Self-Launched Northern Quebec Winter Lodge Escape: Montreal, Saguenay Fjord & Quebec City
7 days · Quebec, Canada
G Adventures charges £1,265
No-markup version: ~£715 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched take on G Adventures' 7-day winter lodge trip through Quebec's Saguenay Fjord region. You'll do it with public buses, a hostel in Montreal, a small guesthouse/lodge near Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, and self-booked local winter operators (dog sledding, snowshoe hire, ice fishing) instead of a private vehicle and CEO. Same snowy highs: fjord lighthouse snowshoes, sugar shack lunch, dog sledding, torch-lit night hike, stargazing, and Quebec City's old town — for roughly a third of the tour price.
Day-by-day
Arrive Montreal
Montreal
Land at YUL and take the STM 747 express bus into downtown (~CAD 11 / £6, payable by card on board) rather than a taxi. Check into a hostel in the Plateau or Old Montreal area. Spend the evening wandering Vieux-Montréal and warming up with poutine or a bowl of soupe à l'oignon. Buy groceries for breakfasts and pick up a Presto-style transit day pass if you plan to move around a lot. Book your onward Orléans Express bus ticket to Quebec City online tonight — the earlier departure gives you more time in the city the next day.
🚌STM 747 airport bus ~£6
🛏Hostel dorm, Plateau/Mile End (e.g. Auberge Alternative or M Montreal), ~£28
- →Old Montreal evening walk
- →Notre-Dame Basilica exterior & Place d'Armes
- →Poutine dinner in the Plateau
Montreal to Quebec City (sugar shack detour optional)
Quebec City
Take the Orléans Express coach from Montreal's Gare d'autocars de Montréal to Quebec City's Gare du Palais (~3h15, book ahead for ~£28-35). Drop bags at your Old Quebec hostel and spend the afternoon inside the walls of North America's only fortified city: Terrasse Dufferin, Château Frontenac from outside, Petit-Champlain quarter, and the funicular down to Place Royale (~£3). For the maple syrup experience, book an evening or next-day sugar shack (cabane à sucre) visit — Chemin du Roy shacks like Érablière le Chemin du Roy near Portneuf take public bus to Donnacona plus a short taxi, or ask your hostel to book a shared shuttle (~£25-35 for the meal plus transport).
🚌Orléans Express coach Montreal–Quebec City ~£32
🛏Hostel dorm in Old Quebec, ~£30
- →Old Quebec walking circuit
- →Terrasse Dufferin & Château Frontenac views
- →Funicular to Place Royale
- →Sugar shack (cabane à sucre) meal — book direct
Quebec City to Saguenay lodge
Sainte-Rose-du-Nord / Saguenay Fjord
Today is the transfer day. Intercar runs coaches from Quebec City to Chicoutimi/Jonquière (~2h30, ~£25) — book online. From Chicoutimi, either take a local taxi (~£30-40) or arrange an airport-style transfer with your lodge to Sainte-Rose-du-Nord on the fjord's north shore (many gîtes offer pickup for a fee). Check into a small gîte or lodge with fjord views, and use the afternoon for an orientation walk, a soak in an outdoor hot tub, and a self-cooked or lodge dinner. Stock up on groceries in Chicoutimi before heading up — the village shops are tiny.
🚌Intercar coach Quebec City–Chicoutimi ~£25 + shared taxi ~£20
🛏Gîte/lodge near Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, ~£45 (private room, shared bath)
- →Fjord village orientation walk
- →Hot tub / sauna evening
- →Grocery stock-up in Chicoutimi
Snowshoe to the fjord lighthouse
Saguenay Fjord
Rent snowshoes from your gîte or the local outdoor centre (~£12-15/day) and walk the marked trail down to the fjord's edge and the lighthouse viewpoint — the classic Sainte-Rose-du-Nord route gives huge views up the frozen fjord. Bring a thermos; hot chocolate on the cliff is the whole point. In the afternoon, join a locally run winter survival and ice-fishing session — Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay and local outfitters (e.g. via the village tourist office) run guided introductions to ice fishing and cold-weather basics for ~£30-40. Evening: campfire and marshmallows if your lodge has a fire pit, otherwise the village's small bar.
🚌On foot; snowshoes included with rental
🛏Gîte/lodge near Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, ~£45
- →Guided/marked snowshoe to fjord lighthouse (~3-4h)
- →Winter survival skills & ice fishing intro (book via local outfitter)
- →Campfire & s'mores evening
Fjord trails, hockey on the ice & night stargazing
Saguenay Fjord
Morning snowshoe on a second set of fjord trails — the Sentier de la Statue and the trails around Anse de Roche are well marked and free to access with your own or rented snowshoes. Ask your host about local ecology; the fjord's microclimate and boreal forest are the draw. Afternoon: borrow sticks and a puck for a game of shinny on the village rink or a cleared lake, then tube down the hill behind the gîte (free if you have a plastic sled, ~£8 to hire). After dinner, head out with headlamps for a torch-lit snowshoe and stargazing — the lack of light pollution here is genuinely spectacular.
🚌On foot
🛏Gîte/lodge near Sainte-Rose-du-Nord, ~£45
- →Snowshoe fjord trail (Sentier de la Statue area)
- →Shinny hockey on the outdoor rink
- →Snow tubing
- →Night snowshoe & stargazing
Dog sledding & back to Quebec City
Saguenay / Quebec City
Book a dog sledding excursion direct with a local kennel (e.g. operators around Sacré-Coeur and Sainte-Rose-du-Nord) — half-day rides with a musher lesson run roughly £95-130 per person, and many include pickup from village accommodations. You'll both ride and drive. After lunch and a sauna, transfer back to Chicoutimi and take the afternoon Intercar coach to Quebec City. Check into your hostel and have a farewell dinner in Saint-Roch or Petit-Champlain — a good spot for traditional Québécois cooking.
🚌Shared taxi to kennel ~£15 + Intercar coach Chicoutimi–Quebec City ~£25
🛏Hostel dorm in Old Quebec, ~£30
- →Dog sledding half-day with musher instruction (book direct)
- →Sauna at the lodge
- →Farewell dinner in Saint-Roch
Quebec City to Montreal & depart
Quebec City / Montreal
One last Old Quebec morning — a coffee on Rue Saint-Jean, the Morrin Centre or the fortifications walk if time allows. Take the Orléans Express coach back to Montreal (~£32) or, if your flight is late, the early train from Gare du Palais. Allow 3.5-4 hours door to door to YUL; don't book flights before mid-afternoon.
🚌Orléans Express coach Quebec City–Montreal ~£32 + STM 747 to YUL ~£6
🛏None (departure day)
- →Old Quebec morning walk
- →Last coffee & pastry on Rue Saint-Jean
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£715 | £1,265 |
| Duration | 7 days | 7 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £550 per person (43%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£715
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Northern Quebec Winter Lodge Escape: Montreal, Saguenay Fjord & Quebec City cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £715 per person for 7 days in Quebec, Canada. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,265 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £715 — a saving of roughly £550 (43%) per person.
How long is the Quebec, Canada trip?+
This itinerary runs 7 days, covering 7 day-by-day stops through Quebec, Canada.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, hiking, budget trip through Quebec, Canada, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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