The King’s Road: A Historic Driving Tour from Montreal to Quebec

Trade the monotony of the autoroute between Montréal and Québec City for the timeless charm of the Chemin du Roy, and step directly into the living story of New France.

On this driving tour, you’ll wind through landscapes that have shaped Québec for nearly three centuries, linking riverfront villages, ancestral homes, and the enduring spirit of the province’s earliest settlers. You’ll see for yourself how this historical 1737 roadway which stretches 280 kilometres along the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River is one of the most evocative routes in North America.

The tour starts at Moulin seigneurial de Pointe-du-Lac, a historical museum in Trois-Rivières. You’ll drive towards Trois Rivières, a city rich in culture and heritage, where cafés, museums, and riverside promenades invite travellers to slow down and savour authentic Québec hospitality. From there, each bend in the road reveals something new: stone churches, seigneurial mills, orchards, farmlands, and artisans who carry forward traditions passed down through generations. The tour ends in Montcalm parking lot near The Plains of Abraham Trail.

Along this immersive three-hour driving tour, you’ll encounter:

• Moulin Ancestral de Pointe du Lac, a flour and sawmill from the 1700s, preserved in its rural setting
• Boréalis Museum, which offers a fascinating look into Québec’s once dominant pulp and paper industry
• Notre Dame du Cap Sanctuary, Canada’s national shrine dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Champlain and Batiscan, postcard-perfect villages along the St. Lawrence shoreline
• Moulin à vent de Grondines, one of the oldest windmills in Québec
• Quai de Portneuf, a peaceful riverside lookout with majestic views of the St. Lawrence
• Moulin de la Chevrotière, a beautifully restored seigneurial mill
• Presbytère de Deschambault, a heritage rectory overlooking the river
• Vieux chemin Cap Santé, often called one of Canada’s most beautiful streets
• Québec Bridge, a monumental engineering feat shaped by tragedy and innovation
• Cap Rouge Nautical Site & Trestle Bridge, a blend of natural beauty and railway history
• St. Michael’s Church, Sillery, offering a sweeping 180-degree panorama of the river

The Chemin du Roy offers more than a scenic drive. It’s a moving tableau of sweeping river views, peaceful countryside, and unforgettable fall colours that transform the journey into a living painting. Here, history isn’t something you observe; it’s something you feel.