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Some 20km northeast of Bic, RIMOUSKI , called Riki by its residents, appears quite unattractive from Hwy 132 thanks to a major fire that destroyed one-third of the buildings from the river to midtown in 1950, forcing the city to rebuild in 1960s strip-mall style. But forge past the highway and into the town, the administrative capital of eastern Quebec, and you'll find a number of interesting places. The excellent Musee regional de Rimouski , at 35 rue St-Germain (mid June to mid Sept Mon-Tues & Sun 10am-6pm, Wed-Sat 10am-9pm; mid Sept to mid June Wed & Fri-Sun noon-5pm, Thurs noon-9pm; $4), is housed in the oldest church in eastern Quebec. While the exterior has stayed intact, the inside has been renovated and the three floors now focus on science and technology and contemporary art. An architectural walking tour takes you past buildings spared by the fire; pick up a free pamphlet at the tourist office. Rimouski's tourist office , 50 rue St-Germain ouest (mid-June to early Sept daily 9am-8pm; early June & early Sept to early Oct daily 9am-4.30pm; early Oct to mid-June Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm; tel 723-2322 or 1-800/746-6875) is in the centre of town, on the waterfront. They have accommodation listings, including college rooms available during the summer vacation, at Logis Vacances , 320 rue St-Louis (tel 723-4636 or 1-800/463-0617; up to $40) and Les Logements etudiants de l'UQAR , 329A Allee des Ursulines (tel 723-4311; $40-60). For B&B accommodation, Chez Charles et Marguerite , 686 boul St-Germain ouest (tel 723-3938; $40-60), has cheery rooms looking out onto fields that lead down to the St Lawrence. The town's cheapest motel is the Motel St-Laurent , 740 boul St-Germain ouest (tel 723-9217; up to $40; summer only). For camping , Le Bocage , 124 Hwy 132 (tel 739-3125; $15), is east of Pointe-au-Pere, near a lake. Rimouski has a number of affordable places to eat , not the least Central Cafe , 31 rue de l'Eveche ouest with great salads and pizza in a home decorated with birdcages from around the world. The Maison du Spaghetti at 35 boul St-Germain est serves up hearty pasta; and if you're into kitsch, Retro 50 Restaurant , across the street, is a 1950s diner where the waitresses are dressed accordingly. For onward transport, the Orleans Express bus station is at 90 ave Leonidas (tel 723-4923), the train station at 57 de l'Eveche est (tel 722-4737 or 1-800/361-5390), and the rideshare outfit Allo-Stop at 106 rue St-Germain est (tel 723-5248, www.allo-stop.com ). There's also a car ferry to Forestville on the Cote-Nord (tel 725-2725 or 1-800/973-2725; late April to early Oct: 2-4 trips daily; 55min; $13 single, $32 for cars), which only holds 30 cars so reservations are essential.
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