburban towns and villages in mainly agricultural territory.

A number of old fortifications exist dating back to the 17th century; they were built by the French in an effort to try to prevent the Iroquois from using the river as a way to attack the French settlers in the area. Fort Richelieu is at the mouth of the Richelieu River. Fort St. Louis (now Fort Chambly) at Chambly, Fort Sainte-Thérèse, and Fort Saint-Jean at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, are on the way. Fort St. Anne Isle La Motte, Vermont in Lake Champlain is near the river's source. The region is informally known as la Vallée-des-Forts.

Cities

• Beloeil — a picturesque town with facilities for boating
• Carignan — has many islands for recreational activities and the Fort Sainte-Thérèse historic site
• Chambly — hosts the historic Fort Chambly and Chambly Canal
• McMasterville — offers recreational and tourist activities, mainly focused on restaurants, pleasure boating on the Richelieu River, cultural activities, and artists' and craftsmen's shops
• Mont-Saint-Hilaire — an important apple-growing region offering agrotourism, pleasure boating, and hiking
• Otterburn Park — a small town with picturesque and contemporary charm
• Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu — has a riverside, rural landscape and a great historical heritage
• Saint-Basile-le-Grand — its old town has many rustic posh houses bearing witness to the great local history
• Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu — a recreational, nautical and agricultural destination with marinas and other services for travellers/boaters;
• Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu — a member of the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec, it hosts a museum about the 1837 Patriote rebellion
• Saint-Jean-Baptiste — has earned the distinction of "Fleurons du Québec" for its horticultural and landscape attractions
• Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu — part of the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec, it has a great historical heritage
• Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil — an industrial city and aerial recreational tourism destination with two golf clubs

Get in

By car, there are several routes from Montreal.

The AMT commuter train runs from Montreal's Gare Centrale (central station) to McMasterville.

Get around

Route 223 (rue du Rivage, Rue Richelieu and other names) connects the towns along the west bank of the Richelieu River, and route 133 (Chemin des Patriotes) connects the towns along the east bank.

See

Explore historic forts, including Fort Sainte-Thérèse in Carignan, and Fort Chambly in Chambly. Learn about the history of the 1837-38 Patriotes rebellion in Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu's museum.

The First Nations House in Mont-Saint-Hilaire is a place to learn about and experience the Indigenous culture of the region. The town also hosts the major art museum on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River

Do

Drive the Richelieu River Circuit — routes 133 and 223— up and down the valley.

Each riverside municipality has a heritage trail with information panels on sites of historical interest. The websites of each municipality indicate the trails.

Equestrian sports facilities are available in Carignan or in Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu.

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