Granby

Eastern Townships city with Anglo-Quebec brick heritage and one of Canada's largest family-focused zoos.

Granby is a pleasant mid-sized city of around 70,000 people in the Eastern Townships (Cantons-de-l'Est) of southern Quebec, about 80 km east of Montreal. It grew up as a 19th-century English-speaking textile town and still carries some of that Anglo-Quebec heritage in its red-brick downtown and the surrounding dairy-farm country, though today the population is overwhelmingly francophone.

Granby is best known for its zoo — one of the largest in Canada, with more than 1,500 animals in natural enclosures and an adjoining water park, set on forested grounds just outside town. It draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and is one of the most popular family destinations in Quebec. Beyond the zoo, Yamaska National Park on the town's edge has a reservoir lake, bike trails, and beaches that get busy on summer weekends.

The surrounding Cantons-de-l'Est wine country and the small villages of the Eastern Townships make excellent day trips. Dunham, 30 km south, is the centre of Quebec's wine region, with a cluster of small vineyards along Chemin de Dunham. The Musée d'art de Granby in the downtown offers a look at contemporary Quebec art if you want something quieter after a day at the zoo.

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Day Trips

The Eastern Townships countryside around Granby is worth spending time in. The wine region centered on Dunham, about 30 km south, produces some of Quebec's better cold-climate wines — the route along Chemin de Dunham passes a dozen or more small vineyards, several with tastings.

Sutton (50 km south) is a small ski resort town with good hiking in summer and a lively village centre. Mont Shefford and Mont Brome, both within 30 km, have walking trails in summer and downhill skiing in winter.

Bromont (20 km west) has a large water park and is another option for families who have already exhausted the Granby Zoo.

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Getting There

Granby is about 80 km east of Montreal, making it an easy day trip from the city. By car, take Autoroute 10 east (the Eastern Townships Autoroute) and exit at Granby — the drive takes around 50–60 minutes depending on traffic.

By public transport from Montreal, Autocar Maheux runs regular bus services from the Berri-UQAM bus station to Granby, with several departures daily. The trip takes about 90 minutes. There is no rail service to Granby.

From Sherbrooke (60 km east), the drive takes around 45 minutes on Autoroute 10 westbound.

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Things to Do

Granby's two main attractions — the zoo and Yamaska National Park — make it one of the better family destinations in Quebec outside Montreal. The zoo is among the largest in Canada and takes most of a day to see properly; the national park offers a gentler afternoon of swimming, cycling, or walking along the Yamaska reservoir.

For visitors with a car, the surrounding Eastern Townships countryside makes for excellent exploring: vineyard roads, small villages with covered bridges, and the microbrewery town of Dunham all within an hour's drive.