Overview: Tucked up along the St. Lawrence River, 90 minutes northeast of Quebec City, this resort area yields full-on Canadiana, with a relaxed country vibe and picture-postcard scenery.
Crowd: The region played host to mostly wealthy Americans 100 years ago, but now, almost 80 percent of visitors to Charlevoix come from within Quebec itself.
Agenda: The biggest draw in the winter is Le Massif ski resort just outside Baie-Saint-Paul. Augment that with roaring fireplaces, dogsledding, art galleries, hot apple cider, amazing local cuisine—oh, the cheese!—and you’ve got an impossibly romantic few days.
Essential: If you don’t feel like driving, take Le Train from Montmorency Falls and book into Le Germain Charlevoix, which in a former life was a nunnery’s farm.
Timing: The winter is your cozy oyster, but summer is just as fun.
