A network of authentic heritage villages, located in remarkable landscapes

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A holiday village at the tip of an island

History of our village

An integral part of the historical surrounding area of Île d’Orléans, Sainte-Pétronille, also once known as Bout-de-l’Île (the island tip) and as Beaulieu, is the site of the island's first settlement.

In succession, the village was home to the French (1648), then the Hurons (before they emigrated to Loretteville), then General Wolfe set up camp up here during the English siege of Quebec City in 1759, and soon went on to win the battle of Abraham Plains.

Facing Quebec City and located in the heart of the river, Sainte-Pétronille attracted many upper class Quebecers as a vacationing spot rather than an agricultural village. A Victorian hotel called La Goëliche was built on the water’s edge, close to the ferry loading docks, which were also used as a bridge. The painter Horatio Walker set up his studio on this same street, which now bears his name.

No other place than Sainte-Pétronille offers a more sweeping panoramic view. Admire the glorious expanse from Lévis on the southern banks of the St. Lawrence, to the Montmorency Falls (80 metres) on the northern banks, to Vieux Quebec (Old Quebec) perched atop Diamant Cape, all the way to Vieux Port, which opens the river’s vastness, vessels can be seen gliding to the rhythm of the tide.

Resting on a shady green slope sprinkled in white wooden houses, Sainte-Pétronille is exceptionally beautiful in the red and golden colours of autumn (September 15 – October 15). With the arrival of the winter season, admire the holiday lights and decorations, and listen as the ice crackles with the coming and going of the tides.

You are invited by the municipal counsel and by all citizens from the village of Sainte-Pétronille to visit our Bout-de-l'Île

of l'Île d'Orléans.

Our village is proud to have been one of the first villages  to join the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages.

We welcome you in our oasis of beauty, greenery and peace.