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Voykit pocket guide · Canada
Rivière-Beaudette
Go for a half-day on the water or one night en route on Autoroute 20 — not as a Montreal base: it is 50–55 min by car each way.
Rivière-Beaudette is a small riverside municipality at the Ontario border, the first stop on Autoroute 20 when you enter Quebec. Its draw is the water: Lake Saint-François, the Beaudette River, private docks and a hook-shaped 670 m canal lined with chalets. There is one church, one nine-hole golf course, a highway service centre and a handful of food stops. Treat it as a pause or a quiet one-night stay, not a destination in itself.
- Country
- Canada
- Best months
- Jun–Sep for boating and the river; Feb for skating and snow
- Avoid
- Nov–Apr unless you want a quiet off-season stay (check what is open)
- 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$70–110 excl. bed · Mid C$110–180 excl. bed · High C$180+ 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 · Info-Santé (health advice, 24 h) 811 · Sûreté du Québec (non-emergency) 310-4141
- 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$2.50–4.50 |
| Cassecroute meal (burger, fries, drink) | C$15–25 |
| Beer at a bar / six-pack at the store | C$6–9 / C$13–18 |
| Gasoline, per litre | C$1.50–1.80 |
| Nine-hole green fee | C$30–50 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | C$20–40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- YUL · Montréal-Trudeau
- About 55–70 min by car via Autoroute 20; the closest major airport
- YOW · Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier
- About 1 h 30 min by car via Highway 417 and Autoroute 20
Typical fares
- EXO bus Montréal → Rivière-Beaudette
- about C$12 one way (check)
- Taxi Côteau-du-Lac → Rivière-Beaudette
- about C$35 (check)
- Drive Montréal → Rivière-Beaudette
- 50–55 min via Autoroute 20; up to 1½ h at rush hour
Get around
A car or bicycle is the realistic way to move around: the villages are spread along Route 325, chemin de la Frontière and chemin Sainte-Claire, with no useful local transit. Boats and personal watercraft cover Lake Saint-François and the Beaudette River. Montreal is reachable by EXO bus from Terminus Mansfield (Quai 5) and by train to Côteau-du-Lac plus a taxi (check current schedules).
See and do
Known for
- Lake Saint-François waterfront
- Beaudette River boating
- Autoroute 20 service centre
- Nine-hole golf at Golf Rivière Beaudette
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Rigaud | Autoroute 20 east, then Route 342 | About 35–45 min |
| Hudson | Autoroute 20 east to Route 342 through Vaudreuil-Soulanges | About 40–50 min |
| Vaudreuil-Dorion | Autoroute 20 east | About 35–45 min |
| Pointe-Fortune | Route 342 west along the river | About 15–20 min |
| Montréal | Autoroute 20 east, or EXO bus from Terminus Mansfield (Quai 5) | 50–55 min by car; up to 1½ h at rush hour |
Sleep
- Main village (Route 325 / rue Principale)
- Closest to the church, the beer store and the highway ramps; best if you have a car and one night.
- Waterfront and Pointe-Lalonde
- Chalets and houses on Lake Saint-François and the canal; book ahead in summer, most are weekly rentals.
- Near the Autoroute 20 service centre
- Practical for a late arrival or an early start; gas, convenience store and fast food on site.
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 |
| I don't speak French | Je ne parle pas françaiszhuh nuh PARL pah fran-SAY |
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
- No train station in the village: rail users get off at Côteau-du-Lac and take a taxi.
- Autoroute 20 backs up at evening rush hour; the Montreal run can stretch to 1½ h.
- Private docks are pulled ashore for winter — do not assume water access outside summer.
- Small-town services close early and some are seasonal: check hours before you rely on them.
Very low crime; the real risks are highway driving in winter, fast water on Lake Saint-François and thin ice on the river. 911 for anything urgent.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Rivière-Beaudette yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Lake Saint-François waterfront
- Beaudette River boating
- Autoroute 20 service centre
- Nine-hole golf at Golf Rivière Beaudette
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 Rivière-Beaudette: riviere-beaudette.com/
- Tourisme Montérégie: www.tourisme-monteregie.qc.ca/
- EXO — Vaudreuil-Soulanges sector: exo.quebec/en
- Wikivoyage: Rivière-Beaudette, revision 5210839 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5210839
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Rivière-Beaudette
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
- Info-Santé (health advice, 24 h)811
- Sûreté du Québec (non-emergency)310-4141
No embassies here; the US consulate general and most embassies are in Montréal.
French is the main language in Québec; a short bonjour goes a long way.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/riviere-beaudette). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.