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Area · City of Richelieu, south shore outer suburbs of Montreal

Richelieu

A small town on its river, Chambly just across the way, and the countryside starting where the avenues end. Here's my top 9, neighbour's version, not brochure version.

Let's talk about this area

Richelieu is the quiet shore of the Chambly basin. About six thousand people live here, across from Vieux-Chambly, in the Rouville RCM but very much part of the greater metropolitan area. From my home base in Verdun, I take the Samuel De Champlain Bridge and then Highway 10, which runs right through the town's territory. I work with people who want the countryside without cutting ties to Montreal, and with sellers whose property deserves to be talked about as more than just a postal code.

I put together this top 9 for a simple reason: when you buy or sell, you're not just shopping for a property, you're shopping for a village life. Each point comes with an opening to talk. Use it.

Maxime Laforest, residential and commercial real estate broker · Équipe Loiselle, RE/MAX Dynamique

The area's top 9

What makes the heart of Richelieu beat.

Nine reasons buyers choose this side of the river, and why the ones who live here don't leave.

01 1re Rue in Richelieu in fall colours, between the houses and the linear park along the river
Waterfront

The river at the end of the street

1re Rue runs along the east bank of the Richelieu River, and between the street and the water, the town has laid out the Michel-Chartrand and Marcel-Fortier linear parks. You walk here facing the Chambly basin, past the centennial monument and the signs recalling the old mills. A hundred years ago, people cut ice off the river to sell. Today, they launch a kayak instead.

Ask me about it: ask which streets give walking access to the waterfront. Those addresses never stay on the market long.
02 The Yule Bridge, carrying route 112 between Richelieu and Chambly, seen from the Richelieu shore
The neighbour across the way

Chambly right across, over the Yule Bridge

The first Yule Bridge, built of wood, already linked the two shores back in 1847. Today route 112 crosses at the same spot: the fort, the canal, the restaurants and shops of Vieux-Chambly are just minutes from home. You get everything the neighbour has to offer, while keeping the quiet of a small town on this side of the water.

Ask me about it: a lot of buyers shop for Chambly and never think about crossing the bridge. Ask me what that changes in a search, you might be surprised.
03 The rapids of the Richelieu River at the Pierre-Étienne-Fortin wildlife refuge, with a kayaker and an angler
Rare nature

Protected rapids for a fish found nowhere else on earth

Between Richelieu and Chambly, the river breaks into rapids. The Pierre-Étienne-Fortin wildlife refuge, created in 2002, protects this 63-hectare area: it's the world's most important spawning ground for the copper redhorse, the only vertebrate species that lives nowhere on earth outside Quebec. Anglers and kayakers have known the spot for a long time, but few people realize they live next to a site of this calibre.

Ask me about it: a protected natural area at the end of the street isn't something you see often in the outer suburbs. Ask me what that guarantees for the landscape around it.
04
Cycling

The Route des Champs starts right here

The paved bike path links Richelieu to Granby over roughly forty kilometres, passing through Marieville, Rougemont, Saint-Césaire and Saint-Paul-d'Abbotsford. The stretch between Richelieu and Marieville opened in 2024, with heritage panels telling the region's history along the way. Setting off from home by bike and having lunch in the Rougemont orchards, that's the kind of Saturday you don't trade for anything.

Ask me about it: for some buyers, the bike path is a real search criterion. Ask me where it runs, it shapes the choice of neighbourhood.
05 Richelieu's municipal library, a brick building at the heart of the village
Family life

"A town for the family," and it's official

That's the town's slogan, and it holds up on the ground: nine parks for six thousand residents, Richelieu elementary school within walking distance for a lot of families, a municipal library at the heart of the village. Parc Florence-Viens brings together a pool, a skatepark, tennis courts and a community chalet, while the splash pads at Parc Maurice-Berthiaume and Parc de la Gare get everyone through the heat waves.

Ask me about it: ask which areas let you walk to school and to the park. That's often the real question behind "is this a good neighbourhood for kids."
06
Access

Highway 10 runs right through

Not many small towns can say that: Highway 10 crosses Richelieu from east to west. One way, it heads toward the Samuel De Champlain Bridge and downtown; the other, toward the Eastern Townships. Route 112 leads to Chambly and Longueuil, and route 133 follows the river toward Saint-Mathias on one side and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu on the other. And the exo network for the Chambly-Richelieu-Carignan sector rounds it out, with free local buses between the three towns and express lines to the REM's Brossard station.

Ask me about it: since the REM started running, the commute from the outer suburbs has changed. Ask me how people around here combine driving and the light rail.
07 Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours church in Richelieu at dusk, in winter
Heritage

Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours and the old core

The Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours parish was founded in 1868, a year before the municipality itself. Its stone church still watches over the village, surrounded by heritage homes along 1re Rue, facing the river. The territory itself dates back to the Chambly seigneury, granted in 1672. For a town this size, there's a depth of history here you won't find in newer neighbourhoods.

Ask me about it: an older home is one you buy with your eyes open. Ask me how I assess the condition and potential of a character property.
08 The former scholasticate of the Oblate house in Richelieu, surrounded by maples in autumn
History

The Oblate house

In 1930, the Oblates built an enormous scholasticate in Richelieu, complete with a juniorate, a printing shop and workshops. The building still commands respect on the street named after them, steps from Parc Florence-Viens. It's a landmark everyone here knows, and a reminder that this small village was once a training centre whose reach went well beyond the region.

Ask me about it: ask how a landmark building like that shapes the surrounding area. A property's immediate surroundings count toward its value.
09 A heritage stone house on 1re Rue in Richelieu, with the bike lane running along the river
Local colour

Half village, half countryside

At the start of the last century, summer cottages lined the water; Richelieu was a resort destination for city folk. Since the 2000 merger with the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours parish, the municipality has also included a vast agricultural territory. The result: past the village avenues, the countryside starts for real, with lot sizes people have forgotten closer to Montreal.

Ask me about it: the village core and the country road aren't the same search. Ask me which of the two worlds fits your project.
Let's talk

Thinking about buying or selling in Richelieu? Let's start talking.

A free evaluation of your property, a picture of the local market, or simply answers to your questions. No strings attached, and a straight answer.

Start my real estate project

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