Sherbrooke & Eastern Townships

The hub of the Eastern Townships: beyond its mural-filled old town lie Magog and Lake Memphremagog, Mont Orford, the Coaticook Gorge and the Mont-Mégantic dark-sky reserve.

The Eastern Townships (Cantons-de-l'Est) lie in southern Quebec, Canada, bordering Vermont and New Hampshire in the US. Settled by Loyalists in the late 18th century, the region still has English-style covered bridges, round barns and red-brick churches, and French and English cultures blend here. Sherbrooke is the regional hub; its old town is known for nearly twenty large narrative murals, and in the city centre the Magog River forms Lac des Nations, ringed by a waterside path. With Sherbrooke as a base, the surrounding area divides into several routes: to the southwest are Magog and Lake Memphremagog, Mont-Orford National Park and the lakeside Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Abbey, and farther south lavender farms and the Haskell Free Library, which straddles the Canada–US border; due south are North Hatley and Lake Massawippi, as well as the Coaticook Gorge suspension bridge and its night-time illuminated trail; about 60 km east is the Mont-Mégantic International Dark Sky Reserve and its observatory; and to the west are the towns of Knowlton, Sutton and Bromont, ski resorts, the Granby Zoo and the wine route around Dunham. Fall colours are at their best from late September to mid-October; summer is great for lake swimming, cycling and wine tasting, and in winter you can ski at Orford, Sutton and Bromont. Sherbrooke is about 1.5 hours' drive from Montreal; there are intercity buses, but the sights are spread out, so driving is strongly recommended. Allow 3–4 days, and book accommodation ahead for weekends during fall foliage season.

Top sights

• Sherbrooke Murals Circuit – More than a dozen giant narrative murals scattered through the old town, using trompe-l'œil techniques to tell the history and people of Sh…
• Magog & Lake Memphremagog – A long, narrow lake straddling the border between the United States and Canada. Its northern town, Magog, has beaches, boat trips and a liv…
• Mont-Orford National Park – The most popular national park in the Eastern Townships. Hike Mount Orford and Mont Chauve to see the autumn foliage, or swim and camp on t…
• Gorge de Coaticook & Foresta Lumina – A 169-metre pedestrian suspension bridge spanning a gorge 50 metres deep. At night, the forest becomes an immersive light trail.
• Mont-Mégantic Observatory & ASTROLab – The world's first International Dark Sky Reserve, with a professional observatory on the summit and a planetarium. Night stargazing events…
• Lac des Nations – A lake formed in central Sherbrooke when the Magog River was dammed, with a lakeside trail and night fountains that locals love.
• Musée de la nature et des sciences – A natural science museum housed in a converted former textile mill, using multimedia displays to present the flora, fauna and ecology of so…
• Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke – A fine arts museum housed in a 19th-century Eastern Townships Bank building, with works by artists from the Eastern Townships and Quebec.
• Basilica-Cathedral of Saint-Michel – A Neo-Gothic cathedral perched on a hill in the old town, with fine stained-glass windows and a view over the Magog River valley from its f…
• Abbaye de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac – A Benedictine abbey on the shore of Lake Memphremagog, where you can hear Gregorian chant and buy the monks' cheese and cider.
• Laiterie de Coaticook – The birthplace of a Quebec ice cream brand known across the province, where the generous scoops at the factory shop are a must-stop on a ro…
• North Hatley & Lake Massawippi – An English-style lakeside village at the north end of Lake Massawippi, lined with Victorian houses, antique shops and boutique inns.
• Bleu Lavande – One of North America's largest lavender farms, with endless purple fields in midsummer, where you can take photos and buy essential oils.
• Haskell Free Library and Opera House – A Victorian building that straddles the Canada–US border, with a black line in the floor marking where the two countries meet.
• Zoo de Granby – Quebec's largest zoo, home to about 225 species, with the summer water park Amazoo.
• Vignoble de l'Orpailleur & Wine Route – A pioneering winery in Quebec's modern wine industry, located in Dunham, the heart of the Eastern Townships Wine Route.
• Knowlton (Lac-Brome) – A United Empire Loyalist village on the shores of Brome Lake, with a Victorian main street lined with antique shops and famous for its Brom…
• Mont Sutton & Sutton Village – A ski hill known for its natural glade runs through the trees, with the village of Sutton at its base offering art studios, galleries and c…
• Bromont – One mountain, year-round fun: in winter one of North America's largest night-skiing areas, in summer a water park and mountain bike park.
• Yamaska National Park – A national park centered on Choinière Reservoir, ideal for paddling, cycling and family camping.
• Frelighsburg – One of Quebec's most beautiful villages, surrounded by orchards and cider houses, with autumn apple festivals and fall colors drawing big c…
• Marais de la Rivière aux Cerises – A lakeside wetland reserve on the edge of Magog, with boardwalks through marsh and forest, good for birdwatching and spotting beavers.

Where to eat

• Antidote Foodlab – A creative restaurant housed in a former Paton textile mill that reinterprets classic home-style dishes with molecular…
• Vin Polisson – A Michelin Guide-listed wine bar with about 25 seats, where the chef cooks shareable small plates with local seasonal i…
• Manoir Hovey – Le Hatley – The restaurant at Manoir Hovey, a Relais & Châteaux property on the shore of Lake Massawippi, where the chef cooks seas…
• Siboire Brewpub (Train Station) – The first location of a Sherbrooke craft beer brand, set in a former train station. Its signature dishes are fish and c…
• Le Chou de Bruxelles – A Belgian bistro that has operated for over forty years, famous for fresh mussels prepared with a choice of sauces and…

Itineraries

• Eastern Townships Lakes & Gorges Weekend – A weekend getaway to the lakeside towns southeast of Montreal, featuring Mount Orford, a monastery, Coaticook, and mura…