Rimouski is a small city that sprawls out along the south coast of the St Lawrence Waterway. It is not really a tourist town but serves as a good base for many of the nearby attractions in Quebec province.
Roadside Fruit Stand southwest of Rimouski
Rimouski is a clean well-organized French speaking city. I stayed here a week and got along well despite not being able to speak any French, besides greetings and curses of course. I would guess about 50% of the people have some basic understanding of English though. There is a promenade where people walk or ride bikes along the coast and to a small city park south of the city center. The city also has a walking tour of some of the classic architecture around the town which is also called a promenade I think. There is a nice tourist office and across the street from the tourist office a Maritime Museum.
Favourite spots:
Parc du Bic
The Parc du Bic which is 20 km south of Rimouski is a very impressive area of natural beauty. It is a small area of coastal hills and rocky islands. There are supposed to be harbour seals here, but I did not see any. There are many nice trails which lead over hills through forests and into coves and around bays.
What's really great:
Museo de la Mer and lighthouse
About 5 km north of Rimouski is the very popular Museo de la Mer. It is a museum dedicated to the Empress of Ireland cruise ship which sunk off the coast here in 1914. It was the second worst naval disaster ever after the Titanic, a thousand and twelve lives lost. The museum has a collection of items brought up by divers from the wreck, and recordings of personal accounts of the disaster. There is a 20 minute 3D movie included with admission, but the movie is very low budget and I found it unimpressive. The museum also includes a tour of the Pointe-au-Pere lighthouse and chance to see an incredible view of the area from up top.
Sights:
Roadside view of Bic
Hell's Gate Canyon, also called Canyon des Portes de L'Enfer, is about about 30 km away to the southeast from Rimouski and offers many miles of hiking trails through a forested canyon and alongside the cascading waters of the Rimouski River.
Accommodations:
The Cegep Rimouski
The Cegep Rimouski Residences offer the best value accomodation that I was able to find in Canada at $93Cdn per week including cable tv, linens, microwave, and refridgerator in room. It is located close to the city center and I was able to use the internet for free in the Cegep Rimouski library.
Nightlife:
Overlooking the St Lawrence Waterway
The most popular nightclub seemed to be the Cactus. There are also many popular cafes around town with outdoor seating. At night, the town has a very European feel to it and a very active nightlife.
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