1. Quebec: Grosse Île & Irish Immigrant Memorial Day Trip
On your day tour of Grosse Île you’ll meet period figures who will tell you about the daily lives of the immigrants and employees that resided in this quarantine station. Experience what the immigrants must have felt when they entered the disinfection building, and learn about medicine and immigration procedures here during the 19th and 20th centuries. You can choose to walk or hop on the tourist trolley to visit the central part of the island and the village where the quarantine station employees lived. Continue on to the hospital sector at the easternmost point of the island to visit the Lazaretto. Take a walk along the Mirador Trail and admire the views of the Isle-aux-Grues archipelago, taking in the natural treasures that await you at every turn. Retrace the footsteps of the Irish immigrants or linger a while at the memorial and think about what they experienced as they arrived in Canada. Departure is from Berthier-sur-Mer, on the South Shore of the St. Lawrence River. The cruise lasts about 45 minutes. You remain on the island for about 4 hours. The return trip to Berthier-sur-Mer is at a set time, and also lasts about 45 minutes.