The St. Lawrence ferry from Rivière-du-Loup to Saint-Siméon is in its autumn pattern: three sailings a day each way through October and November, down to two from 7 December, and the last crossings of the season on 3 January 2027. Cars pay $55.65 and every person aboard, driver included, buys a ticket on top.
2026 schedule published by Traverse Rivière-du-Loup, in force to 3 January 2027; 2027 dates not yet published; checked 2 October 2026 Traverse Rivière-du-Loup – 2026 Schedule · 2026-10-02
Autumn is when this ferry starts counting down. From early April the Trans-Saint-Laurent works up to four round trips a day between Rivière-du-Loup and Saint-Siméon; by October the published calendar settles on three, every day of the week, with the busier four-sailing pattern back only for the Friday and Monday of Thanksgiving weekend. On 7 December it drops to two, it stays in port on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, and on Sunday 3 January 2027 it makes its last crossings until spring.
The Société des traversiers du Québec, the provincial ferry corporation that partners with the private operator, describes the season as running from Easter to the beginning of January. Between 4 January and the spring restart there is no crossing at all, and nothing about the 2027 dates had been posted on 2 October 2026.
Fares are the same all season: $23.40 for an adult on foot, $55.65 for a car, with every occupant paying separately. If you are crossing from Charlevoix in late December, nothing leaves Saint-Siméon after the 15:00.
The vehicle fare covers the vehicle and nothing else: the operator states that driver and passengers are not included, so a couple in a car buy one vehicle ticket and two passenger tickets. Cars and their occupants travel one way only; the cheaper return fares are for foot passengers making the round trip the same day.
You get a boarding pass on the dock and pay on the ship in cash or by debit, Visa, MasterCard or Discover. A Quebec-registered electric vehicle with a green licence plate crosses free, though its occupants still pay. Whether sales taxes are built into these prices is not stated anywhere on the fare page.
| Adult, 13 to 64 | $ 23.40 |
| Senior, 65 and over | $ 21.35 |
| Child, 7 to 12 | $ 15.65 |
| Child, 6 and under | Free |
| Adult | $ 29 |
| Senior | $ 26.55 |
| Child, 7 to 12 | $ 19.70 |
| Car or SUV under 6.4 m long and 2.44 m wide | $ 55.65 |
| Vehicle 6.5 to 6.9 m | $ 74.30 |
| Vehicle 7.0 to 7.4 m | $ 99 |
| Motorcycle or moped | $ 36.25 |
| Motorcycle with trailer | $ 55.65 |
| Trailer, 1 to 3.4 m | $ 36.25 |
| Trailer, 3.5 to 6.4 m | $ 55.65 |
| Trailer, 6.5 to 7.4 m | $ 94 |
| Coach | $ 207 |
| 15 to 30 people | $ 21.35 |
| 31 people or more | $ 19.20 |
Fares for 28 March 2026 to 3 January 2027 Traverse Rivière-du-Loup – Fares · 2026-10-02
The Société des traversiers du Québec puts the crossing at 27.2 km, from the Bas-Saint-Laurent on the south shore to Charlevoix on the north. Here the St. Lawrence is an estuary many kilometres wide, and the route crosses the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park. Far upstream, past Quebec City and Montreal, the same river narrows enough for the three-car Howe Island Township ferry to cross a channel in a few minutes.
Seaward, where the estuary widens towards the Gulf, the Matane ferry to Baie-Comeau and Godbout is the next south-to-north crossing, a longer trip run by the STQ itself.
The south-shore terminal is at 199 rue Hayward, on Pointe-de-Rivière-du-Loup. Cars are loaded in the order they turn up, and a boarding pass is handed to you on the dock; you settle up once you are on the ship. In autumn the operator asks for 30 minutes on weekdays and an hour on Fridays and Sundays.
On the Charlevoix shore the terminal is at 116 rue du Festival in Saint-Siméon. Every sailing day in the 2026 calendar opens on this side with a 09:30 departure, so a morning start from the north shore is the one fixed point you can count on. Daytime phone at this end: 418 638-5530.
Cars cannot be booked, and boarding goes by arrival order. Be there 30 minutes ahead on autumn weekdays, an hour on Fridays and Sundays, and 90 minutes in holiday periods.
Groups of ten or more travelling by bus are advised to reserve, using the calendar on the operator's schedule page.
The STQ lists a maximum vehicle width of 3.35 m and height of 4.57 m. For weight limits it refers drivers to the operator.
Recreational vehicles carrying more than 65 litres of propane are accepted; the operator says this is approved by Transport Canada.
Apart from guide dogs, animals remain in your vehicle for the whole crossing.
A lunch counter, a bar, a souvenir shop with regional products, a children's playroom, free wifi and a lift to the upper deck.
There has been a crossing here since 1909, when, according to Wikipedia's history of the route, a company co-founded by Malcolm Fraser, then mayor of Fraserville (today's Rivière-du-Loup), began sailing to the north shore. The current ship arrived in 1963. The operator lists her capacity as 100 vehicles and 365 passengers, and she is the only vessel named on the route today.
The alternative is long: Wikipedia puts the drive between the two shores at 391 km, against 27 km on the water. Out on the estuary you may see belugas, razorbills or black guillemots, which is why the operator also sells the full round trip, about three hours without getting off, as a mini-cruise. For a shorter Quebec river crossing with a very different way of paying, compare the cash-only Oka–Hudson ferry west of Montreal.
Sunday 3 January 2027. That day runs the December pattern: 08:00 and 13:30 from Rivière-du-Loup, 09:30 and 15:00 from Saint-Siméon.
No. Christmas Day and New Year's Day are both blank in the 2026 calendar. The days either side run the two-trip December timetable.
The car is $55.65 for a vehicle under 6.4 m and each adult is $23.40, driver included; the operator does not bundle them.
No. The operator states there are no round-trip fares for cars and their passengers. Same-day returns exist only for foot passengers: $29.00 for an adult.
Yes, on Friday 9 and Monday 12 October 2026: four departures each way, the first at 07:45 from Rivière-du-Loup and the last at 19:30 from Saint-Siméon.
A Quebec electric vehicle with a green plate travels free; the people in it pay the passenger fare.
A little over an hour for the 27.2 km. The operator's own documents round it differently, so add a margin if you have a connection to make.
Yes. Cash, debit, Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted on board, where you pay for the boarding pass you were given on the dock.