La Malbaie is a municipality in the Charlevoix-Est Regional County Municipality in the province of Quebec, Canada, situated on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River, at the mouth of the Malbaie River. The name La Malbaie, from the French for "bad bay", was given to this region by Champlain, when low tide left his ships high and dry in the bay. For a time, the village was named Murray Bay, after British governor James Murray. The development of tourism in this area is said to date back to 1760, when the Scottish seigneurs (John Nairne and Malcolm Fraser) began receiving visitors to the region at their manor.