Discover Bonaventure: Coast and Culture

Bonaventure offers a range of starting points for planning a trip: coastal trails along Baie-des-Chaleurs, Acadian heritage, and seasonal cultural and recreational activities. Which themes you focus on depends on whether you are planning time outdoors, a cultural visit, or a sea excursion.

Coastal Trails and Outdoor Activities

The paved multi-use trails run along Baie-des-Chaleurs and extend for a total of five kilometres. They can be used on foot, on roller skates, or by bicycle. You can take the total length of five kilometres into account when planning your route. The Circuit des plages also follows the shore of Baie-des-Chaleurs. The beaches along this coastal route each have their own characteristics and are special places to discover.

Another option is the Sentiers Plein Air: its trails are suitable for mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding, and range from easy to intermediate. Access is seasonal; check current conditions before visiting. This makes it possible to distinguish the paved coastal route from the Sentiers trails according to the activity you have in mind, without conflating their different uses.

Acadian Heritage and Theater

The Musée acadien du Québec is a vibrant cultural centre dedicated to interpreting Acadian heritage. It is housed in a historic building dating from 1914. The building formerly housed a boys’ school and a savings bank and is located across from Baie-des-Chaleurs. A visit to the museum therefore also connects you with the history of a building whose former uses are identified alongside its current cultural purpose.

The church of Saint-Bonaventure is another protected heritage complex. This Catholic institutional complex was developed starting in the second half of the 19th century. It includes the church, a Christ-Roi monument, and a cemetery with an ossuary and a calvary. The complex therefore encompasses more than the church building and offers several specific features through which to explore local heritage.

Théâtre de la Petite Marée is a theater organization for young audiences. Based in Bonaventure, it develops, produces, and presents theater performances in summer. As the program is seasonal, it is advisable to check the current schedule before visiting.

Sea Excursions and Other Trip Ideas

Excursion Salée is a provider of tourist sea excursions based in Bonaventure. Excursion Salée offers fishing trips for striped bass, cod, and mackerel.

The Wider Bonaventure Destination

The wider Bonaventure destination also offers other cultural and landscape attractions in various communities. In Paspébiac, the Banc-de-Pêche-de-Paspébiac historic site was designated a heritage site by the Minister of Cultural Affairs on July 17, 1981. At the Site historique national de Paspébiac, visitors can sample traditional dishes. In Cascapedia-St-Jules, the Cascapedia River Museum tells the story of the river through exhibitions, artifacts, photographs, and personal accounts. In New Carlisle, Espace René-Lévesque features a statue and a permanent exhibition about important moments in the life and work of René Lévesque.

Landscape attractions also add to this regional overview: At the Île site in Saint-Siméon, a trail leads to a sandy beach, where numerous bird species can be observed. In Caplan, the sea meets the Caplan River at Plage de la Rivière. These places and attractions are part of the wider Bonaventure destination and should be distinguished from the facilities and trails mentioned in the town of Bonaventure.

Discover more destinations: Caplan, New Richmond, Paspébiac.

Go to the wider travel overview: Bonaventure.