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Voykit pocket guide · Canada
Grande-Vallée and Petite-Vallée
Grande-Vallée et Petite-Vallée
Give the two villages one night if you are driving Route 132; two nights only if you come for the late-June song festival.
Grande-Vallée and Petite-Vallée sit side by side on the north shore of the Gaspé Peninsula, about 86–95 km west of Gaspé along Route 132. Grande-Vallée is the larger of the two, with roughly 1,100 residents; Petite-Vallée has about 180 and hosts a long-running Québécois song festival in late June. There is no airport and no train: you arrive by car or by the daily Orléans Express coach between Gaspé and Rimouski. The draw is the shoreline itself, the seafood, and the festival, not a checklist of sights.
- Country
- Canada
- Local name
- Grande-Vallée et Petite-Vallée
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Apr (cold, many businesses closed)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
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$150–230 excl. bed · High C$250+ 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 and ambulance 911 · Tourist office, Grande-Vallée +1 418 393-2102
- 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$2–4 |
| Diner main (burger, club sandwich) | C$15–25 |
| Seafood main at a sit-down restaurant | C$25–45 |
| Beer in a bar / can from a shop | C$7–9 / C$2–4 |
| Festival en Chanson ticket | check |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- YGP · Michel-Pouliot Airport, Gaspé
- Nearest airport, about 86–95 km (53–59 mi) east; daily Air Canada Express flights from Montréal, Québec City and the Îles de la Madeleine. You still need a car or bus from there.Nearest airport, about 53–59 mi (86–95 km) east; daily Air Canada Express flights from Montréal, Québec City and the Îles de la Madeleine. You still need a car or bus from there.
Typical fares
- Orléans Express, Gaspé → Grande-Vallée
- about C$30, roughly 1.5 h (check)
- Fuel, Gaspé → Grande-Vallée
- about 90 km (56 mi) each wayabout 56 mi (90 km) each way
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
A car is the practical way to move between the villages and along Route 132. The two centres are a short drive apart; walking works inside each village but not between them. Orléans Express stops in Grande-Vallée on its daily Gaspé–Rimouski route, so a car-free visit is possible but leaves you dependent on the timetable.
See and do
Known for
- Le Festival en Chanson in Petite-Vallée
- North shore of the Gaspé Peninsula
- Seafood and Gaspesian cooking
- Route 132 coastal drive
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gaspé | Drive Route 132 east, about 86–95 km (53–59 mi)Drive Route 132 east, about 53–59 mi (86–95 km) | About 1.5 h |
| Sainte-Anne-des-Monts | Drive Route 132 west, or the Orléans Express coach | About 2.5–3 h |
| Forillon National Park | Drive Route 132 east past Gaspé | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Grande-Vallée village centre
- Closest to the tourist office on rue de la Rivière, the quay and the main restaurant; best if you arrive by bus.
- Between the two villages on Route 132
- Roadside motels and diners roughly midway; you need a car for everything.
- Petite-Vallée
- Quietest option and the base for the festival; very few beds, so book early for late June.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjourbon-ZHOOR |
| Thank you | Mercimair-SEE |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ?kom-BYEN sa KOOT |
| I would like the fish, please | Je voudrais le poisson, s'il vous plaîtzhuh voo-DREH luh pwa-SON seel voo PLEH |
| Do you have a table for two? | Avez-vous une table pour deux ?a-vay VOO oon TAB poor DUH |
| Where is the toilet? | Où sont les toilettes ?oo son lay twa-LET |
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
- Distances on Route 132 are long and fuel and food stops are sparse: fill up when you can.
- Many restaurants and lodgings close outside the summer season; confirm before you book.
- Cell coverage is patchy along stretches of the north shore.
- Moose and deer on the road at dawn and dusk.
Very low crime; the real risks are the drive (moose at dusk, long empty stretches) and cold water along the shore. 911 works throughout.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Grande-Vallée and Petite-Vallée yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Le Festival en Chanson in Petite-Vallée
- North shore of the Gaspé Peninsula
- Seafood and Gaspesian cooking
- Route 132 coastal drive
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Municipalité de Petite-Vallée: www.petitevallee.ca
- Orléans Express: www.orleansexpress.com/en/
- Wikivoyage: Grande-Vallée and Petite-Vallée, revision 4670737 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4670737
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Grande-Vallée and Petite-ValléeGrande-Vallée et Petite-Vallée
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire and ambulance911
- Tourist office, Grande-Vallée+1 418 393-2102
No embassies here; the nearest consulates are in Québec City and Montréal, embassies in Ottawa.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/grande-vallee-and-petite-vallee). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.