L'Île d'Orléans and the Saint Lawrence River were discovered by French explorer and mariner Jacques Cartier in 1535. He gave the island it first name... the "Island of Bacchus". He later changed his mind in 1536 and renamed it Isle d'Orleans in honour of the Duke of Orleans, the son of Francois 1, King of France.


   The island was occupied by General James Wolfe in 1759. This English conquest was short-lived and no trace of this occupation remains. Architecture on the island has a 350-year-old history. Many of the buildings have been deemed of great historical value.

   The bridge to the island is just opposite the falls at Montmorency, the tour of the island begins at the Haut-de-Saint-Pierre, the hilltop intersection, at your right the tourism office for some brochures and for an audio cassette tour of the island...

   The roadway follows the perimeter of the island, with beautiful views in all directions of the river, mainland, and the island itself. First stop, in the beautifully wooded Sainte-Pétronille, Rue Horatio Walker.

   This tiny road along the northwest corner of the island, right on the river, offered outstanding views of the Montmorency falls and, in the other direction, Québec City.

   L'Île d'Orléans is 20 mi (32 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, in the St. Lawrence at 15 minutes from Quebec City. It is connected with the mainland by a highway bridge (1935). There are six Parishes on the island and each of them has a rich history of the original founding families of New France.

photo © Maurice Chamberland