Aller au contenu

Travel

Magog Harvest Festival: Two Weekends of Quebec Flavours in September

Quebec vineyards, cideries, microbreweries and cheesemakers gather in Magog on September 5-7 and 12-13, 2026. An easy fall getaway to discover Quebec's food scene.

Vieauqc TeamJuly 27, 2026
Previous
Listen
Next
Listen to the articleParagraph 1 / 5
Speed

Craving a fall getaway to taste Quebec? The Fête des Vendanges (Harvest Festival) in Magog, in the Eastern Townships, returns "between lake and mountain" to celebrate the know-how of local producers. According to the event's regional listing, it runs over two weekends: September 5, 6 and 7, then September 12 and 13, 2026.

More than 75 producers, under one sky. Vineyards, distilleries, cideries, microbreweries, cheesemakers and food artisans gather to share their creations and chat with visitors, in a lively musical setting. It's a concentrated way to meet Quebec's food scene without touring the whole province.

How the tasting works. Access to the tastings goes through a base package, Regular or VIP, which includes your official glass, tasting coupons and other surprises depending on the option. The package is valid for all five days of the event, and you can buy more coupons online or on-site depending on your appetite. Note: the festival advertises a 15% pre-sale discount ending August 17 — worth it if you plan ahead.

Good to know for newcomers: it's a great outing to understand Quebec's terroir culture — the attachment to local products, ciders and farm cheeses. Magog is about an hour and a half's drive from Montréal; pair the festival with a fall walk in the Mont-Orford area for a full day. Budget the package cost ahead of time, and remember that buying and drinking alcohol is reserved for those 18 and over.

Go deeper

Our full guides on this topic

More in Travel

Our other articles in this category

Vieauqc TeamJul 22

Travel

Travelling abroad in winter: your RAMQ card is not enough

Travelling abroad in winter: your RAMQ card is not enough

Many newcomers think the health card covers them everywhere. Outside Quebec, the protection is very limited.

Quebec winters push many people south — Mexico, Florida, the Caribbean — or back to their home country for the holidays. Before you book, one thing must be clear: your RAMQ card does not protect you the way it does in Quebec once you cross the border. What RAMQ really covers abroad. According to the Government of Quebec, when you receive care outside Quebec, the Régie reimburses only part of the cost, at the rates that apply in Quebec — often far below the real price elsewhere. A hospital stay in the United States can cost thousands of dollars; the reimbursement stays at the Quebec rate. The Government of Quebec therefore recommends taking out private insurance before departure. Medications are not reimbursed. Another often-forgotten point: the public plan does not cover prescription drugs bought outside Quebec. Travel insurance that includes medications fills that gap. The 183-day rule. To stay eligible for health insurance, a person living in Quebec must be present in the…

Vieauqc TeamJul 22

Travel

Fall colours 2026: where and when to see the leaves in Quebec

Fall colours 2026: where and when to see the leaves in Quebec

From mid-September to late October, Quebec's forests light up. Here are the best regions and the timing to enjoy them.

One of the great free shows of your first year in Quebec is coming soon: in the fall, the maples, birches and poplars turn red, orange and yellow. Here's how to experience it without missing out. When. The colour season generally runs from mid-September to late October, according to Bonjour Québec, the province's official tourism site. The peak doesn't hit everywhere at once: it depends on altitude and region. Where to look, north to south. Higher and more northern areas turn first. In the Chic-Chocs mountains of the Gaspé and in Haute-Mauricie, colours appear as early as mid-September. Charlevoix and the northern Laurentians and Lanaudière often peak around late September. The Eastern Townships, the Outaouais and the southern Laurentians follow in early October. Finally, Montreal, the Quebec City area and the St. Lawrence lowlands hold their colours until roughly mid-October. The national parks, a safe bet. Sépaq, which runs Quebec's national parks, suggests a few classics:…

Vieauqc TeamJul 22

Travel

Ski season passes 2026-2027: pre-sales are open in Quebec

Ski season passes 2026-2027: pre-sales are open in Quebec

Buying a season pass before winter often costs less. A rundown of family options at Bromont, Tremblant and Le Massif.

In Quebec, skiing and snowboarding are part of winter — and for a family, a season pass bought early often works out far cheaper than a string of day tickets. The 2026-2027 pre-sales are already underway at several resorts. Why buy now. Resorts sell their passes in a pre-sale in the fall, at a discount off the winter rate. Waiting for the first snow usually means paying more. Prices vary from one resort and one year to the next: always check the exact rate on the official site before buying. Bromont, montagne d'expériences. Close to Montreal, Bromont offers several formulas, including family passes (minimum one adult and one child) and new "4-season" passes that add the water park and hiking. The resort advertises a discounted pre-sale running until October 19, according to its official site. Tremblant. In the Laurentians, Tremblant offers the Tonik pass, reserved for Canadian residents, with included days and discounted tickets for friends and family. Ikon passes give unlimited…

Vieauqc TeamJul 19

Travel

Super Visa: bringing your parents over gets easier in 2026

Super Visa: bringing your parents over gets easier in 2026

Since March 31, 2026, the federal government calculates the host's income more flexibly. Here's how this federal visa — valid Canada-wide — can reunite your family in Quebec.

Dreaming of bringing your parents or grandparents to Quebec? Ever since the federal government paused the parent and grandparent sponsorship program for permanent residence on July 15, 2026, another route has become the practical answer: the super visa. It's a federal program, so it applies across Canada — including here in Quebec — and it has just been made easier to qualify for. So what exactly is the super visa? It's a multiple-entry visitor visa reserved for the parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Unlike an ordinary tourist visa, it lets your relatives stay for five years per visit and remains valid for up to ten years in total. In other words, your loved ones can live near you for a long time without renewing their status every few months. The big 2026 change is about income. To support an application, you — the host, the person doing the welcoming — must prove a minimum income tied to the LICO (Low Income Cut-Off), an amount set by Ottawa…

Vieauqc TeamJul 16

Travel

Discovering Quebec's national parks with SÉPAQ

Discovering Quebec's national parks with SÉPAQ

Booking a campsite or a night in a national park: what a newcomer should know before heading into nature.

Craving forests, lakes, and mountains? Quebec has a vast network of national parks managed by SÉPAQ (Société des établissements de plein air du Québec). It's often the ideal starting point for a newcomer who wants to explore nature here without venturing into the unknown. Quebec's national parks ≠ Parks Canada parks. A useful bit of vocabulary: SÉPAQ's "national parks" are provincial (for example Mont-Tremblant, Îles-de-Boucherville, Mont-Orford). They're separate from the federal parks run by Parks Canada (such as Forillon or La Mauricie), which have their own reservation system. Always check who manages the park you're interested in before booking. How to reserve. Everything is done online on the SÉPAQ website. The network includes thousands of campsites and ready-to-camp units (already set up and equipped) spread across the parks. SÉPAQ recommends creating a customer account ahead of time to make transactions easier, and browsing the site to plan your stay properly. Watch the…

Vieauqc TeamJul 16Montreal

Travel

Can you take the REM to Montreal's airport yet? (not quite)

Can you take the REM to Montreal's airport yet? (not quite)

The airport station isn't open yet — here's what's running today and how to reach YUL in the meantime.

The Réseau express métropolitain (REM) is the automated light-rail line running across the Montreal region. One question comes up often among newcomers: can you already take it to the airport? As of today, the answer is no — but the network is growing fast. The airport station isn't in service yet. According to REM, the branch serving Montreal-Trudeau airport is scheduled to enter service in 2027, once integration and testing phases are complete. The trip between downtown and the airport will then take about twenty minutes. Until then, no train reaches YUL. What's already running. Several segments are open: the South Shore (Brossard) since 2023, the Deux-Montagnes branch since November 2025, and the West Island branch (Anse-à-l'Orme), inaugurated on May 18, 2026 with four new stations. The airport branch is the last major segment to be completed. Getting to the airport today. The public-transit option is the STM's 747 shuttle, which links downtown to YUL 24 hours a day, 7 days a…

Vieauqc TeamJul 16

Travel

Quebec road trip: the essentials before you hit the road

Quebec road trip: the essentials before you hit the road

Driver's licence, passport for the U.S.: two things to settle before exploring Quebec's regions by car.

Exploring Quebec by car — from Charlevoix to the Gaspé Peninsula by way of the Eastern Townships — is one of summer's great pleasures. Before you leave, two formalities deserve a newcomer's attention. Your driver's licence. A foreign licence generally lets you drive in Quebec for the six months following your arrival. After that, you need a Quebec licence. According to the SAAQ, the exchange is done by appointment with the required documents; the agency then gets back to you within a set number of business days to confirm whether you can obtain a licence or have your driving experience recognized. Nationals of certain countries tied to Quebec by an agreement are exempt from the exams — check your situation on the SAAQ foreign-licence page. A hop into the United States? Many routes run along the border, and crossing over is tempting. The safest document is a valid passport: the Government of Canada reminds travellers that a passport is the only universally accepted document proving…