Trois-Rivières travel guide
New France's second town, a prison museum and street racing in August
A river city founded in 1634, halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. Visit from June to August, when the museums keep long hours, the Forges du Saint-Maurice is open and the Grand Prix fills the streets. One night is enough for most. Expect very high prices; visa-exempt visitors arriving by air need an eTA.
Trois-Rivières stands where the Saint-Maurice meets the St. Lawrence, roughly halfway between Montreal and Quebec City on Autoroute 40. French colonists founded it in 1634, which makes it the second permanent settlement in New France. The name refers to the three channels the Saint-Maurice splits into at its mouth around two islands. It makes an easy overnight stop between the two big cities.
A fire in 1908 burned most of the town. A small old quarter around rue des Ursulines survived, with 18th and 19th-century houses that reward an hour's stroll. On rue Laviolette the Musée POP covers Quebec popular culture, and it opens part of its storage rooms to visitors. The Old Prison next door takes you through the cells of a historic jail; one ticket covers both.
North of the centre, the Forges du Saint-Maurice National Historic Site marks the first ironworks and industrial village in Canada, open in summer only. August brings the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, two weekends of NASCAR and rallycross racing on city streets, held since 1967. In the evening the bar strip runs along rue des Forges between the river and rue Royale.
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Top things to do in Trois-Rivières
An old quarter that survived the 1908 fire, a museum and a prison side by side, an ironworks site and a street circuit.
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Best time to visit Trois-Rivières
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
July averages a high of 25C, Musée POP and the Old Prison open daily, and the Forges du Saint-Maurice welcomes visitors from late June.
Highs fall from 20C to 12C, the streets empty out and museum hours shrink; the canoe classic from La Tuque finishes here on Labour Day weekend.
January highs sit around -6C, so plan indoor days at the museums, which keep weekend hours.
Rooms are scarce on the two Grand Prix weekends in August, so book ahead or stay across the river in Bécancour.
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Getting there
Orléans Express on the Autoroute 40 corridor
No scheduled flights serve Trois-Rivières, so land at Montreal-Trudeau or Quebec City and rent a car or take an Orléans Express coach, which runs several times a day between Montreal and Quebec City and stops here midway, about 1.75 to 2.25 hours from either. Drivers follow Autoroute 40 along the north shore.
- Orléans Express from Montreal
- 1.75 to 2.25 hours
- Orléans Express from Quebec City
- 1.75 to 2 hours
- Regional buses
- Shawinigan and La Tuque up the Saint-Maurice valley; check days before travelling
- Coming from Bécancour or the south shore, you cross on the long Laviolette Bridge, which gives the best view of the river mouth.
- From Montreal-Trudeau a rental car saves the transfer to the downtown coach station; the drive is roughly two hours.
- Regional buses run up the Saint-Maurice valley to Shawinigan and La Tuque.
Where to stay
Rue des Ursulines, Cap-de-la-Madeleine or Bécancour
Sleep downtown for a short visit and walk everywhere; hotels such as the Gouverneur on rue Hart sit near the river, but avoid rooms right on rue des Forges at weekends. Cap-de-la-Madeleine, across the Saint-Maurice near the Notre-Dame-du-Cap shrine, is calmer, and Bécancour suits drivers after a resort stay.
- Downtown and the old quarter
- Walk to everything; bar noise near rue des Forges at weekends
- Cap-de-la-Madeleine
- Calmer, near the Notre-Dame-du-Cap shrine, a short drive from downtown
- Bécancour
- Auberge Godefroy with its spa and golf, about 10 minutes' drive away
Getting around
STTR routes, the Cité card and a taxi to the Forges
Walk downtown: the Old Prison, Musée POP and the riverside park are within 20 minutes. STTR buses run day and evening routes, though several skip weekends and holidays; pay on board or tap the Carte Cité. Two local taxi firms and Uber are the easiest way to the Forges du Saint-Maurice north of the centre.
- STTR buses
- Daytime and evening routes, some skip weekends
- Taxis
- Taxis Coop de la Mauricie, Taxi Élite, or Uber
- On foot
- Old quarter, Musée POP, Old Prison and the riverfront in under 20 minutes
- Keep a car if you plan to follow the Saint-Maurice valley north to Shawinigan; buses there are infrequent.
Know before you go
What makes Trois-Rivières worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Rue des Ursulines in the morning, the quiet heart of the quarter that escaped the 1908 fire.
- The Old Prison of Trois-Rivières, where the visit takes you through the cell blocks of a historic jail.
- Le Sacristain, a lunch spot for soups, grilled sandwiches and stews inside a former Wesleyan church.
Good to know
- Museum hours shrink after Labour Day: off-season, the Musée POP closes Monday and Tuesday and the Old Prison opens at weekends only.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Trois-Rivières, month by month
Trois-Rivières has cold winters, with January nights near −14°C, and July highs around 25°C; July is also wettest at about 125 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Trois-Rivières (Environment and Climate Change Canada, via Wikipedia).
A day on foot from Binerie Chik to the old prison cells
Trois-Rivières fits into a day on foot. Breakfast on baked beans at Binerie Chik on rue Royale, which opens before dawn, then walk rue des Ursulines past the houses that survived the 1908 fire. Late morning, buy the joint ticket for the Old Prison and Musée POP on rue Laviolette, starting with the prison's cell blocks.
Begin early. Binerie Chik on rue Royale opens before dawn and serves the kind of breakfast a Quebec bean house is built around, with baked beans beside the eggs. Walk it off downhill to rue des Ursulines and take your time with the 18th and 19th-century houses that came through the fire of 1908; the Ursuline monastery that gives the street its name is the quarter's anchor.
Late morning belongs to rue Laviolette. Buy the joint ticket for the Musée POP and the Old Prison, and do the prison first while you are fresh, because the guided route through the cell blocks is the more absorbing of the two. The museum next door is lighter, with its storeroom open to the public.
For lunch, Le Sacristain on rue Bonaventure fills a former Wesleyan church with soups and grilled sandwiches. In summer, spend the afternoon at the Forges du Saint-Maurice, where the remains of Canada's first ironworks village sit along the river north of town; a taxi is quicker than the bus. Back downtown, eat at Bistro l'Ancêtre, the only restaurant on rue des Ursulines, then finish with a pint on rue des Forges or out at Archibald Microbrasserie on rue Bellefeuille.
Beans, microbrews and church lunches around rue des Forges
Eating in Trois-Rivières is cheap and tied to old buildings. Binerie Chik serves fèves au lard and diner breakfasts but closes mid-afternoon; Le Sacristain, in a former Wesleyan church on rue Bonaventure, does daytime soups, stews and desserts. For dinner, Bistro l'Ancêtre on rue des Ursulines serves Italian plates with soup and dessert.
Dinner is easiest in the old quarter. Bistro l'Ancêtre, at the far east end of rue des Ursulines, leans Italian with pizza and pasta, and the mains come with soup, dessert and coffee, which is why locals still go. Le Poivre Noir on rue du Fleuve looks out over the river and is the choice for a more dressed-up meal.
After dark, rue des Forges between the riverfront and rue Royale holds the main run of bars and terraces, busiest on summer weekends and during the Grand Prix. Nord-Ouest Café on rue Notre-Dame is a calmer stop. For beer brewed on site, with live music most weekends, head to Archibald Microbrasserie on rue Bellefeuille, a short taxi ride from the centre. Try a poutine late at night, when it tastes best.
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How we research our Trois-Rivières travel guide
Coach times, STTR routes and museum details in Trois-Rivières were checked with the city website and Destination Canada.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Trois-Rivières.
Getting there
It sits about halfway to Quebec City on Autoroute 40. Orléans Express coaches take 1.75 to 2.25 hours from Montreal.
No scheduled flights serve Trois-Rivières, so land at Montreal-Trudeau or Quebec City and rent a car or take an Orléans Express coach, which runs several times a day between Montreal and Quebec City and stops here midway, about 1.75 to 2.25 hours from either. Drivers follow Autoroute 40 along the north shore.
General
One full day covers the old quarter and the two rue Laviolette museums. Add a morning if you also want the Forges du Saint-Maurice in summer.
The blaze destroyed most of the town but spared the streets around rue des Ursulines, which is why the city's 18th and 19th-century buildings are concentrated there.
Only on a private aircraft. Scheduled travellers fly into Montreal-Trudeau or Quebec City and continue by coach or car.
The block between the river and rue Royale is the main strip, busiest on summer weekends. Archibald Microbrasserie on rue Bellefeuille brews its own beer and has live music.
A broad stretch of the St. Lawrence just upstream of the city, listed as a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 2000.
A canoe, kayak and rabaska race down the Saint-Maurice from La Tuque, finishing in Trois-Rivières on Labour Day weekend in early September.
Walk downtown: the Old Prison, Musée POP and the riverside park are within 20 minutes. STTR buses run day and evening routes, though several skip weekends and holidays; pay on board or tap the Carte Cité. Two local taxi firms and Uber are the easiest way to the Forges du Saint-Maurice north of the centre.
Timing & weather
Over two weekends in August, one for the NASCAR Canada Series and one for rallycross, on a street circuit first raced in 1967. Dates shift each year, so check gp3r.com before booking.
In summer, from late June to early September, daily from 10 am to 5 pm.
The best time to visit Trois-Rivières is Jun to Aug. Summer hours at the museums, the Forges site open and the Grand Prix in August.
- Best overall: June - August (July averages a high of 25C, Musée POP and the Old Prison open daily, and the Forges du Saint-Maurice welcomes visitors from late June)
- Autumn: September - October (Highs fall from 20C to 12C, the streets empty out and museum hours shrink; the canoe classic from La Tuque finishes here on Labour Day weekend)
- Winter: December - March (January highs sit around -6C, so plan indoor days at the museums, which keep weekend hours)
What's included
Entry to both sites on rue Laviolette, the Quebec popular culture museum and the restored historic jail next door.
Visa & documents
Visa-exempt travelers, including citizens of the UK, the EU and Australia, need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to or through Canada. US citizens need only a passport. Other nationalities need a visitor visa.
Health & safety
Canada's main risks are natural: wildlife, summer wildfires and extreme winter cold. Store food properly in bear country, check wildfire and road conditions before summer drives, and carry winter gear when driving in snow. Call 911 for police, fire or ambulance anywhere in the country.
