Concert
Paris comes to Montebello: organ concert
MontebelloOctober 23, 2026Thibault Fajoles, assistant organist at Notre-Dame de Paris, plays Bach, Franck and Saint-Saëns on the church's restored hundred-year-old…
Town · MRC de Papineau
Montebello
The Château, the Manor House, and a main street you can walk end to end.
- Population
- 983 (2026)
- Area
- 10.22 km²
- Founded
- 1878
- Town hall
- 550, rue Notre-Dame, Montebello (Québec) J0V 1L0 · 819 423-5123
The village is tiny, about 10 km², but it has two landmarks everybody has heard of: the Fairmont Le Château Montebello, billed as the world's largest log cabin, and the Manoir-Papineau National Historic Site, Louis-Joseph Papineau's old home. Between the two, rue Notre-Dame is lined with restaurants, shops and studios.
Tourism is the economy, plain and simple. The Château and Parc Oméga next door bring people in all year. Food lovers have their route: chocolate shop, cheese shop, brewery. Plenty of artists have settled here, and the Centre d'exposition Napoléon-Bourassa runs four shows a year with free entry.
For residents, it's a village of under 1,000 people with a busy summer and a quieter winter. The marina on the Ottawa River and the heritage walking tour are worth it even if you live down the street.
Good to know
- Town hall: 550, rue Notre-Dame.
- Route 148 (rue Notre-Dame); Highway 50 nearby.
- Manoir-Papineau: 2026 season opened May 16.
- Marina and campground on the Ottawa: 58 boat slips, 30 campsites.
- Centre d'exposition Napoléon-Bourassa on rue Notre-Dame, free.
- The MRC's cultural agency, the Centre d'action culturelle de la MRC de Papineau, is based here.
Events in Montebello
Food
Autumn Harvest at Château Montebello
MontebelloOctober 30, 2026Wines from five Canadian producers and a harvest-themed standing dinner from the Château's chefs. Limited spots; book ahead.
Market
Montebello Christmas Market
MontebelloNovember 27–29, 2026The region's big European-style Christmas market in front of the church: 40-plus growers and makers, a dozen shops along the main street…
Sports
Canadian Ski Marathon
MontebelloFebruary 5–7, 2027Classic cross-country skiing over 15 to 160 km on trails groomed for the weekend. The 2027 edition is being planned around Montebello.…
Sports
Montebello Fatbike Festival
MontebelloFebruary 26–28, 2027Three days of fat biking on the Montebello Vélo de Montagne trails, starting from the Château. The big one is the Fat Papineau challenge…
Culture
Manoir-Papineau National Historic Site season
MontebelloOn now until October 12, 2026Louis-Joseph Papineau's manor is open mid-May to Thanksgiving: Wednesday to Sunday in summer, weekends in the fall. A new outdoor…
Culture
Exhibitions at Centre d'exposition Napoléon-Bourassa
MontebelloOn now until November 15, 2026The MRC's art centre runs four exhibitions a year in visual arts and fine crafts, always free. Until November 15, 2026: Mishtamishk 2…
Music series
Shows at Le Bankeur
MontebelloSeveral Saturdays a monthMontebello's microbrewery doubles as a music room: tributes, rock, duos. You drink beers named after the old Petite-Nation seigneury while…
Music series
Music Sundays
MontebelloSundays at 1 p.m., mid-July to late AugustFree outdoor shows in front of the church, right in the village. 2026 had French chanson, operetta, a trad jam and call-and-response…
Holiday
Trees of Hope
MontebelloHoliday season through early January · 2027 dates to be announcedOutaouais businesses decorate Christmas trees in the Château's great hall and visitors vote for a favourite. Money raised goes to the…
Holiday
Saint-Jean in Montebello
MontebelloJune 23 or 24 · 2027 dates to be announcedMontebello's Saint-Jean party in the village, run with the recreation committee.
Culture
In Situ Art Symposium
MontebelloEvery two years; 2027 edition in Montebello, dates to come · 2027 dates to be announcedSeven to nine professional artists build permanent outdoor works in public, in a different village of the MRC each time. Past editions…
Sports
Montebello Mountain Bike Festival
MontebelloLast weekend of September · 2027 dates to be announcedRides for every level on Montebello Vélo de Montagne's 30 km of trails across the old seigneury lands, with a cultural side to the weekend.
Places in Montebello
Restaurants & cafés 10
IllustrationRestaurant
Aramis Pizzeria
Snack bar and pizzeria with an ice cream counter where you build your own treat.
IllustrationRestaurant
Aux Chantignoles (Fairmont Le Château Montebello)
The Château's main dining room, cooking from the Outaouais, with a patio.
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IllustrationRestaurant
Le Bistro Montebello
A pub in a building over 200 years old, known for wood-fired pizza. Delivers evenings to Montebello, Fassett and Papineauville.
IllustrationCafé
Le Café Entre Amis
Léo and Chantal do breakfast and lunch. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so check first.
IllustrationRestaurant
Nymark (Fairmont Le Château Montebello)
Reworked Québec cooking and organic Canadian wine, inside the Château.
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IllustrationIllustrationRestaurant
Terrasse Le Riverain (Fairmont Le Château Montebello)
Outdoor barbecue on the Château's riverside terrace. Summer only.
Groceries, bakeries & butchers 5
IllustrationButcher
Boucherie Montebello VTM
Free-range bison and Mangalica pork, the woolly pig. Not what you'll find at the grocery store.
IllustrationCheese shop
Fromagerie Montebello
A family cheese maker since 2011: Tête à Papineau, Manchebello, Rébellion 1837 and fresh curds. The snack bar is closed for now; the shop is open.
IllustrationBakery
La Belle Pâtissière
A Paris-style pastry shop and café. Sabrina Sigouin, who was on The Big Bake, also does custom wedding cakes.
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IllustrationGrocery
Station-service Crevier et Dépanneur Nguyen
Gas and convenience store at the west end of the village.
Farms, sugar shacks & drinks 2
IllustrationBrewery
Le Bankeur – Les Brasseurs de Montebello
Brewmaster Alain Larivière's microbrewery, with a stage for rock shows and tribute nights. The beers take their names from the old Petite-Nation…
IllustrationWhere to stay 13
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IllustrationLodging
Fairmont Le Château Montebello
The huge log château on the Ottawa River. Hotel, restaurants, spa, golf and around forty activities in every season.
IllustrationLodging
Gîte Aux Auvents rouges
Four colourful rooms across from the Manoir-Papineau entrance, two of them suites with balconies over the Château woods.
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IllustrationOutfitter
Kenauk Nature
A 265 km² private reserve behind Montebello with more than 65 lakes. Guided fishing, a fly-fishing school, and guided moose and deer hunts.
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Campground
Marina-Camping de Montebello
A municipal campground with room for about thirty campers on the Ottawa River, beside the marina.
IllustrationIllustrationOutdoors 2
IllustrationGolf
Golf Fairmont Le Château Montebello
A 1929 Stanley Thompson 18-holer cut through mature forest. In October the fairways turn red and gold. The clubhouse is the old Seigniory Club chalet.
IllustrationTrail
Montebello Vélo de Montagne
30 km of trail on Papineau's old seigneury land, with Ottawa River views, a cave to ride through and century-old pines. You start at the Château…
Lakes, beaches & marinas 2
IllustrationMarina
Marina du Château Montebello
The Fairmont's marina on the Ottawa River. The hotel also rents kayaks, canoes and SUPs.
Marina
Marina et camping de Montebello
Town marina on the Ottawa with 58 boat slips and a small campground. Power and water at the docks.
Culture & heritage 6
IllustrationLibrary
Montebello Public Library
Books, a board-game library, passes for regional attractions and an art hive stocked with free supplies. Part of the Réseau BIBLIO de l'Outaouais.
IllustrationMuseum
Centre d’exposition Napoléon-Bourassa
The MRC's art centre: four exhibitions a year in visual arts and fine crafts, wheelchair accessible, and always free. It also runs the in situ art…
Heritage
Louis-Joseph Papineau Funerary Chapel
A small stone Gothic Revival chapel built 1853–55 by Papineau and his son among the pines and maples of the estate, rebuilt in 1933. Eleven family…
IllustrationHeritage
Montebello Heritage Walk
Twenty-five houses and sites marked with lecterns around the village, chosen by the Louis-Joseph-Papineau historical society and the arts committee.…
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Heritage
Manoir-Papineau National Historic Site
Louis-Joseph Papineau's four-towered manor, its gardens and the big red oak where the family used to gather. Parks Canada opens it mid-May to…
Shops & makers 12
IllustrationMaker
Alain Lévesque, peintre
A painter whose vintage-car canvases are known to collectors worldwide. He also drew the Maîtres de Montebello logo.
IllustrationMaker
Atelier Alain Lévesque
The car painter: Porsche's guest in Stuttgart in 1998, poster artist for Barrett-Jackson, and creator of the 2005 Central Park Concours d'Elegance…
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationShop
ChocoMotive
A chocolate shop and economuseum in the old train station. Organic, fair-trade chocolate, made where you can watch.
IllustrationMaker
Galerie Béliveau + Tse
A gallery showing the abstract canvases of self-taught painter Françoise Béliveau.
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La Shed qui tourne
Ceramicist Suzanne Ryan turned the old woodshed into a pottery studio, with a shop.
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MJ Potelle, artisane ébéniste
Marie-Jeanne Potelle turns pens, razors and accessories from local wood.
IllustrationShop
Wööl, emporium de laine
Commercial yarn and hand-dyed skeins, plus workshops. The owner founded the Twist Festival.
Services 6
IllustrationService
National Bank, Montebello
The only bank in Montebello village, on rue Notre-Dame, according to OpenStreetMap. Confirm with the bank.
IllustrationService
Bureau de poste de Montebello
On rue Notre-Dame, next to the town hall. Location from OpenStreetMap; check hours with Canada Post.
IllustrationService
École Saint-Michel (Montebello)
Montebello's elementary school on rue Bonsecours, next to the library.
IllustrationIllustrationService
Municipalité de Montebello
Town hall right on rue Notre-Dame in the village. Open Monday to Thursday.
IllustrationArena & sports
Patinoire de Montebello
An outdoor rink with a roof over it, built thanks to a big community fundraising push. Even in freezing rain, you can skate.
Health & wellness 1
Groups & organizations
Arts & culture · Montebello
Louis-Joseph-Papineau Historical Society
The Petite-Nation's historical society, based in Montebello since 1977. Guided tours, talks and a resource centre on the old seigneury, open by appointment.
WebsiteFacebook819 423-5123, poste 3499sh.louis.joseph.papineau@gmail.com
Arts & culture · Montebello
Centre d'action culturelle de la MRC de Papineau
The regional arts body behind the Centre d'exposition Napoléon-Bourassa on rue Notre-Dame in Montebello, plus the La Fouinerie shop. Exhibitions by local and visiting artists all year.
Community · Montebello
Comité de loisirs de Montebello
The volunteers who put on Montebello's activities and village get-togethers. Everything gets posted on their Facebook page.
Seniors · Montebello
FADOQ – Club d'âge d'or Belle Montée
Montebello's FADOQ seniors' club. News and activities go through its Facebook group.
Arts & culture · Montebello
MRC de Papineau Cultural Action Centre
The MRC's non-profit arts organization, incorporated in 2008. It runs the Centre d'exposition Napoléon-Bourassa, La Fouinerie shop, the biennial in situ art symposium and the public-art trail that has spread village to village since 2013.
Magazine
Our perfect summer day in La Petite-Nation, from market to beach
Ripon's Saturday market, a Chénéville picnic, a lifeguarded beach on Lac Simon, mini-golf, the lookout at golden hour and soft serve to finish the day.
25 things to do in La Petite-Nation this fall
A Notre-Dame de Paris organist in Montebello, a square dance in Saint-Sixte, punk in Ripon and a hundred watercolours on Thanksgiving. Our list for October and November.
Where to stay in La Petite-Nation, from inns to teepees
A log château, an 1898 Victorian full of artists, an old post office, teepees next to the wolves. Our rundown of the ways to spend the night out here.
Nearby: Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours · Fassett · Papineauville · Saint-André-Avellin · Plaisance