Île d'Orléans and Its Heritage Tour

Orléans Island, which early French explorers called Île de Bacchus for the wild grapevines that once flourished there before being renamed in honour of the Duke of Orléans, was colonized in the early decades of the 17th century and today preserves an exceptional concentration of rural buildings predating 1850, distributed among its six founding villages: Sainte-Pétronille, Saint-Laurent, Saint-Jean, Saint-François, Sainte-Famille and Saint-Pierre. A complete loop around the island, accessible via a road encircling the territory for approximately 67 kilometres, allows visitors to discover this exceptionally well-preserved agricultural landscape, where orchards, vineyards, strawberry fields and extensive market gardens continue to supply nearby Quebec City markets, maintaining an uninterrupted agricultural tradition spanning nearly four centuries. The island's very place names, shaped by 300 founding families whose legacy endures, are documented in detail at the Maison de nos Aïeux, housed in the former presbytery of Sainte-Famille, which offers genealogical tools enabling visitors to trace their own ancestral roots among this founding population. Numerous local producers and artisans established along the Chemin Royal — chocolatiers, cider makers, cheese makers, winemakers — make a visit to the island as much a culinary adventure as a historical one, complemented by panoramic views of the St. Lawrence River and the Laurentian Mountains from several spots along the island's shoreline.