Port of Gaspé cruise port guide

Port of Gaspé — Gaspé, Canada.

Gaspé is the main town at the eastern tip of Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula, a small French-speaking place on a sheltered bay where Jacques Cartier's 1534 landing is remembered. It is the gateway to Forillon National Park and, further down the coast, to Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island. For a cruise visitor it is a quiet coastal call: a compact downtown, a good regional museum and some of the best scenery in eastern Canada within reach if you book an excursion.

Getting ashore

Where do cruise ships dock in Gaspé?

Ships at Gaspé either anchor in the bay and tender passengers in, or berth at the Sandy Beach wharf about 4 km from downtown (served by a shuttle, around 8 minutes). Destination Gaspé's 2027 schedule lists Aurora on 24 September at the Gaspé anchorage, from 8am to 6pm, so expect to tender. The tender landing is by the marina, and the port lists two wheelchair-accessible gangways to shore and excursion transport about 100 m from the landing.

How do I get from the cruise port to town?

Downtown is about 1 km away, roughly a 15-minute walk. A second ship, Spirit of Discovery, is also listed at anchor the same day, so allow for tender queues and follow the ship's tender instructions.

Getting around

Downtown Gaspé is compact and walkable from the tender landing; Rue de la Reine, the main street, is a few hundred metres from the landing. The town has a local taxi service, but do not expect cars waiting at the landing, so book ahead if you need one. Forillon National Park, the Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse and Percé are drives rather than walks. Percé is about 85–90 km away by road, so allow at least an hour each way; a ship excursion, which guarantees the return, is the safest way to go.

Don't miss

• Musée de la Gaspésie and the Jacques Cartier monument — The regional museum at 80 Boulevard de Gaspé, about 1 km from the landing, overlooks the bay and covers the peninsula's history, with a maritime exhibition built around a fishing boat. Beside it stands the Jacques Cartier monument, six cast-iron stelae depicting the 1534 encounter between Cartier and the Indigenous people. From 31 August the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm (closed Mondays); adult entry is C$20. Allow about 1.5 hours.
• Downtown Gaspé and Rue de la Reine — The main street runs above the bay and holds most of the town's cafés, restaurants and shops. It is an easy stroll from the tender landing for a coffee and a look around.
• Forillon National Park — The park at the tip of the peninsula is known for sea cliffs, coastal trails and wildlife. It is a drive from town. The park is accessible all year, but services are seasonal: in 2026 the visitor centres and entry kiosks closed for the season in mid-October, so they should still be running in late September. Check Parks Canada before you go, or take a ship excursion.
• Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island — The pierced rock at Percé is the Gaspé Peninsula's best-known sight, about 85–90 km from Gaspé along the coast road, and Bonaventure Island is reached by seasonal boat from the village. With at least an hour's drive each way, it is only realistic as a ship excursion. Weather and sea conditions can limit the boat trips.
• Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse and the Gespeg Mi'gmaq site — Destination Gaspé lists the Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse, which it describes as the tallest in Canada, and the Gespeg Mi'gmaq Interpretation Site among the area's most popular attractions. Both are outside downtown, so they suit a tour or a hire car.

Planning your day

Unless you have booked a ship excursion to Percé or Forillon, keep the day close to the water. Tender ashore, walk up to Rue de la Reine for a coffee, then spend late morning at the Musée de la Gaspésie and the Jacques Cartier monument (it opens at 11am). Have a seafood lunch downtown, browse the shops and head back for the tender with a good margin. If you want Percé, go with a ship excursion rather than independently.

Food & drink

Gaspésie cooking is built on the cold-water seafood of the Gulf of St Lawrence, with lobster, crab, northern shrimp, cod and smoked fish on many menus. Downtown Gaspé has only a handful of restaurants, and some open only for breakfast and dinner, so it pays to plan lunch.

Where to eat

• Brise-Bise — A long-running downtown bistro-bar at 135 Rue de la Reine, open every day from 11am, so the easiest proper lunch on a Friday call. The menu is strong on local seafood: Gaspé cod cakes, char from its own smokehouse, shrimp poutine, fish and chips, lobster club sandwiches and a Gaspésie bouillabaisse.
• Café des Artistes — A family-run café and coffee roaster at 101 Rue de la Reine, a short walk from the landing, with a breakfast menu until 11am and a lunch menu after that. Open 7:30am to 3pm on weekdays (from 8am at weekends), with free Wi-Fi.
• Rôtisserie St-Hubert — A branch of the Quebec rotisserie-chicken chain at 20 Rue Adams, a few minutes' walk up from Rue de la Reine, with a full dining room. Listed as open from 6:30am to 9pm on Fridays: a reliable, casual fallback if the smaller places are full.

Must try

• Gaspésie lobster — Lobster from the waters around the peninsula is known for its meaty tails and flavour. The fishing season runs from early May to late June, but restaurants and fish markets keep live lobster in tanks through the summer, so ask what is available in late September.
• Guédille — A Quebec snack-bar staple: lobster, crab or northern shrimp mixed with mayonnaise and served in a hot-dog bun. A quick, cheap way to try regional seafood.
• Seafood poutine — The Quebec classic of fries, cheese curds and gravy, here made with a seafood sauce and shrimp. Brise-Bise serves a shrimp version.
• Smoked salmon and smoked fish — Smokehouses are a Gaspésie tradition. Smoked Atlantic salmon is a point of local pride, though it is farmed rather than wild.

Know before you go

• 🗣️Language — Gaspé is French-speaking. The port says its tour guides work in French and English, and tourist-facing businesses usually manage some English, but a few French phrases (bonjour, merci, s'il vous plaît) go a long way.
• 📋Documents — Carry your passport as P&O instructs; entry rules depend on nationality. The Government of Canada says visa-exempt travellers, including British citizens, do not need an eTA when arriving by sea, including on a cruise ship (the eTA is for air arrivals). Follow P&O's pre-cruise documents.
• 🛍️Shopping & hours — Prices are in Canadian dollars, and sales tax is usually added at the till. Downtown shops and cafés line Rue de la Reine. 24 September 2027 is a Friday, a normal business day; the museum opens at 11am and cafés from early morning.
• 🌤️Weather — Late September on the Gaspé coast is cool and changeable. Over the past decade, days around the call date have averaged highs of about 17°C (63°F) and lows of about 9°C (48°F), with rain on roughly a third of days. Bring a waterproof and a warm layer; wind and fog can affect tenders and boat trips.
• 📶Connectivity — Check your UK provider's Canada roaming terms before you arrive, as charges can be high. Café des Artistes on Rue de la Reine offers free Wi-Fi.
• ♿Accessibility — The tender landing has two wheelchair-accessible gangways to shore, but passengers must first transfer from ship to tender, and sea conditions can change that, so speak to the ship about tender assistance. The museum says it is accessible to people with reduced mobility. Percé and Forillon trips involve long road journeys and uneven ground.
• ⏱️Getting back — Aurora is listed at anchor from 8am to 6pm. Allow extra time for the tender queue back to the ship, especially as a second ship shares the anchorage that day, and allow for road delays if you go to Percé or Forillon independently. The ship's last-tender time overrides any estimate here.

Sources: destinationgaspe.ca/en/horaire-des-navires; destinationgaspe.ca/en/navigation-guide; museedelagaspesie.ca/pages/horaire-tarif-billets; qahn.org/node/213; parks.canada.ca/pn-np/qc/forillon/visit/heures-hours; tourisme-gaspesie.com/en/practical/map-distances.html; tourisme-gaspesie.com/en/blog/5-types-of-fish-or-seafood-to-savour-in-gaspesie; brisebise.ca; cafedesartistes.ca; st-hubert.com; canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta/facts.html; archive-api.open-meteo.com (2015–2025 daily history)