FreePercé Rock
The great pierced rock off the village of Percé, the best-known sight on the peninsula and free to look at from the shore all year. The boats that pass it only run in the warm months.
1 to 2 hoursDetails →
Quebec (Canada)
Gaspé Peninsula
The Gaspé Peninsula is the long arm of eastern Quebec that reaches into the Gulf of St. Lawrence: a coast road, red cliffs, fishing villages and a mountain interior where woodland caribou still live.
This guide covers Percé Rock and the boat to Bonaventure Island and its gannet colony, the Percé UNESCO Global Geopark and its glass platform, Forillon National Park and the Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse at the peninsula's tip, the Jardins de Métis at the western gateway, Gaspésie National Park in the Chic-Choc mountains, and the town of Gaspé with its museum and its village of the Birthplace of Canada. It is plain about the calendar, because most of this runs from June to October and early November is the closed season: the island park, the geopark, the gardens and the lighthouse have all shut for the year, while Percé Rock, Forillon's open trails and the museum remain available. It then pairs the sights with five hotels, from the mountain inn in Gaspésie park to a year-round motel in Gaspé, because on a coast this long where you sleep decides how much you can see.
Don't miss
Percé Rock
The great pierced rock off the village of Percé, the best-known sight on the peninsula and free to look at from the shore all year. The boats that pass it only run in the warm months.
Forillon National Park
The national park at the northeast tip of the peninsula, with cliffs, beaches, seals, whales and the road to Cap-Bon-Ami. Services stopped on 15 October, but the park stays accessible all year without maintenance.
Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse
Canada's tallest lighthouse, at the north entrance of Forillon National Park, with a guided tour to the top. It is a summer site and is closed now.
Jardins de Métis (Reford Gardens)
The historic gardens of Elsie Reford at Grand-Métis, the western gateway to the peninsula, known for the Himalayan blue poppy and the International Garden Festival. The 2026 season ran from 30 May to 4 October and is over.
Things to do in Gaspé Peninsula
Hand-picked: every experience here has strong traveler reviews and a verified booking link.
FreeBonaventure Island and Percé Rock National Park
A short boat ride from Percé to the island with what the park calls the most accessible northern gannet colony in the world, plus 15 km of trails. The 2026 season ran from 31 May to 12 October, so it is closed now.
Percé UNESCO Global Geopark
A hillside geopark above Percé with a glass platform 200 metres above the sea, 23 geosites and 18 km of trails. It was open daily to 12 October and on weekends to 1 November, and is now closed apart from snowshoeing.
Forillon National Park
The national park at the northeast tip of the peninsula, with cliffs, beaches, seals, whales and the road to Cap-Bon-Ami. Services stopped on 15 October, but the park stays accessible all year without maintenance.
Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse
Canada's tallest lighthouse, at the north entrance of Forillon National Park, with a guided tour to the top. It is a summer site and is closed now.
Jardins de Métis (Reford Gardens)
The historic gardens of Elsie Reford at Grand-Métis, the western gateway to the peninsula, known for the Himalayan blue poppy and the International Garden Festival. The 2026 season ran from 30 May to 4 October and is over.
Gaspésie National Park
The mountain park of the Chic-Choc range, with 25 peaks over 1,000 metres and the only herd of woodland caribou south of the St. Lawrence. The 2026 summer season ended on 12 October, and winter use starts around 27 December.
Musée de la Gaspésie and the Jacques Cartier Monument
The regional museum in Gaspé town, open all year, with 380 million years of peninsula history, a maritime gallery and the Jacques Cartier monument in its grounds.
Gaspé, Birthplace of Canada
A reconstructed 1900s village in Gaspé town with costumed interpreters and a Jacques Cartier cross. The 2026 season ran from 1 June to 15 October and is closed now.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Gîte du Mont-Albert
Gaspésie National Park
The mountain inn inside Gaspésie National Park, with rooms and chalets, a restaurant and a bistro-bar. It reopens for winter on 27 December 2026 and runs to 29 March 2027, so it is closed now.
Check rates →Hôtel Baker
Gaspé town centre
A year-round hotel in the middle of Gaspé town with an indoor pool, a spa, a fitness centre and a restaurant. It is the practical base for Forillon and the museum.
Check rates →Riotel Percé
Percé village
A beachfront hotel of 80 rooms in Percé village with views of the rock and Bonaventure Island. It runs from 15 May to 11 October 2026, so it is closed now.
Check rates →Fort Prevel
Gaspé Bay
A seaside golf resort on Gaspé Bay with cottages, pavilion and inn rooms, and cliffside motel rooms. It is open from May to October, so it is closed now.
Check rates →Rodeway Inn Gaspe
Gaspé town
A large year-round motel in Gaspé town with free parking, a 24-hour front desk and restaurants beside it. It is the budget base for Forillon.
Check rates →Gaspé Peninsula guides
First Time on the Gaspé Peninsula: Seasons, Distances and What to Book
A practical primer for a first trip to the Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec: the June to October season, how far everything is, what to book ahead, how many days to allow and where Percé, Bonaventure Island, Forillon and Gaspésie park fit.
Where to Stay on the Gaspé Peninsula: Gaspé Town, Percé or the Mountains
Where to stay on the Gaspé Peninsula: Gaspé town, Percé and Gaspésie National Park, with five hotels from a mountain inn to a year-round motel, and which ones are open outside summer.
