Montréal to Eastern Townships: day trip routes

Québec’s wine country, an hour and a half away

The Eastern Townships (Cantons-de-l’Est in French) occupy the southeastern corner of Québec, wedged between the US border and the South Shore of Montréal. The landscape is New England-like: rolling hills, small lakes, covered bridges, white church steeples, and farm stands. It’s the most European-feeling part of Québec, which makes sense — English, French, and United Empire Loyalist settlers all planted roots here.

For Montréalers and visitors, it offers one of the best one-day circuits in southern Québec: wine and cider routes, lakeside towns, a remarkable abbey, and autumn foliage in October.

Getting there

By car (essential)

The Eastern Townships are only practical by car. Take Autoroute 10 (Autoroute des Cantons-de-l’Est) southeast from Montréal. The autoroute is free, in good condition, and passes through Granby before opening up to the plateau country.

• Brome-Missisquoi wine route: exit at Bromont/Lac Brome, then small roads west. 1h20-1h30 from Montréal.
• Magog / Lac Memphrémagog: continue on A-10, exit 115 or 118. 1h30-1h40.
• Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac: Route 245 south from Austin, on the lake. 1h40.
• Sherbrooke: continue to end of A-10 at Sherbrooke (ring road). 1h45.

No tolls on this route.

By bus (limited)

Orléans Express serves Granby and Sherbrooke. Useful if you want to visit one town specifically. Not practical for the wine route or lake circuit.

Route 1: wine route (Brome-Missisquoi)

Best for: wine and cider enthusiasts, couples, gastronomes

The Brome-Missisquoi area — particularly the strip from Dunham to Frelighsburg — is Québec’s wine heartland. Over 20 domaines viticoles (wine estates) and cideries operate along rural roads between the villages.

Key stops:

• Vignoble de l’Orpailleur (Dunham): Québec’s oldest and most established winery, opened 1982. Good guided tours. Wine and ice wine.
• Vignoble Les Pervenches (Farnham): biodynamic domaine, serious winemaking, good tasting room.
• Cidre de Glace Saint-Nicolas and Domaine Les Brome (Lac Brome): ice cider and table wine.
• Frelighsburg: the most picturesque village in the Townships, with a stunning covered bridge, a heritage mill, and surrounded by apple orchards. Excellent for photos in October.

Circuit: Montréal → Bromont → Dunham → Frelighsburg → Lac Brome → return via A-10. Approximately 200 km loop, comfortable in one day with 4-5 stops.

Note: the wine route is spectacular from August to October but less compelling in spring when vines are dormant. Ice cider is produced in winter but the tasting rooms close.

No GYG guided tours cover this specific route from Montréal. This is a self-drive itinerary. Designate a driver or use a car service.

Route 2: Lac Memphrémagog and Magog

Best for: lakes, outdoor activities, the abbey, cafes

Magog is the main town on Lac Memphrémagog — a 49 km lake that straddles the US border (the southern third is in Vermont). Downtown Magog has a pleasant lakefront with terraces, restaurants, bike rental, and kayak/stand-up paddleboard hire in summer.

Key stops:

• Abbaye Saint-Benoît-du-Lac (20 min from Magog): the most unusual stop in the region. A Benedictine abbey on a wooded peninsula, designed in a hybrid Romanesque-Art Deco style. The monks’ cheese shop sells their famous Bleu Bénédictin (blue cheese) and L’Ermite (soft washed-rind). Gregorian chants at midday and evening prayers are open to visitors. Plan 1h30.
• Magog waterfront: cafés, restaurants, paddle rentals. Pleasant for an hour.
• Mont-Orford: the 853-metre summit overlooking the Memphrémagog basin. The ski area transforms into a hiking and mountain biking destination in summer. A short hike from the main parking area gives good lake views.

Circuit: Montréal → Magog (lunch) → Abbaye Saint-Benoît-du-Lac → Mont-Orford viewpoint → return. 250 km loop, comfortable in one day.

Route 3: full loop (combines both)

Best for: those with a car and a full 8-10 hours

A big circuit combining wine and lake is very doable in one long day:

Montréal → Dunham (wine stop) → Frelighsburg (lunch) → Lac Brome (cider) → Magog (coffee) → Abbaye Saint-Benoît-du-Lac → Mont-Orford (viewpoint) → Bromont (outlets, optional) → A-10 back to Montréal.

Distance: approximately 300 km. Time: 9-10 hours including stops. Leave Montréal by 08h00.

Autumn foliage in the Eastern Townships

Peak timing: approximately October 5-20 — later than the Laurentides (late September) and one of the most sustained foliage displays in Québec. The maple forests at Frelighsburg and Sutton turn brilliant red and orange, and the lake reflections on Lac Memphrémagog double the colour.

The Eastern Townships are the place to be for foliage if you’ve missed the Laurentides peak. October weekends are very popular — go mid-week if possible.

For a Laurentides foliage day trip (earlier season, north from Montréal instead of south):

Bromont: the shopping and ski add-on

Bromont is 75 km east of Montréal on A-10 and serves as a convenient stop on the way to or from the townships:

• Centre de liquidation de Bromont: 130+ outlet stores (clothing, sporting goods, household). Heavy Québec-French clientele on weekends.
• Parc aquatique de Bromont: large waterpark, excellent for families in July-August.
• Mont Bromont: 35 ski runs, night skiing, convenient for a half-day ski from Montréal on winter weekends.

Where to eat

Note on restaurants: the Eastern Townships are one region where making a lunch reservation in advance is worthwhile on July-August and October weekends. The popular spots fill up.

What not to do: Granby Zoo as a day trip

The Zoo de Granby is a legitimate regional attraction (one of Canada’s best zoos, actually). But combining the zoo with the wine route or the lake circuit makes the day too long and unfocused. Either do the zoo specifically with children (allow 4-5 hours), or do the wine/lake circuit without the zoo.

Practical notes

• Gas: fill up before leaving Montréal. Rural towns in the Townships have stations but opening hours can be limited on Sundays.
• Currency: same province as Montréal, same prices. No currency issues.
• Cell coverage: good throughout the main A-10 corridor; patchy in the hills around Frelighsburg and Sutton.
• Maps: download Google Maps offline for the wine route area — the rural roads wind and GPS can lose signal in the hills.

Related guides

• Day trips from Montréal
• Eastern Townships destination guide
• Magog and Lac Memphrémagog guide
• Driving in Québec from Europe
• Eastern Townships wine route guide

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