Saint-Sauveur
A corner of Saint-Sauveur
Discover 14 hand-picked spots in Saint-Sauveur, in the heart of Saint-Sauveur — restaurants, bars, cafés and more, all worth the detour.
How the neighbourhood came to be
Saint-Sauveur is the first stop up north, and it is where skiing began. As early as 1905, Montreal Ski Club members stepped off the train at Shawbridge and crossed the Pays-d'en-Haut on skis — long boards strapped on with leather, no poles. In 1913 the village hosted the first international ski competition ever held in Canada: McGill against Dartmouth. Curé Labelle had promised trainloads of tourists; they arrived on snow trains, every weekend through the 1920s and 1930s, by the thousand.
The village has kept that double nature. Rue Principale runs a few hundred metres and packs in more restaurants, terrasses and shops than ten thousand residents could ever need — because it was not built for them. Sommet Saint-Sauveur, open since 1934, lights its runs until 10 p.m. and claims the longest ski season in Quebec; in summer the mountain becomes a water park.
All around lies the Pays-d'en-Haut: the P'tit Train du Nord linear park on the old railbed, the lakes of Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs, the outlet stores for rainy days, and that late-afternoon light on the Laurentians that explains, better than any brochure, why Montreal has been coming up here for a century.
Did you know?
- 1Curé Labelle first named the parish La Circoncision; the name did not stick.
- 2In 1913 Saint-Sauveur hosted the first international ski competition ever organized in Canada, between students from McGill and Dartmouth College.
- 3In the 1920s, Canadian National and then Canadian Pacific ran snow trains carrying thousands of skiers up from Montreal every weekend.
- 4The mountain installed one of North America's first T-bar lifts in 1948, and one of the region's first detachable chairlifts in 1985.
- 5Sommet Saint-Sauveur runs night skiing until 10 p.m. and claims, year after year, the longest season in Quebec.
- 6The current town dates only from 2002, when the parish of Saint-Sauveur and the village of Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, split since 1926, were reunited.
The neighbourhood at a glance
See & discover
Activities & wellness
Practical info
About an hour up Highway 15 North, exit 60. On winter Friday afternoons and late Sunday, allow double: it is the most congested drive in the Laurentians.
A car is necessary to get here and to move around. On site, rue Principale, the outlets and the base of the slopes are walkable. Village parking is paid in high season.
Two peaks: December to March for skiing, including night skiing, and June to August for the water park and the terrasses. September and October bring colour and quiet; April and November are in-between months when several places close.
Restaurants on rue Principale and lodgings fill up weeks ahead for winter weekends and the Thanksgiving long weekend.
French everywhere; service in English is common, given the many visitors from Montreal and Ontario.
Canadian dollar (CAD). Posted prices exclude tax (about 15% more at checkout) and a 15–20% tip is expected at restaurants.
Dial 911 for emergencies. The nearest regional hospital is in Saint-Jérôme, about twenty minutes south.