Orleans Island is a calm and peaceful place filled with nature, maple trees, agriculture, and history. Jacques Cartier discovered it in 1535. The land and its microclimate make the island ultra-fertile and a great place to cultivate. Situated right next to Quebec City, it is a great weekend getaway. It is famous for apple and pumpkin picking in the fall, berries in the summer, and brunch at the maple shacks on weekends in the early spring. Here are the best places to visit on Île d’Orléans, Québec, Canada
The Seasons
Since it’s quite a seasonal place, the island wakes up slowly in the early spring with the ‘Cabanes à sucre’ (sugar shacks) season. Join the earthy brunch of a sugar shack with its live music and maple syrup on everything! Finish always with a ‘tire sur neige,’ maple toffee made on snow.
In the summertime, it’s berry season. In August, it’s sweet corn season; in the fall, it’s apple and pumpkin season. The island has many “pick it up yourself” places, which is an excellent activity for the kids.
Cycling
It’s also great to experience riding a bike; it’s about 70km and relatively flat, although no cycling path is present, and the road can be bumpy. I wouldn’t suggest it for young kids. If you have all day, you can add a couple of excellent stops along the way. Otherwise, bringing loads of amazing products from the island might be easier with a car.
In 1610, the island became the first place in North America to receive a shipment of cows from Europe, resulting in the oldest North American cheese, a quite special one. Talking about cheese, let’s start this top 10 with the cheese factory from the island.
#1 Les Fromages de l’Ile d’Orléans (The Island Cheese Factory)
The oldest cheeses produced in North America originate from here, although not precisely the Fromagerie. Back in the day, 38 families from the island would make their cheeses at home. They all used the same French recipe of 3 different ages: a young cheese (ricotta style), a six-day young cheese and an older (28 days) refined cheese. This conventional method results in unique cheeses which can only be made on this island because of its exceptional bacterial flora. Many tried to reproduce the cheeses outside the island, in laboratories, and couldn’t remake them.
The island’s residents have made cheese since 1635, although the fromagerie store only started in 2004. In the ’60s, the cheeses from the island couldn’t be sold in stores or markets because they weren’t refined long enough for Canadian regulations, which required a minimum of 60 days to refine cheeses to be able to sell them. So there was a dark period for this particular cheese. However, the families kept making some at home and giving/selling only to family and safe individuals.
This cheese is not only delicious, but the paillasson (the six-day dried one) is quite particular because it needs to be grilled before consumption and, yes, grilled! First, you cut it into small triangles and grill it in a nonstick pan for about 2 minutes on each side. Strangely, it doesn’t melt or lose its form and gives the crust this irresistible caramelized flavour. Like Halloumi cheese, this grilled Paillasson cheese goes perfectly on a green salad. Sadly, this cheese is made in such small quantities that you’ll only be able to find it around the island and in Quebec City.
Nowadays, the Fromagerie has a couple of different types of cheeses. It went from soft, fresh cheese to strong, cured ones, without forgetting the famous “Squish Squish” cheese. The renowned cheese to make poutine, or in other words, cheddar cheese curds, is fresh from the day. We call it by the sound it makes when you chew on it: Squish Squish. The fresher it is, the stronger the “squish” sound—my favourite snack!
If you ever pass by Les Fromages de l’Isle d’Orléans, stop by! They usually offer a bunch of freshly grilled Paillasson cheese to try. In the summer, they also offer frozen cheese mixed with fresh island berries—a pure delight!
Les Fromages de l’isle d’Orléans, 2950, chemin Royal, Sainte-Famille
www.fromagesdeliledorleans.com
#2 La Nougaterie
A European couple owns this delicious nougat shop/factory, which always has a touch of the island’s products. The factory is in the back of the shop. Their bestsellers include maple sugar nougat, blueberry, and fleur de sel nougat. My personal favourite is the usual “pistachio” one. They also sell handmade marshmallows, meringues, and other sweets. This is a winning stop for kids.
La Nougaterie 1367 Chemin Royal, Saint-Pierre
#3 Cidrerie/Orchard Bilodeau
This cidery was the first to cultivate apples on Orleans Island since 1970. The apple orchard is one of the best things to do with the kids in the fall. They have 6 acres of small apple trees to pick—a fun activity for the family from the end of August to mid-October. The Bilodeau Ciderie won many prizes, especially for its ciders. Some are maple syrup-flavoured, strawberry-flavoured, etc. They also make other beverages, from sparkling ciders to digestives. Another strong point is that they offer a free degustation of most products.
If you go on the weekend during the apple season, you’ll have to try the “Chausson aux Pommes,” a one-of-a-kind apple turnover served with maple butter. Simply divine! They also offer pies and other apple sweets. The place is open from May to December.
Cidrerie Bilodeau, 2200 Chemin Royal, St-Pierre
#4 Cassis Monna & Filles
This is a well-known place, a blackcurrant specialist and awards-winning cellar selling all kinds of products based on blackcurrant, from mustard and marmalade to fortified wines and digestives. To taste their products, you have to go downstairs; they have a restaurant and cafe/ice cream shop upstairs. In the summertime, they serve delicious blackcurrant ice cream in many forms (soft ice cream, gelato, double), and it’s simply divine!
I use their blackcurrant syrup and add it to sparkling water or Kir Royal; it’s pretty addictive, you’ll see. The cellar is open from May to October, and the restaurant from June to September, and the view is spectacular. There is a big terrace in the back with some picnic tables. All the items from the restaurant highlight their products. At the back, you can tour their museum in the barn or sit at one of the picnic tables to sip on some blackcurrant iced tea.
Cassis Monna & Filles, 721 Chemin Royal, Saint-Pierre
#5 The Confiturerie Tigidou
Once you enter this beautiful confiturerie (marmalade factory), you’ll never want to leave. The charming lady made me taste almost all their concoctions, which they call. It’s marmalade with less sugar. Their products are all made with products from the island, such as organic cane sugar, and have no conservatives. They create exciting mixes like strawberry-mint, blueberry-rosemary, and even whiskey-apple butter. There is a secret behind the recipes of those little pots; I saw it: lots of love.
7007 Chem. Royal, Saint-Laurent-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, QC G0A 3Z0, Canada
#6 The Vignoble de Ste-Pétronille and its Pizza Restaurant
This is a 2-for-1 place. The first is a degustation place with all kinds of island and ice wines. You can visit the cellar and walk around the vineyard, which has a splendid view of Montmorency Falls. One of their best sellers is a white wine called “Le voile de la mariée”. The second part, situated in the back of the degustation room, is a pizza restaurant serving great pizzas with a picture of the vineyards. Another seasonal place opens from spring to fall. Their pizza is made in a proper pizza oven, with whole-grain sourdough and topped with products from the island. Fantastic!
8705 Chemin Royal, Ste-Pétronille
#7 Chez Mag – Fine Cantine
Get in line, because it’s long, if you want to eat something special: lobster poutine or rolls, smoked meat poutines or an innovative burger! It’s the new popular place on the island with lovely, copious, deluxe lunches. Also, try the onion rings with a caramelized beer and smoked sour cream dip! All this will power you up to finish exploring the other half of the island. They also have a new Ice cream shack in the back if you still have space after your meal.
2460 Chem. Royal, Sainte-Famille
#8 The Chocolaterie
This says it all: it’s a Belgium-style chocolate heaven. They have two shops on opposite sides of the island. One is near the island’s entrance in Ste-Petronille, and the other is in Saint-Laurent. They are also seasonal, opening only from April to October (Ste-Petronille) and June to October (St-Francois). They sell exquisite fine chocolates, including blueberry and maple sugar. They also offer ice cream covered with chocolate and sorbets— a great relaxing spot to enjoy the St. Lawrence River scenery.
The chocolaterie, 8330 Chemin Royal, Sainte-Pétronille / 7014 Chem. Royal, L’Île-d’Orléans
#9 La Midinette
This is a delicious coffee place/bakery in an ancestral Canadian house with cracking floors and a beautiful terrace. They make some of the best Danoise and brioches I’ve ever tasted. They offer a great variety of breads, croissants, and much more. If you go to the island by bike and have a sweet tooth, I recommend this place for a lunch stop; it’s midway.
La Midinette 2001 Chemin Royal, Saint-Jean
#10 Polyculture Plante
You’ll find every fruit and vegetable the island offers and various other products like maple syrup, fresh bread, juices, marmalade, dressings, and much more. This family-run business has been going strong for three generations. Each season brings a bounty of new and delicious items, like apples during apple season, big containers of different corn styles at the end of summer and mountains of pumpkins to choose from for Halloween. They have picnic tables to make a picnic in the field on the side of the shop.
Like most places on the island, the store closes its doors in winter when the snow comes. They usually sell Christmas trees and close right before the holidays. It’s a great place to fill up the car with goodies!
8683 Chemin Royal, Ste-Pétronille
Other New Spots to Explore
- Ferme Audet, in St-Francois, makes goat cheese, fresh ice cream, and soaps. You can sample them and then enjoy your ice cream in the backyard with the goats and chicken!
- La Grange de l’Île is a lovely restaurant in a barn with a stunning terrace and garden. It offers a charcuterie and cheese board, salads, and tartare plates.
- Ferme Francois Gosselin sells a wide range of products, from bioberries to maple syrup. It’s a lovely store!
- La Cuisine d’été is the place to go if you fancy a quick bite on the island. It has loads of green space in the back for the kids to run around. Their poutine is not shy on cheese and is one of my personal favourites!
- Les Saveurs de l’Isle d’Orléans have lovely marmelades, butters and sandwiches but the highlight is by far their potato donuts! Grab them fresh; they are exquisite!
- Oh! Bio is all bioproducts from the island from the Ferme Jean-Pierre Plante. This place is filled with bio fruits, veggies, maple products and even sea buckthorn juice (jus d’Argousier), which is lovely!
On a final note, Orleans Island is filled with flavours and beauties that will make pleasant memories for the whole family.
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3 Comments
I lived in Montreal for two years, and while I loved the city and tried to get out as much as possible, I wish I’d had more time to explore places like this! I remember seeing signs (and specialty foods in stores) for Île d’Orléans and thinking it sounded like a cool place, but I had no idea there was so much going on there! One of these days (when I can fathom flying my little ones across the country) I’m going to have to get back to Quebec and start hitting up some of the amazing places I missed out on!
It s a great and calm place, filled with treasures here and there. In winter though…it s pretty pretty dead. Summer and fall is the best time to visit. I hope you ll find some time to go visit someday.
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