15-Nights Route Des Voyageurs from $2,774

Trois Rivieres, Quebec, a small city overlooking the St. Lawrence, is between Quebec City and Montreal, some 75 mi/120 km southwest of Quebec City.

Although Trois Rivieres is more than 350 years old, it has a modern feel because many of the old buildings were destroyed in a fire early in the 1900s. It is now a paper-mill city, with the typical paper-mill odor, but it has some interesting historical attractions.

Perhaps most important is the Lieu Historique National du Canada des Forges du St. Maurice (Forges of St. Maurice National Historical Site of Canada). This site depicts life in the region 1729-1883 and has actual iron forges.

The old part of Trois Rivieres, Vieux Trois Rivieres, has cafes and restaurants, a Westminster-style cathedral and several 18th-century manors and houses. The Musee des Ursulines, located in the Ursulines' Monastery, contains artwork and artifacts that were collected by the nuns. Some of them date to the 1600s.

West of town is the spectacular Parc des Chutes de Ste. Ursule, famous for its falls that unfurl in seven cascades. To the north is Parc National du Canada de la Mauricie, which offers some great scenic views and excellent fishing.