Sights and landmarks in Percé

Sights and landmarks in Percé

1. See

   Bonaventure Island

   Île Bonaventure

   A bird lover's paradise, Bonaventure Island is about 4 km² (1,000 acres) off the coast of Percé that's most famous as a nesting ground for about a dozen species of migratory sea birds. Here you'll find cormorants, puffins, murres, and most famously of all, the world's largest and most easily accessible colony of northern gannets, at 100,000 birds strong. After a short boat ride, you'll disembark at L'Anse à Butler on the west side of the island, and you'll see in front of you a cluster of old clapboard houses: before it was a protected natural haven, Bonaventure Island was the site of a small but thriving community of fishermen, and the ancestral family homes they left behind have been fully restored using authentic vernacular construction methods and architectural features. Then you can feel free to amble around at your leisure: the island boasts a variety of landscapes and scenery including lovely fields, secluded picnic spots, and scenic vistas looking back onto the shore or out over the open ocean, and you'll be serenaded at all times by the plaintive songs of the birds. These are the sights, sounds, and smells (for better and for worse — the wildflowers' scent is lovely; the bird droppings, not so much) of the Gaspé Peninsula of yesteryear. Before you leave Bonaventure Island, don't forget to stop at the restaurant at the side of the dock for some of their famous fish soup.

2. See

   Cap-Blanc Lighthouse

   Phare du Cap-Blanc

   This picture-perfect lighthouse stands 7 m (24 feet) in height, and was built in 1915 to replace an earlier structure from 1874. Though it's no longer operational, the light from this octagonal, stubby, red-and-white beacon once shone for 24 km (15 miles), warning ships away from the rocky shoals off White Head (Cap Blanc) south of Percé. The land where Cap-Blanc Lighthouse stands is today part of the Camping du Phare à Percé campground; while the grounds are nominally closed to visitors, campground staff tends to be tolerant of folks who stop by for brief snapshots.

3. See

   Historic L'Anse-à-Beaufils General Store

   Magasin général historique authentique

   Built in 1928 and once the central hub of L'Anse-à-Beaufils, the old Robin, Jones and Whitman General Store is now operated as a sort of living history museum, where old-fashioned dry goods, farm equipment, and other merchandise fill the shelves. On the guided tours they run, performers in period costume will step out from behind cash registers and grocery scales that look straight off a time machine and rattle off folksy anecdotes of local lore. Elsewhere in the museum, old photographs and artifacts relay the history of the village. Website in French only.

   Daily 10:00-17:00, mid-Jun through late Sept or early Oct, limited off-season hours·$6, children under 7 free

4. See

   Le Chafaud Museum

   Musée le Chafaud

   The stunning scenery of the Percé area has inspired a boatload of landscape artists over the year, and their works are displayed at this museum on the ground floor of an old 19th-century waterfront warehouse once owned by the Charles Robin fishing company. Le Chafaud's permanent collection includes mostly paintings, but also some engravings, photographs, and pen-and-ink drawings. Travelling exhibitions are frequently hosted as well.

   Daily 10:00-18:00

5. See

   Mont Blanc

   It's a longer hike to Mont Blanc than either The Grotto or Mont Sainte-Anne, but it's worthwhile: the Sentier de la Crevasse trail takes you alongside a deep crevice in the side of the mountain which, at a height of some 300 m (1,000 feet) straight down, makes for a dizzying experience. Mont Blanc is a bit taller than Mont Sainte-Anne; its summit is accessible via a steep dirt track that begins at the end of sentier de la Crevasse and affords beautiful views over the Gaspesian coast north of Percé and out to the open ocean.

6. See

   Mont Sainte-Anne

   Known in the 17th century as "Roland's Table" (La Table à Roland) due to its flat top, Mont Sainte-Anne's breathtaking majesty has made it a religious site for centuries of Gaspesians: from the Mi'kmaq who took their tribe's newborn babies here to present them to the sun god, to 19th- and early 20th-century Québécois devotees of St. Anne who would make pilgrimages there every July 26. Today, hikers can follow in their footsteps and enjoy great views over the town and out to L'Anse-à-Beaufils, Percé Rock, and Bonaventure Island.

7. See

   Percé Rock

   Rocher Percé

   This giant stone monolith is a natural wonder that, for travellers, has become almost synonymous with the Gaspé Peninsula itself. From a distance, they say Percé Rock looks like a ship under sail, but come a little closer and you'll see a 20-metre (66-foot) natural arch puncturing the rock through its base — hence its name, which translates to "pierced rock". A few metres (feet) outward from the main portion you'll see The Obelisk (L'Obélisque), a lone sea stack that used to be the base of a second arch, which collapsed after a small earthquake in 1845. Most people visit Percé Rock by boat. Prior to 2019, it was permissible to walk there from the shore at low tide; however in order to protect the nesting birds surrounding the rock, this is no longer allowed. The closest and best viewpoint of the rock from shore is from the cemetery directly across from it. If the booth is attended, there is a $2 charge, otherwise it is free.

8. See

   Percé Rock Organic Gardens

   Bio-Jardins Rocher-Percé

   The Percé Rock Organic Gardens is an extension of the work of Msgr. François Xavier Ross, the one-time Bishop of Gaspé who founded the Val-d'Espoir School of Agriculture (École d'agriculture de Val-d'Espoir) on this site in 1926 to spur the development of area farms. Today, this cooperatively-run institution is the home of a series of themed gardens where the accent is on sustainable agriculture and locally grown foods. You can also buy a modest range of other locally-produced artisanal products at the Gardens, including a line of all-natural cosmetics.

9. See

   The Grotto

   La Grotte

   Its name isn't exactly accurate, but it's lovely all the same: this is not a grotto but a lovely little waterfall nestled in the niche between Mont Sainte-Anne and Mont Blanc, where a mountain stream tumbles over a wall of red rock into a shallow pool. All this takes place inside a semicircular natural amphitheatre where — in keeping with the history of these mountains as a Catholic pilgrimage site (see below) — statues of the Virgin Mary and other religious baubles abound.

10. See

    The Old Factory

    La Vieille usine

    Once a fish processing plant, this sturdy clapboard structure at the heart of L'Anse-à-Beaufils' "cultural and tourist harbour" (havre culturel touristique) wears many hats: the Old Factory serves as a gourmet bistro with a pleasant terrace overlooking the water, a performance space hosting live music, plays, and comedy shows, a recording studio, and an art gallery where the work of about three dozen artists from the Gaspé Peninsula and all over Quebec is displayed. The gallery's collection is an eclectic one, encompassing both amateur and professional works in media that run the gamut from paintings and sculpture to jewelry and ceramic art. Arts and crafts courses for adults and youngsters are also held.

    Daily 09:00-16:00, mid-June through late Sept

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Percé (CC BY-SA 4.0).