Matane brings together maritime history and riverside routes. The Promenade des Capitaines runs through the city centre along the Matane River and tells the story of the city’s maritime heritage through tales of well-known captains. Architecture, historic sites and green spaces offer a different perspective. When planning your visit, you can choose what interests you: maritime history in the city centre, a tour of the sights or time at Parc des Îles.
Maritime History and Architecture in the City Centre
The Promenade des Capitaines offers an introduction to the city’s maritime history and heritage, with stories about Matane’s best-known captains. The Phare-Musée maritime de Matane is also part of this theme: the lighthouse dates back to 1907. The keeper’s house at Phare de Matane is home to the tourist information office and the maritime museum Lire la mer.
The Presbytère de Saint-Jérôme-de-Matane offers a different perspective on the history of the area’s buildings. The presbytery reflects Second Empire influences, was built in 1887 and expanded around 1916. The two dates mark distinct construction phases: first the building’s construction, then its expansion. Together with the sites along the Circuit patrimonial, it offers a way to explore the area with architecture and local history at its centre.
Explore City History on Foot and Along the River
The Circuit patrimonial de Matane is 3.15 km long and includes 17 points of interest. It is best explored on foot. The first section follows Avenue Saint-Jérôme, where you can see the oldest buildings. In the city centre, the tour offers insights into history, architecture, local features and anecdotes. This sets it apart from the Promenade des Capitaines: the Circuit patrimonial offers a broader view of the city, while the Promenade focuses on maritime history through stories of captains.
Parc des Îles is a green space in central Matane that is open year-round and provides direct access to the salmon river. Circonflexe operates an equipment-lending station in the park, where anyone can borrow equipment. Since operations may change, check whether the lending station is available before your visit. The William-Price cycling path also runs through the park: it is 1.8 km long and follows the Matane River.
You can also extend your bike ride along the Promenade des Capitaines: the route can be continued to Parc des Îles and then onto the William-Price cycling path. These details help distinguish the routes by their focus: the Circuit patrimonial is a walking tour, while the Promenade and cycling path offer a different perspective on the maritime heritage and river.
More Routes and Excursions
The Sentiers du Bon-Pasteur are a forest trail of about 4 km that is open year-round and connects Parc Jane-McCallum with Parc Mélanie-Joncas. The trail’s length is given as “about” 4 km. Its distance and two endpoints help you distinguish it from the shorter 1.8 km William-Price cycling path, which follows the river through Parc des Îles.
Maritime excursions to observe marine mammals, including whales and seals, are also available from Matane. Fishing trips target striped bass, mackerel, cod and groundfish. These excursions add activities on the water to an exploration of the city and are distinct from the walking and cycling routes on land.
La Matanie in the Greater Matane Destination
The greater Matane destination also includes the wider region of La Matanie. Its coastline stretches for 75 km along the estuary of the St. Lawrence River. The Chic-Choc Mountains also cross La Matanie, reaching elevations of more than 1,000 metres. These regional landscapes offer a different scale from the routes in central Matane.
The Réserve faunique de Matane is located in La Matanie. It covers 1,275 km² and has a network of more than 100 km of hiking trails. A section of the Sentier International des Appalaches – Québec (SIA-QC) also crosses the reserve: the trail runs for 650 km through the Gaspésie, including more than 100 km through the Réserve faunique de Matane. The reserve’s 13 short hikes range from easy to challenging and are between 4 km and 17 km long. Trail conditions and seasonal access may vary; check these details before planning a specific hike.
Fishing options in the reserve also differ from the excursions departing from Matane: fishing is permitted in about 20 lakes. Brook trout are found in all the lakes, and lake trout are also found in Lac Matane. Public access points to the sea in La Matanie have on-site signage, nearby parking and a path down to the beach. Check parking and beach conditions on site.
Near Sainte-Paule, an observation tower stands on a mountain close to Lac à la Loutre. From there, you can see wind turbines, the Matapédia Valley and neighbouring villages. The greater Matane destination therefore offers not only coastline and hiking trails, but also a designated viewpoint and lake fishing opportunities.
Discover more destinations: Sainte-Félicité, Baie-Des-Sables, Les Méchins, Sainte-Paule, Saint-Ulric.
View the full travel overview: Matane.
