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Voykit pocket guide · Canada
Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
Stop 30–60 min at the Trans-Canada rest area and the village sign, or sleep one night if you are driving Québec City to the Gaspé; skip it as a destination.
Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is a village of about 1,300 people on the Trans-Canada Highway in the Bas-Saint-Laurent, roughly halfway between Rivière-du-Loup and the New Brunswick border. It is known for its name — the only place name in the world with two exclamation marks — and for the roadside photo stop. There is no reason to base a trip here, but it is a natural break on a long drive east.
- Country
- Canada
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Apr (snow, closures, little open)
- Stay
- 0–1 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$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 · 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 to go | C$2–4 |
| Casual lunch (soup, sandwich, poutine) | C$14–22 |
| Motel double room, summer | C$95–220 |
| Fuel, 1 L regular | C$1.50–1.80 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | C$10–25 |
| Campground pitch, per night | C$30–70 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- YUL · Montréal-Trudeau
- About 5 h by car; the usual arrival airport for this region
- YQB · Québec City Jean Lesage
- About 3 h 30 min by car
Typical fares
- Fuel, Rivière-du-Loup → Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! (about 90 km)
- about C$11–13 (check)
- Motel double, one night
- C$95–220 (check)
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
You need a car. Route 185 (Trans-Canada) runs through the village; there is no useful local bus, and the nearest rail and bus links are in Rivière-du-Loup and Cabano. Fill up before the long empty stretch east.
See and do
Known for
- The name: two exclamation marks, the only place name with them
- Trans-Canada Highway rest stop
- Lac Témiscouata nearby
- Gateway to the Témiscouata and Gaspé drives
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac and Lac Témiscouata | Route 185 east, about 20–25 min by car | About 30 min |
| Rivière-du-Loup | Route 185 west, about 1 h by car | About 1 h |
| Trois-Pistoles | Route 185 west then Route 293 north, about 1 h 15 min | About 1 h 15 min |
| Rimouski | Route 185 east then Route 232 or Autoroute 20, about 2 h | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Village centre along Route 185
- A handful of motels and B&Bs; book ahead in summer, walk-ins are not reliable.
- Cabano / Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac
- 20–25 min east; more beds, restaurants and lake access.
- Rivière-du-Loup
- About 1 h west; a real town with hotels, if you want services.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Good day | Bonjourbon-ZHOOR |
| Thank you | Mercimair-SEE |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ?par-lay VOO on-GLAY |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ?kom-BYEN sa KOOT |
| 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
- Moose and deer on Route 185 at dawn and dusk; the highway is two lanes with passing sections.
- Winter: snow tires are mandatory in Québec from 1 December to 15 March.
- Cell coverage is patchy on the Témiscouata stretch; download offline maps.
- Most restaurants and motels close or cut hours outside summer.
Very low crime; the real risks are the drive — moose at dawn and dusk, winter ice on Route 185, and long gaps with no fuel or phone signal. Keep the tank above half.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- The name: two exclamation marks, the only place name with them
- Trans-Canada Highway rest stop
- Lac Témiscouata nearby
- Gateway to the Témiscouata and Gaspé drives
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 Bas-Saint-Laurent: www.tourismebas-saint-laurent.com/
- Wikivoyage: Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, revision 5311150 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5311150
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No consulate here; the nearest US consulate is in Québec City, and most other countries have embassies in Ottawa or Montréal.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/saint-louis-du-ha-ha). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.