Percé

Understand

In 1971, the boundaries of Percé were expanded to their present size when the surrounding villages of Barachois, Bridgeville, Cap-d'Espoir, and Saint-Pierre-de-la-Malbaie were amalgamated into the town. Locals still occasionally use the old names, but all attractions and other points of interest in these former localities are covered in this article. Percé is very much a seasonal destination. The tourist season runs roughly from the middle of June until the end of September, during which time the streets, shops, restaurants, and lodgings are often annoyingly busy. Most businesses and attractions are also open during the shoulder seasons of mid-May through mid-June and late September through mid-October, with reduced hours in some cases. However, off-season Percé can seem almost like a ghost town. If you find yourself in town during the winter, the website Holiday Destination Percé (see the "Visitor information" section below) has a full rundown of activities and services that remain open all year; these trend heavily toward winter sports such as snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and dogsledding. Percé boasts a population of about 3,300 clustered in a chain of villages splayed along the shoreline.

History For thousands of years, the Percé area was a fishing ground for the local Mi'kmaq people, and it was known to Europeans beginning in the 17th century (explorer Samuel de Champlain sighted and named Percé Rock in 1603, and the area served as a stopover for ships headed to Quebec City). But it was not until the early 1800s that permanent settlement of the town kicked off. At first, Percé was a quiet fishing village like many of its neighbours on the Gaspé Peninsula, but after Percé Rock came onto travellers' radar screens in the early 20th century, tourism began to gradually take over as the town's economic mainstay. As well, during World War II, the Royal Canadian Navy operated an important wireless intercept station at Percé which was responsible for detecting Nazi U-bo

Getting there

By car This is how the vast majority of visitors get to Percé. The town is on Provincial Route 132, the main trunk road on the south shore of the St. Lawrence. To get to Percé from Quebec City, take Autoroute 20 east to the end of the road in Trois-Pistoles, then continue eastward on Route 132. The distance is about 750 km (470 mi), so plan for about eight hours in the car, excluding stops. You can shave a few kilometres off that distance by turning off at L'Anse-Pleureuse and taking the inland shortcut through Murdochville via Provincial Route 198, but that comes at the expense of some of the majestic scenery you'll see along the shoreline route. If you're coming from the Maritimes, Percé is about 245 km (153 miles) from the New Brunswick border at Campbellton, via Route 132 East. The trip takes 2.5 to 3 hours.

By plane The nearest airports with scheduled passenger service are Michel Pouliot Gaspé Airport (Aéroport Michel-Pouliot de Gaspé) (YGP IATA) in Gaspé and Bonaventure Airport (Aéroport de Bonaventure) (YVB IATA) in Bonaventure, with service to Îles de la Madeleine, Quebec City, and Montreal. Those who are arriving from further afield should first fly into Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (Aéroport international Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau) (YUL IATA) in Montreal or perhaps Jean Lesage International Airport (Aéroport international Jean-Lesage) (YQB IATA) in Quebec City; you can catch a connecting flight to YGP from either of these airports via Air Canada Express. Gaspé and Bonaventure airports have car rental facilities onsite or nearby (Discount, Enterprise, and National in the former; Thrifty in the latter) where you can continue your journey into Percé.

By bus Orléans Express, ☏ +1-450-640-1477, toll-free: +1-833-449-6444. Operates bus routes within Quebec and to Ottawa. (updated Apr 2022) Operates daily a route between Gaspé and Rimouski including stops in Percé, Chandler, Bonaventure, Pointe-à-la-Croix (2 km from Campbellton), Amqui, and

Getting around

To get from place to place within Percé's city centre, walking is a fine option; if you're going further afield, a car is pretty much an absolute necessity. Taxi service is available, though it's pricey.

By bus RéGÎM, the Gaspé Peninsula's rural public transit network, has two routes that serve Percé.

Route 31 makes two daily departures Monday through Friday from Chandler north to central Percé at 11:59 and 15:59, arriving at 12:53 and 16:53 respectively and making plenty of intermediate stops along the way. Return trips depart Percé at 13:00 and 17:00, arriving back at Chandler at 13:56 and 17:56 respectively. Morning runs on Route 32 leave Paspébiac at 06:20, arriving in Percé at 08:08. Return trips (24-hour advance reservation required, call +1-877-521-0841) leave Percé at 09:00 and arrive back in Paspébiac at 10:50, where those headed further west can transfer to a Route 40 bus headed toward Carleton-sur-Mer. Afternoon departures from Paspébiac on Route 32 do not serve Percé, terminating instead at Grande-Rivière. As well, Route 22 runs between L'Anse-à-Beaufils and Gaspé, serving Coin-du-Banc, Barachois, and other outlying precincts of Percé, though not the town centre. Gaspé-bound buses leave L'Anse-à-Beaufils Monday through Friday at 06:40, passing through Coin-du-Banc and Barachois at 06:52 and 07:00 respectively before arriving in Gaspé at 07:47. Southbound trips leave Gaspé at 17:50 and stop at 18:41 in Barachois, 18:50 in Coin-du-Banc, and 19:02 in L'Anse-à-Beaufils. Fare is payable in cash ($4) or with tickets ($3 apiece, available in books of ten from participating retailers or directly from the bus drivers). If you're planning on making heavy use of RéGÎM during your stay in the Gaspé Peninsula, it might be useful to buy a prepaid Access Card (available online for $5), which are good for a whole month and entitle you to the same discounted $3 fare as tickets. In a pinch, you could also buy a ticket for a few dollars on the Orléans Express bus to on

See

Bonaventure Island and Percé Rock National Park Bonaventure Island and Percé Rock National Park lie entirely within the city of Percé, and you have them to thank for all the gift shops, cutesy gîtes, and crowds of tourists here. The trickle of wealthy folks who started coming to see Percé Rock around the turn of the century became a steady stream after World War II, and in 1971, Bonaventure Island was purchased by the Quebec government and turned into a national park. Percé Rock was added on three years later. Today, upwards of 60,000 people visit the park each year. Aside from the two titular components that are described in more detail below, Bonaventure Island and Percé Rock National Park also includes the Charles Robin Sector (secteur Charles-Robin), composed of a handful of meticulously restored 19th-century warehouses next to the dock that were built by Charles Robin, an entrepreneur from Jersey and founding father of Percé whose vast fishing company was a major player in the G