Few railway routes, reports Colin Nicholson, are more beautiful than the line which runs from just outside historic Québec City along the banks of the St Lawrence River.


From 9 September 2011, a new service of viewing cars allows you to take in the sights as you travel alongside the St Lawrence up the coast towards the Atlantic Ocean. (www.lemassif.com/en/train)

You can even see whales in the estuary – beluga whales being the most common. In the autumn the mountainside to your left is ablaze with bright orange and red colours. Skiers and snowboarders, however, will want to do the trip in winter and take in the spectacular resort of Le Massif, where the pistes appear like giant springboards ready to throw you into the ice floes of the St Lawrence below.

To reach the province of Québec you fly into Montréal, an attractive city in its own right with an 18th century old town set against a backdrop of gleaming skyscrapers.

From here you can take a regular train (www.viarail.ca) or internal flight to Québec City, the only fortified city in North America. Québec City offers a charming mix of North American frontier spirit and European sensibilities. So before you board the train, find all about 'Nouvelle France' before it became a British colony in 1763, by visiting the Museum of French America (www.mcq.org/en/maf/index.html), nestled inside the city walls.

You'll be greeted by a map showing the continent dominated by the blue of royal France all the way down to Louisiana, with the much smaller areas of Spanish-occupied Mexico and Texas coloured orange on either side. But you may miss the tiny patch of pink that indicates the British sphere of influence around New England.

Fur and wood, shipped down the St Lawrence, was what made the colony so prized. You can still take lunch at the trading post-turned-restaurant Aux Anciens Canadiens (www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca), the oldest building in town, built in 1675. A tour of the ramparts takes you past familiar Martello towers, along the top of cliffs dropping into the fast-flowing river below, until you reach the funicular railway, carrying you to the water's edge.


Montmorency Falls by Paul Hurteau / Claude Parent

Just downriver from here are the 84 metre (275ft) high Montmorency waterfalls. In summer this is an impressive cascade, topped by a discreet dam and suspension bridge. And it is at the Montmorency Falls Park that your high-ceilinged, domed carriages await. So hop on board and let the train take the strain of your sightseeing.

As the vintage diesel engines pull away on the start of your 280 kilometre (175 mile) round trip, you enter the region of Charlevoix, the culinary heart of Québec, and this is reflected in the meals on board. A three-course lunch, with a choice of three options for each course, includes such delights as lobster sauce and other specialities created by the chef of the Chateau Manoir Richelieu, at your destination of La Malbaie.


A nocturnal view of La Malbaie by Bertrand Lemeunier

For visitors who baulk at the C$250 ticket price (£180 with tax) – although this does include both lunch and dinner on the one-day round trip – you can also hire a car to do your own cultural and gastromomic tour of Charlevoix. Be sure to visit the beautiful village of Baie St Paul, with its communities of artists inspired by the landscape. Here you can wander along the covered walkways in front of art galleries and family-run boutique hotels, as well as lovely restaurants such as the quirky Grande Maison Inn where you can get a fantastic five-course meal for a very reasonable CAD$35 (£25 with tax). (www.grandemaison.com)

At a date yet to be determined the gastronomic train will be joined every winter by a shuttle service that will take skiers and snowboarders from Baie St Paul for an amazing experience.

Le Massif is one of the most fascinating resorts you'll ever visit. It has the greatest vertical drop in Canada east of the Rockies and wonderfully curling pistes through the forest that are full of surprises, at times immersing you deep in the woods, while at other times leading you towards the bright reflection of the river as the pistes open out to reveal spectacular views of the estuary. No matter what level your skiing you'll be well catered for, because the easiest way down the mountain is marked for beginners, while 'glades' – thinned out forests – will test advanced skiers' skills to the limit. All the runs finally deposit you back at the railway line on the shore at Petite Rivière St François.


A little snowboard action

Just one stop further up the line is La Malbaie (as far as you can go with the train) and the Manoir Richelieu (www.fairmont.com/richelieu), which is a hotel for all seasons – many cruise passengers from New England arrive at the beauty spot. This magnificent pre-war chateau has cannons pointing out over the sea, whilst inside old-fashioned dials indicate the position of the lifts.

Guests on the gastronomic train can explore the shore or wander along cliff-top paths on a three-hour break to work off their lunch. The more adventurous can go sea kayaking, canyoning down the Charlevoix waterfalls, or hire tandems. For the longer activities you can break your journey and stay a night or two.

But for most passengers the time has come to head back towards Québec City that very same evening when the gastronomy goes up a notch. The journey back offers an amazing four-course dinner with seafood and venison, accompanied by sunset views.

When I was back in an alleyway of Québec City frequented by artists, I bought an oil painting of a scene that could only have been the ancient rounded mountains of the Laurentian shield glowing pink in the sunset. A reminder of my journey to Charlevoix.

Visit Tourism Québec’s website (www.bonjourquebec.co.uk).