Fall Foliage on the St. Lawrence: Québec To the Canadian Maritimes – With Smithsonian Journeys on the Le Champlain

Montréal, the first of four calls in Québec, is a cosmopolitan metropolis, where you may tour the charming Old Town or explore the arts scene along St. Laurent Boulevard. Québec City, with its narrow cobblestoned lanes and historic battlements, is one of North America’s most romantic spots. Sailing up the Saguenay River from the St. Lawrence brings you to the magnificent Saguenay Fjord National Park, an area of dramatic landscapes best appreciated from the water or during a refreshing hike. And the picturesque village of Percé, at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, serves as gateway to the UNESCO Global Geopark of Bonaventure Island. The colonial seaport of Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island was the site of the conference in 1864 that set the stage for Canada's unification, and it is also home to the Anne of Green Gables House—inspiration for Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic novel. Cap-aux-Meules, in the Magdalen Islands, is a fascinating Acadian stronghold, where the legacy of the 17th-century colonists who settled here and defended their autonomy against both British and French lives on. Nova Scotia is next, offering three historical towns for discovery. Charming Baddeck on Cape Breton Island is home to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site where you may peruse the collection that illustrates the life of the inventor. Louisbourg boasts the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, a living museum that recreates 18th-century life through the reconstruction of the formerly thriving settlement. And Lunenburg, whose Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, is also home to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. A day at sea brings you to Provincetown, Massachusetts, at the tip of historic Cape Cod, where the Pilgrims landed in 1620 and which now features a vibrant art scene. Disembark the following day in Boston, Massachusetts.