Opened in the 18th century to link Québec City and Montréal, the Chemin du Roy is today’s Route 138. In Mauricie, it hugs the river for some sixty kilometres, village after village, with the St. Lawrence almost always in sight. You can drive it in a day; you can also spend a weekend on it. Here are our stops, from west to east.
Yamachiche and Pointe-du-Lac
Even before Trois-Rivières, the Chemin du Roy crosses Yamachiche, with its family vineyard, its village microbrewery and its café, La Bezotte. In Pointe-du-Lac, the seigneurial mill recalls the life of the seigneuries that lined the road.
Trois-Rivières
The road runs through Old Trois-Rivières, the second-oldest French-speaking city in North America. Park and walk: the Boucher de Niverville manor, the cathedral with its stained glass and the Ursulines museum are a few streets apart. Across the Saint-Maurice, Notre-Dame-du-Cap Shrine and its riverside gardens are worth the stop even for non-believers.
Champlain
The first real village after the city. Old houses follow one another along the road, and in summer, Royaume Bleuets et Fraises opens its fields for pick-your-own. The Tourelle de Champlain lets you sleep facing the river.
Batiscan
The Old Rectory, a house from 1816 by the water, is one of the oldest buildings in the region. On the wharf, the Hangar de Batiscan combines a maritime museum, an artisans’ shop and an escape game. Le Maraîcher de Batiscan provides the vegetables for your picnic, and the marina sits at the foot of the “singing iron bridge”. A short detour leads to Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan and the Campanipol organic gardens.
Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade
The last Mauricie village on the Chemin du Roy, and one of the richest. The Sainte-Anne seigneurial estate opens the manor and gardens of the seigneury to visitors. F.X. Pichet cheese dairy makes the Baluchon, an organic cheese known across Québec. Verger Barry opens for apple picking in autumn, and Le Garage microbrewery rounds off the day nicely. In winter, the village fills with tommy cod fishing huts on the frozen river.
For heritage lovers
The Sacré circuit links the churches and built heritage of the Les Chenaux villages, from Batiscan to Sainte-Anne. On the Chemin du Roy, you are never more than ten minutes from a stone church, a wayside cross or a house more than two centuries old.
Tips
- Drive slowly: the road is beautiful, but it passes through living villages. Locals will overtake you; let them.
- Best times: late June (strawberries), late August (blueberries) and late September (apples and fall colours).
- Several riverside rest areas are set up for picnics, with front-row seats for the sunset.
Every address in the Les Chenaux area is in the guide and on the map.
