Joliette

Less than an hour northeast of Montréal, Joliette is an attractive city of solid old brick houses dating back to the early 1800s. The administrative center for the region, it is most famously home to the annual Festival de Lanaudière, a classical music festival that attracts performers and audiences from far and wide for a month each summer. The largest venue, in the heart of a tree-lined grove, is the Lanaudière Amphitheatre, which accommodates up to 10,000 people – 2,000 under cover, and another 8,000 on the sloping lawns. More intimate recitals continue to be offered in a number of the city’s old churches, such as St. Paul’s Catholic ...

Less than an hour northeast of Montréal, Joliette is an attractive city of solid old brick houses dating back to the early 1800s. The administrative center for the region, it is most famously home to the annual Festival de Lanaudière, a classical music festival that attracts performers and audiences from far and wide for a month each summer. The largest venue, in the heart of a tree-lined grove, is the Lanaudière Amphitheatre, which accommodates up to 10,000 people – 2,000 under cover, and another 8,000 on the sloping lawns. More intimate recitals continue to be offered in a number of the city’s old churches, such as St. Paul’s Catholic Church. Still on a cultural note, the city’s art gallery offers some fine work, from the 14th century to today. Anyone visiting during the winter can skate the Assomption River – which the city touts as the longest skating river in the province, with almost six miles of trails.

About the Expert

Joanna Ebbutt is the author or editor of three Insight Guides to Toronto and Canada, and coauthor of Off the Beaten Track: Western Canada. She has been writing about travel for three decades, including chasing the aurora borealis in Northern Ontario.