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Voykit pocket guide · Canada
Drummondville
Give Drummondville one night if you are driving Autoroute 20 between Montréal and Québec City; skip it as a standalone stop unless the Village Québécois d'Antan or the poutine festival is your reason.
Drummondville is a 70,000-person service city on the Saint-François River, halfway between Montréal (about 100 km) and Québec City (about 150 km). It is a rail and highway junction with a rebuilt 19th-century village, a photography museum and a late-August poutine festival. Most travellers pass through; a single night breaks the drive and covers the sights.
- Country
- Canada
- Best months
- Jun–Sep for the village and outdoor events; Feb for snow tubing
- Avoid
- Nov–Apr for sightseeing (village closed, cold, ice)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CAD
- Money
- Currency is the Canadian dollar (CAD, $). Cards and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere.
- Daily spend
- Budget C$90–140 excl. bed · Mid C$140–220 excl. bed · High C$220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Rogers, Bell and Telus plus cheaper brands (Fido, Koodo, Public Mobile); prepaid SIMs in malls and stores. Canadian data is expensive — an eSIM is often cheaper.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Same as the US.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 15–20% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: CAD 1–2 per drink.; Taxi: 10–15%.; Housekeeping: CAD 3–5 a night.; Guide: 10–20% of the tour price.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable; treat water from lakes and streams (giardia).
- Toilets
- Free in malls, Tim Hortons, stations and park visitor centres.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | C$2.50–5 |
| Poutine | C$10–16 |
| Restaurant main | C$16–38 |
| Draught beer in a microbrewery | C$7–10 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) taxi3.1 mi (5 km) taxi | C$14–20 |
| Museum entry (National Museum of Photography) | C$10 adult, free under 12 |
| Village Québécois d'Antan entry | C$21 adult, C$11 child (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- YUL · Montréal-Trudeau
- About 1 h 15 min by car via Autoroute 20; the usual gateway
- YQB · Québec City Jean Lesage
- About 1 h 45 min by car
- DMU · Drummondville airport and seaplane base
- General aviation only; no scheduled airline service
Typical fares
- VIA Rail Montréal → Drummondville
- about C$30–45, 1 h 15 min (check)
- Orléans Express bus Montréal → Drummondville
- about C$25–35, 1 h 15 min (check)
- Taxi downtown → boulevard Saint-Joseph motels
- C$12–18
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Downtown is walkable in 15–20 minutes end to end. Drummondville Transit runs six bus routes from the terminal at Des Forges and Lindsay, roughly every 30 min on weekdays and hourly on Sundays; cash fare about $2.60 (2026 estimate, check). A car is easier for the village, the autodrome and the winter tubing hill.
See and do
Known for
- Village Québécois d'Antan
- Festival de la Poutine
- National Museum of Photography
- Autoroute 20 junction
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Victoriaville | Autoroute 20 east then Route 122, or the twice-weekly Orléans Express bus | About 50 min by car |
| Bécancour | Autoroute 20 east to Autoroute 55 north | About 1 h by car |
| Montréal | VIA Rail from Drummondville station, about 1 h 15 min; or Autoroute 20 west | About 1.5 h |
| Québec City | VIA Rail, about 2–2.25 h; or Autoroute 20 east | About 2.5 h |
Sleep
- Boulevard Saint-Joseph West
- Highway-side motels and hotels with free parking; best for one night with a car.
- Downtown (rue Lindsay / rue Heriot)
- Walk to the photography museum, restaurants and the train station; fewer beds.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjourbon-ZHOOR |
| Thank you | Mercimair-SEE |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ?kom-BYEN sa KOOT |
| Can I pay by card? | Puis-je payer par carte ?pweezh pay-YAY par KART |
| Where is the toilet? | Où sont les toilettes ?oo son lay twa-LET |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON seel voo PLEH |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; 'Bonjour' first in Québec; avoid: Assuming everyone speaks English
- Queues: Line up and wait your turn; avoid: Pushing in
- Apologising: 'Sorry' is politeness, not admission of fault; avoid: Loud confrontation
- Canada vs US: Treat Canada as its own country; avoid: Calling Canadians American
- Indigenous culture: Buy from Indigenous-owned businesses and ask before photos at ceremonies; avoid: Wearing headdresses as costume
Scams and watch-outs
- Winter driving: snow, ice and whiteouts on Autoroute 20 from November to March.
- The Village Québécois d'Antan opens late June to end of August only; outside that window it is closed.
- Many highway motels sit 2–4 km from downtown: without a car you are stranded.
- French is the working language; service in English is common but not guaranteed in smaller spots.
Low-risk city; the real hazards are winter driving on Autoroute 20, unlit riverbank paths after dark, and long waits for a bus on Sundays.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Drummondville yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Village Québécois d'Antan
- Festival de la Poutine
- National Museum of Photography
- Autoroute 20 junction
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourisme Drummondville: tourismedrummondville.com/
- Ville de Drummondville: www.drummondville.ca/
- VIA Rail — Drummondville station: www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/stations/quebec/drummondville
- Orléans Express: www.orleansexpress.com/en/
- Village Québécois d'Antan: www.villagequebecois.com
- Musée national de la photographie: www.museedelaphoto.info
- Festival de la Poutine: festivaldelapoutine.com/en/
- Wikivoyage: Drummondville, revision 5237349 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5237349
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Drummondville
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Drummondville; the US consulate general is in Montréal, and most other countries keep embassies in Ottawa.
Tipping: 15–20% at restaurants and bars, 10–15% for taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/drummondville). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.