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One of Charlevoix's earliest settlements and longtime gathering place for Quebec's landscape painters, the picture-perfect BAIE-SAINT-PAUL is tucked into the Gouffre valley at the foot of the highest range of the Laurentian mountains. Dominated by the twin spires of the church, the streets wind from the centre of town flanked by houses that are more than two hundred years old - and just wandering around Baie-Saint-Paul is the main attraction. For an overview of the works of art produced in Charlevoix, visit the Centre d'Art de Baie-Saint-Paul , behind the church at 4 rue Ambroise-Fafard (daily: late June to early Sept 9am-7pm; early Sept to late June 9am-5pm; free), which has excellent exhibitions of paintings and sculptures mostly inspired by the surrounding countryside; the Centre's boutique also sells local crafts. Opposite, at no. 23, the plush Centre d'Exposition (same times; $3) has established an international reputation for the excellence of its temporary exhibitions of Quebecois and international art. Also every August to early September, at a symposium, the public can watch young Canadian and European artists at work in the nearby arena. From beside the church, the rue St-Jean-Baptiste slips through the commercial heart of the town edged by numerous quaint cottages characteristic of Quebec's earliest houses, with curving roofs and wide verandas, many converted into commercial galleries. At 58 rue St-Jean-Baptiste, La Maison de Rene Richard (daily 10am-6pm; $2.50) offers an insight into the works of Rene Richard, an associate of the Group of Seven. The 1852 house has been left exactly the same since Richard died in 1982; bilingual guided tours take you around his studio and living quarters, a rare glimpse at the Charlevoix of the 1940s when some of Quebec's finest painters hung out here. At no. 41 on the same street, Randonnees Nature-Charlevoix (tel 435-6275) runs excellent bike tours of the environs (2hr; $6; $4 if you rent a bike - $10 per half-day, $15 per day) and tours around the Charlevoix Crater - one of the planet's largest craters and made by a meteorite - by bus (late June to early Sept; 1 daily; 2hr; $15). Some of the province's most dramatic skiing and the province's highest vertical (770m) can be found at Le Massif (tel 632-5876 or 1-877/536-2774, www.lemassif.com ; $34.75 per day), perched over the St Lawrence to the west of town. Baie-Saint-Paul also makes a good base to explore the Parc des Grands-Jardins (daily: late May to mid-June & late Aug to mid-Oct 9am-5pm; mid-June to late Aug 8am-8pm; $5 fee for parking; www.sepaq.com ), 42km away on Hwy 381 but with no public transport. Within the forests and lakes of the park, the 900-metre Mont du Lac des Cygnes gives the best of all Charlevoix panoramas; it's a four-hour climb there and back from the trailhead just beyond the Thomas-Fortin reception centre (same hours as park; tel 457-3945) at the park entrance on Hwy 381. Hwy 381 continues to Chicoutimi on the Riviere Saguenay . Chalets ($80-100), huts (up to $40) and campsites ($17.60) are available but must be reserved in advance (tel 1-800/665-6527). Attracting hikers, mountain bikers and cross-country skiers, the Traversee de Charlevoix (tel 639-2284, www.charlevoix.net/traverse ) begins near the park on Hwy 381, traverses 100km of mountainous terrain including the Parc des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Riviere-Malbaie and ends at Mont Grand-Fonds near La Malbaie. Accommodation in cabins or cottages starts at $122 for the six nights needed to complete the hike. In the winter months Husky Aventure, 25 Hwy 138 in St-Urbain (tel 639-2500, www.quebecweb.com/dogsled ), organizes dog-sled excursions. They cost $120 per person per day ($160 for a 24-hour trip), including meals, a guide and a lot of fun.
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