Unlike any other destination in North America, Quebec City offers you a very unique experience. Quebec City is the oldest continuously inhabited French settlement in North America, dating back to 1608. The narrow winding cobblestone streets, castle-like landmarks, and French-Canadian culture make Quebec City a living fantasy land. If you like to travel to Europe but don’t want to deal with the long flight across Atlantic Ocean and jet lag, you should come to visit Quebec City.
Quebec City sits on the beautiful St. Lawrence River in the province of Quebec, Canada. The Historic District of Old Quebec has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. The Old Quebec area is where the most attractions are. Most of the locals speak French, but an English speaker would have no trouble in Quebec City.
Main Attractions in Quebec City
Quebec City has many of the oldest attractions in North America, set in old streets with a classical Old-World beauty that hasn’t changed in 400 years. You can see the history and culture in every stone building.
If this is your first visit to Quebec City or if you are traveling a long way there, you don’t want to miss the most impressive attractions, listed below.
Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac
One of the most architecturally iconic structures in Quebec City, and also an upscale hotel, is the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. It is truly a sight to behold. This magnificent palatial chateau with its massive towers and turrets with spiked crenellations, looks like a real-life version of Hogwarts castle with some red brick. Standing in front of it, you will be amazed by the talented people who built this property without any modern machinery and wonder what the luxury life looked like in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
This castle-like Chateau Frontenac was opened more than a century ago and has been continually renovated up to the present day. This luxury hotel has 611 guest rooms and suites spread throughout the 18-floor building. The view of St. Lawrence River from the top of the building is spectacular, but, ironically, the rooms on the topmost floors belonged to the servants who worked at the hotel.
Some parts of the hotel, including ballrooms, have preserved the decorations from a century ago. To see the inside of this magnificent property, you can take a tour at the lobby at a cost of CA$ 21 per adult. The tour is free for hotel guests. You can also stop at the upscale 1608 Bar Vin et Fromage to enjoy some wine and cheese with a beautiful view of St. Lawrence River, or dine at the hotel’s Champlain Restaurant with its sculptures, including a dramatic ceiling sculpture of the St. Lawrence riverbed.
Terrasse Dufferin
After touring the Fairmont resort, take a walk on the Dufferin Terrace. Starting the Monument Samuel-de Champlain walk, the wide wood plank walkway towards the Citadel de Quebec. The terrace is 671 meters long and has coffee and ice cream shops along the way. You will be rewarded a panoramic city view. If you are still feeling hardy, you may climb the stairs of the Promenade des Gouverneurs, around the front of the fort.
Petit-Champlain
One of the best ways to explore Quebec City is to see it by foot. Parallel to Terrasse Dufferin, but at the lower town, Petit-Champlain is another charming, walkable area to explore. Filled with boutique shops, fine restaurants, art galleries, and even a theatre, Petit-Champlain was voted Canada’s most beautiful street for its bewitching mixture of French-Canadian culture and history. This area is also the oldest commercial district in North America. It has connections between upper and lower towns. You can take the Funiculaire, an electric funicular cableway rising 195ft., that will shuttle you to the Terrasse Dufferin at the upper town.
To go between the upper and lower towns, you could also challenge yourself by taking the Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Steps), located on the northern end of Petit-Champlain. The steps are steep, but despite the name, visitors may climb them at almost any age.
Place Royal
To the northeast of Petit-Champlain is the Place Royal, where Quebec City was founded. The Place Royal is also home to Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, the oldest stone church in Canada, built in 1688. Today, the Place Royal area is filled with casual cafes and boutique shops where you can relax and enjoy visiting at a slow pace, surrounded by the old European style stone buildings.
Quebec City Mural
After soaking up the heritage of the old, stone buildings in the Place Royal, to the north you will find a large painting that covers an entire wall: the Quebec City Mural, also called Fresque des Quebecois. The Fresque reflects a mixture of culture and history, using an ancient painting method to preserve the figures and events of Quebec City’s 400-year history.
There are as many as 20 murals throughout Old Quebec, but two of them in Old Quebec worth checking out
- Fresque des Quebecois, as known as Quebec City Mural
- Fresque de Petit-Champlain: at the foot of Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Steps)
Notre-Dame Basilica
The Notre-Dame de Quebec Basilica-Cathedral is the oldest continuously active Catholic parish in Canada and also a national historic monument of Canada. (Though construction of the Basilica began in 1647, it was twice destroyed by fire, so it lost the “oldest stone church” status to Notre-Dame-des-Victoires.) You can come inside the cathedral and see the impressive stained glass windows, paintings and sculptures, including the magnificent golden baldachin designed and built by François Baillairgé.
Ramparts of Quebec City
The Ramparts of Quebec City are the only fortified city walls north of Mexico that still exist. The fortifications, approximately 4.6 kilometers of walls and gates, are a national historic site.
The ramparts were built on the western side of Old Quebec as defensive structures, first by the French in 1608 and later by the British in 1745. Today, it is home to the Royal 22nd Regiment of the Canadian Forces. Walk around the wall and visit the museum with exhibits on the history of the fortifications.
You can climb up and enjoy a city view from these historic gates:
- Porte Saint-Jean (Rampart Gate)
- Porte Kent
- Porte Saint-Louis
- The Citadel of the Quebec City Wall
The Oldest Grocery Store
Founded in 1871, J.A. Moisan is the oldest grocery store in North America. The store features a collection of fine preserves, cheeses and deli food, made locally and other gourmet foods from all over the world. The store retains its old-fashioned décor in a style that you cannot find in other places. You will feel like you are walking into a grocery store that you only saw in the movies. Stop by this oldest grocery store and bring home some Canadian specialties.
Old Port
On the banks of the St. Lawrence River, to the east of the Notre-Dame Basilica is the Old Port area. Stroll around the Old Port area to experience the charm of St. Lawrence River, or head west through the cobblestone streets and buildings. The old buildings are so well preserved, it is easy to imagine yourself in the lively scene of 400 years ago, with the carriages driving through the streets and the dock workers busy loading and unloading cargo.
Enjoy the Food in Quebec City
Quebec City offers a lot of fine restaurants at affordable prices. Food tours, which allow you to sample a small plate of everything, are also available in Quebec City and a fun way to explore the variety of styles, from traditional French to French-Canadian, as well as British, German and Italian.
Le Lapin Saute at Petit-Champlain
Serving traditional French fare, Le Lapin Saute has both indoor and outdoor seating options in a warm ambience. The food there is a delicious foundation of traditional French with creative local influences. The Lapin Saute can get really busy at popular times, so save some waiting time by making a reservation.
Hobbit Bistro
Hobbit Bistro is a relatively new, vibrant French restaurant located on Rue Saint-Jean. The food there was very good, and the presentation was beautiful. The menu is kept short but varies with the season and ingredients.
Cochon Dingue
It is hard to miss poutine when you are traveling in Quebec City. Cochon Dingue provides a large variety of poutines and many kinds of all-day breakfast for you to choose from. The refreshing mango smoothie will totally recharge you for the rest of your day. It is a perfect place to stop for lunch, sitting in a balmy outdoor environment.
Here is an overall map of where the attractions are, you can click on the menu button on the top left and you will be able to see a list of places mentioned above.
[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1Wl1sJzlZj6TCR9CAFz81QLTUynjjreI8&w=806&h=806]When the COVID-19 pandemic is over, I hope you have a chance to visit Quebec City. Have fun and see you in my next post.
