We originally were going to do Île d’Orléans on our second full day after spending the first exploring Québec City. Unfortunately, we woke up our first full day to a torrential downpour and a yellow flood alert. We attempted to walk Québec City through the rain as we are individuals who pride ourselves on not letting the weather stop us from our plans and take it on like it’s an adventure (my Malwitz family motto), but unfortunately the rain was so bad our clothes were completely soaked through in less than an hour so we went back to our hotel and pivoted to doing Île d’Orléans our first day. Since we pivoted, we weren’t able to do everything we wanted on the island, so this is a very minimal list with mostly wineries and sightseeing. But I will include our original map and path with all stops!

Original Map

I also want to note that while it was drizzling most of the time we were on the island with some pockets of no rain, this allowed us to have so many spaces to ourselves and not have to fight any crowds. There were some moments we felt like we were the only people on the island! So if you have a slightly rainy or cloudy day, I recommend using that time to go to Île d’Orléans. You drive everywhere so you don’t really have to worry about being stuck in the rain and you won’t have to stress about the crowds. Plus we were still able to see everything and enjoy the views, they just weren’t sunny!

Saint Pierre Le Vignoble winery

Once on the island we turned right and started at Saint Pierre Le Vignoble Winery. A beautiful winery with a great variety of wines to choose from. I did a flight and my favorite has to be their Rêverie. We arrived at the same time as a private tour so we sat inside while I did my flight. After they left we decided to take a walk outside under their patio and down the hill. The view of their vineyard with the river and the Montmorency Falls in the background is just breathtaking.

Ste-Pétronille – Winery & Cidery

After we left Saint Pierre Le Vignoble winery, we went to Ste-Pétronille – Winery & Cidery. Another gorgeous location with excellent wines to choose from. Being lucky enough to have my husband drive, I enjoyed another small flight while we sat outside on their patio. It was slightly raining and they were playing music through their outside speakers so we stayed here for a while just enjoying the views of their vineyard and the Montmorency Falls.

Café Boutique La Maison Smith

We left the winery and made our way to the next location, but first we stopped for a quick coffee and snack at Café Boutique La Maison Smith. We really enjoyed the coffee from here and their pastry selection! Delicious cappuccinos and almond chocolate croissants. We also looked around the shop a bit and we loved their unique trinkets and souvenirs. We walked away with a fun magnet. This was a great, quick stop to enjoy a quick coffee and snack!

Chocolaterie de l’Île d’Orléans

We kept going along our route, although at this point it was around 4pm and we noticed shops were starting to shut down. So we stopped in Chocolaterie de l’Île d’Orléans and tried some amazing chocolate, bought a few packages for the family, and enjoyed a chocolate dipped ice cream (YUM). This was a cute stop!

Parc Maritime de Saint-Laurent

We unfortunately arrived at Parc Maritime de Saint-Laurent right at close, but we looked around for a bit at the boats. It was here the rain started up again and we had to decide what to do next. We looked at our guide and realized by the time we got to the next few stops, the shops would begin closing. So we got back on the road and did the scenic drive seeing the island vs going to any more locations.

We wish we would have had more time, but we really enjoyed relaxing on the island and being able to sit and see the views without feeling the rush of going from one location to the next.