Baie-Saint-Paul is nestled in the heart of a valley whose river runs toward the St. Lawrence. Here, cultural life is ever-present, from museums and art galleries to gourmet restaurants and corner bistros, not to mention entertaining bars and sunny terraces. On holidays, streets lined with century-old homes are reserved to pedestrians and welcome musicians, painters and street artists, as they did in the initial days of Cirque du Soleil, which took its first steps here in the early 80’s. Be sure to take a stroll down Rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste, home to one of the highest concentrations of art galleries in Canada.