Saguenay is a city in the valleys, close to nature. It's 200 km (2h30) from Quebec City and accessible by a single road with a single gas station, or also at 450 km (5 hours) from Montreal. In short, you're away from everything, yet surrounded by incredible scenery and activities.
Here, nothing is possible without a car. Forget the French distance scale: in Saguenay, it takes at least 1h30 by car to get from one city to another. Toronto and New York are each 1000 km (10 hours) away. These hours are well worth it, both for the scenery on the way and the destination.
I could also mention Chicoutimi's roads, which are not suitable for walking, with few crosswalks, often no sidewalks and four or six-lane roads, real highways.
To get the most out of your stay, you'll need a car. In this article, I'll share with you my advice, as well as the differences with French roads.
Traffic light and Stop (Arrêt)
Don't be fooled: in North America, the traffic lights are on the other side of the intersection. Stop before and not in the middle of the intersection. You'll make the mistake once, but not twice! Here you drive on the right side of the road, like you do in France.
Traffic lights operate differently from those in France, except on the island of Montreal. You can turn right at a red light, except when a sign indicates the opposite. Just make sure no cars are coming from the left!
A flashing green light means that you are the only one authorized to enter the intersection. You don't have to yield to other traffic. A steady green light means that the opposite lane is also green.
In Quebec, there is no yield-to-the-right. Concerning stop signs (named "arrêt"), there are two types of intersections:
- if only your lane has a stop sign, then just like in France, give way to all other road users.
- if all lanes in the intersection have a stop sign (another sign will indicate this, see above and below), cars will depart in order of arrival. Be courteous and analytical. Traffic circles are rare in Quebec, but you'll find plenty of "stop" intersections.
Car rental
Public transport is not very well developed in Quebec, except for buses, and the metro in Montreal. Don't try the train, it's expensive and very long (11h vs 5h30 by car). There are many stops the train has to make and, as at the airport, you have to check in your luggage. There is, however, a carpooling site similar to BlaBlaCar: Kangaride (Amigo Express).
If you're 18 or over and have a French driver's license (you don't need an international license), you're I would recommend renting a car, since gas here is much cheaper. There are two rental companies in Saguenay (which you'll also find at Montreal airport): Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental. As a UQAC student, you have discount codes for these companies. In my opinion, it's the best and cheapest way to travel if you're at least three travelers.
Car purchase, high risk, high reward
If you can, buy a car as soon as you arrive in Montreal, or Quebec City, even if it means staying a few days. That way, you won't have to take a rental car all the way to Chicoutimi, where choices of car for sales are limited. I advise you to buy a car as a group, to share the investment with your roommates, for example.
Here in Quebec, there's no technical inspection - as long as the car's running, it's running! I can assure you that Quebecois are friendly, but like everywhere else, there are scammers, so be careful. During the pre-purchase visit, seek information or ask a professional mechanic to accompany you (this is common practice in Quebec). Also ask for the car's VIN (vehicule identification number) so you can order a report to check that the car hasn't been in a serious accident, or that the speedometer hasn't been tampered with (which was the case with my car). You can use: Canada Report Vin ($30 well invested!).
Negotiate the price! It's not like in France, here negotiation is common, so be aggressive and prepare your arguments: rust, sensors, noise... anything works. My roommates and I bought an VUS (SUV) in Quebec City with an initial price of $5000, and we negotiated it down to $3500!
If you're not comfortable on snow-covered roads, I'd advise you to take an AWD (all-wheel drive) car and studded tires. Studded tires are only authorized from October 15th to May 1st, and outside these dates you risk a fine. If you're looking for a used tire dealer, Pneus GLC Québec is located in Quebec City. Otherwise, it's better to buy four-season tires that you won't need to change. Personally, I had an AWD car with studded tires, which came in handy in winter on the city's steep, icy slopes or on freshly snow-covered highways!
Even if you prefer manual cars to automatics, I'd recommend the latter, because manuals are indeed cheaper to buy, but much harder to resell. You'll be glad to have an automatic at every stop up Chicoutimi's many hills.
There are three used car sales websites in Quebec City:
- Kijiji Autos (For everything second-hand other than cars, Kijiji is very good.)
- LesPAC
Bon à savoir
In winter, I recommend turning on your car 15 minutes before you leave to warm up the engine properly. You can leave your car running and open while you finish your breakfast🥐🍵, you won't risk having it stolen.
In very cold weather, below -30°C, if you feel that your car battery is getting a little tired, or if it's an old model, I'd also advise you to disconnect the battery and keep it warm at home. This will save you a nasty surprise the next morning. Attention! A little reminder from electronics lessons: positive then negative to disconnect it and inversly to reconnect it. 😊⚡
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