5 Things To Know Before Travelling To Small Places Like Tadoussac, Quebec

Tips to make your trip better

Recently we took a trip out to Tadoussac in Quebec. 

The experience was lovely but along the way there were a few things we learned that we wish we’d thought about ahead of time. The trip out there is lovely and worth doing but you need to be aware that this is not like going to another city. What Wikipedia just told me is 814 people live in the town, that’s it, that’s all.

In order to make the most of your trip, here’s 5 helpful things to know before travelling to Tadoussac. 

1 - Parking is not necessarily a given

We were able to find parking each time we ventured into Tadoussac but the availability of parking changed how we spent our second night.

We decided to stay about 15 minutes away by car from Tadoussac. This means that we didn't have hotel parking where we could privately avoid street parking. While you can find paid parking in Tadoussac and be covered until 8:00 PM for only 20$, after that gets trickier.

There are a few street parking places you can use but come 10:00 PM overnight parking kicks in.

We saw the road inspector out there as the evening approached making sure we knew the tickets/towing was real. 

There is no overnight parking in Tadoussac for non residents (except this spot the internet said existed we could not locate in real life). 

With that knowledge ahead of time, we may have paid a bit more to stay in town and secure overnight parking. 

2 - Most restaurants and stores will be closed by 9:00 PM

When we arrived at our hotel, I wrote my blog and when we finally ventured out, it was closer to 8:30 PM.

The restaurant near us had reservations only. Almost everything in Tadoussac was closed. Even taking the ferry would have meant driving nearly 90 minutes for food. Our hotel place had a kitchen area with a stove, in hindsight groceries and cooking may have been the smarter move.

The food out there is not going to be cheap because there is a tiny local population and us tourists definitely have some money to burn.

We contributed to the fine fooderies of Tadoussac (it’s worth noting 80% of the food available at restaurants was seafood and the meat in the grocery store was super cheap compared to Montreal). 

3 - There is not going to be a nightlife midweek

As discussed there is a clear message via parking availability that after 10 PM you shouldn’t be driving to Tadoussac. 

Should you drive in for any reason other than a hotel, you will find no bars open late, no restaurants, no convenience stores. There won’t be a gas station and there is literally not a single name brand chain out there except the SAQ express in the grocery store.

The bar we had a drink at didn’t even have Coca Cola, it was a Montreal brand that uses maple syrup instead of classic sugar. 

There are things that happen on the weekend, but the tourism is based around nature trails and whale watching. By the time the sun is down, there isn’t much to do there unless you are visiting someone. It’s a bit of an adjustment from city life.

It may have been wiser to go on the weekend in order to truly get the local town experience.

4 - You need to be prepared with a driver on deck

Don’t assume you can get Uber and taxi services with ease out in the boonies. 

The reality is you are bound to your whip. Which means if you do want to get fucked up at the bar, and there’s no overnight parking, you really can’t. I see what you did there to control our behaviour, Tadoussac, you clever. 

I’m sure some of you may feel cool driving drunk, but this is not the city. At least for me, driving out there was very stressful. Give me the population density and and well light expressways any day of the week. 

The truth is the vibe is really calm and pleasant. It’s so clean you don’t even want to litter. Just be prepared that this kind of trip is more about being up early and getting nature in than late nights. 

I definitely wish I’d rented an SUV, my lil Sentra was not a fan of the mountain roads.

5 - Bring your own soft drinks if that’s your cup of tea

If you think it’s expensive at Couche Tard to get a bottle of Pepsi, you have not seen Tadoussac prices.

We checked the grocery store and the 2L bottles would be about 6.50$ after taxes and the 500 ml bottle would be about 5$. It makes sense. These are heavy items and they probably have to pay more to get them shipped. 

Overall you should budget to spend a bit more than you are used to on anything you choose not to bring with you. 

Literally trucks have to cross the ferry to get to a place like Tadoussac. I’m pretty sure it runs 24 hours a day, for free, for the shipping industry more than civilians. No one who lives there is away all night on a Tuesday, I promise you that much.

Either way, double check how big the town is before going.

We had a bit of culture shock, but it was a bless time still. 

Live Long and Prosper Everyone