Havre-Aux-Maisons offers several starting points for a trip: architectural and educational history, glass art, local food, and a trail through forest and wetlands. If you’re looking for a vacation rental, you can first consider which of these themes you want your trip to focus on. Sainte-Madeleine Church and the former Saint-Joseph School represent different chapters in the area’s history; the Sentier du Cap-Rouge offers a focus on the landscape.

Cultural History and Glass Art

Sainte-Madeleine Church in Havre-Aux-Maisons was built in 1969 and received a rating of C (“supérieure”) from the Conseil du patrimoine religieux. The former Saint-Joseph School tells a different story: it was designated a heritage building in 2006 and is now home to the La Méduse glass studio, with a workshop, boutique and exhibition space for glass artists. As the Îles-de-la-Madeleine’s first secondary education institution, it was intended for boys aged 14 and older. Here, a former educational role and its current use for glass art come together.

The Vieux Couvent is also a building designated by the municipality as historically valuable. These buildings offer different perspectives on local history: the church is notable for its construction date and rating; the École Saint-Joseph for its educational role and current use; and the Vieux Couvent for its municipal heritage status. Together, they provide a way to understand the cultural history of Havre-Aux-Maisons through specific buildings.

Crafts, Smoking Traditions and Local Food

The tour at Fumoir d’Antan lasts 45 minutes. It explores the history of the Îles’ smokehouses, shows fish hung for smoking, and includes a tasting of traditionally smoked specialties. The tour is available seasonally; check availability before your trip. Interprétation Pêche en Mer focuses on seasonal interpretive trips for lobster fishing.

At Miel en Mer, the honey comes from wildflowers exposed to the salty sea air of the St. Lawrence River. Visitors can also take part in a workshop on making beeswax candles there. The offerings differ considerably: from learning about smoking traditions and tasting the products, to a boat trip, to hands-on candle-making. This lets you choose a local experience based on your interests, without grouping every activity into a single type of outing.

Sentier du Cap-Rouge and Getting Around

The Sentier du Cap-Rouge passes through a predominantly forested habitat with Kalmia spruce forest, as well as a marsh that can be crossed via a barachois. The trail also offers a view of the lagoon. Forest, wetlands and views give the route a varied landscape. If you’re focused on nature experiences, these are the specific features you can use to compare the Sentier du Cap-Rouge with the area’s cultural and culinary offerings.

The Îles-de-la-Madeleine Airport is located at 210, chemin de l’Aéroport in Havre-Aux-Maisons. This location information can help with trip planning; flight connections and schedules are not described here.

Les Îles-De-La-Madeleine: Regional Context

In the Les Îles-De-La-Madeleine destination, the Réserve nationale de faune de la Pointe-de-l’Est is located at the northeastern tip of the archipelago. Its landscape includes dunes, heathland and ponds. The reserve is a stopover for migratory birds, especially shorebirds, and a breeding habitat for endangered species such as the horned grebe and piping plover. More than 150 bird species and about ten mammal species are currently found there. Guided hikes and activities to raise awareness about protecting wildlife habitats are offered; check the details directly with the provider.

The regional trail information covers a different scale than the Sentier du Cap-Rouge in Havre-Aux-Maisons: the Sentier Entre Vents et Marées crosses the archipelago in 13 stages and is 230 kilometers long in total. When planning your trip, it helps to distinguish between a trail described specifically within the area and a multi-stage route through the destination. Which option is a better fit depends on whether you’d like to focus on individual landscape features or a longer regional hiking route.

Discover more destinations: Cap-Aux-Meules, Grande-Entrée, L’étang-Du-Nord, Fatima.

Back to the main travel overview: Les Îles-De-La-Madeleine.