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Château Frontenac

Quebec City (French: Québec) is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec. Located at a commanding position on cliffs overlooking the St. Lawrence Seaway, Quebec City's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the only city in North America (outside Mexico and the Caribbean) with its original city walls. Quebec is a city of about 700,000 residents.

Understand

Quebec City is the capital city of the province of Quebec (though it is referred to as the National Capital in the province). Much of the business here is of the administrative and bureaucratic nature, which would normally make a city quite dull. Fortunately, the city has a remarkable history, as the fortress capital of New France since the 16th century. Although the town's day-to-day life leaves things a little yawny at times, the vibrant historical centre makes for an incredible visit.

Quebec was first settled by Europeans in 1608 in an "abitation" led by Samuel de Champlain and celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2008. The generally accepted dates of Champlain's arrival in the city are July 3rd and 4th and were marked with major celebrations. The area was also inhabited by Native peoples for many centuries before the arrival of the Europeans, and their ongoing presence has been notable since then.

Founded by the French to make a claim in the New World, the name Quebec originally referred to just the city. It is an aboriginal word for "where the river narrows" as the St. Lawrence River dramatically closes in just east of the city. It is situated on 200 foot high cliffs with stunning views of the surrounding Laurentian mountains and the St. Lawrence River. Under French rule (1608-1759), the major industries were the fur and lumber trades. The French lost the city and the whole colony of New France to the British in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. Much of the French nobility returned to France which resulted in British ruling over the remaining French population. Fortunately, the rulers of the colony allowed the French to retain their language and religion leaving much of the culture intact. The 1840s saw an influx of Irish immigrants during the Potato Famine. Due to cholera and typhus outbreaks, ships were quarantined at Grosse Ile to the east of the city past l'Ile d'Orleans. The bodies of those who perished on the journey and while in quarantine are buried there. The city remained under British rule until 1867 when Lower Canada (Quebec) joined Upper Canada (Ontario), New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to form the Dominion of Canada.

French is the official language of the province of Quebec though in the tourist areas of Quebec City English is widely spoken as a second language by almost all of the staff. It is also not unusual to find Spanish, German and Japanese spoken in many establishments in Vieux Quebec. Outside of the tourist areas, some knowledge of French is advisable and perhaps necessary, depending on how rural the area is you are visiting. It should be noted that while older locals will struggle when attempting to sustain a discussion in English, most people under 35 should be able to speak conversational English. Less than a third of the overall population is bilingual French/English.

In French, both the city and the province are referred to as "Québec". Which is meant is determined by context and by the convention of referring to the province with the masculine article ("le Québec or au Québec") and to the city without any article at all ("à Québec"). This may lead to confusion when following provincial road signs as the City of Quebec, (Ville de Québec) is referred to only as Québec in official signage.

Orientation

Orienting yourself in Quebec is fairly easy. Many sights of interest are in the Old Town (Vieux-Québec), which constitutes the walled city on top of the hill. Many surrounding neighbourhoods, either in Haute-Ville ("Upper Town") or in Basse-Ville ("Lower Town"), are of great interest : Saint-Roch, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Montcalm, Vieux-Port and Limoilou. Haute-Ville and Basse-Ville are connected by many staircases, all of which are unique, such as the aptly-named Escalier Casse-Cou ("Breakneck Stairs") and the more easily climbable "Funiculaire".

The city spreads westward from the St. Lawrence River, for the most part extending from the original old city. The true downtown core of Quebec City is located just west of the old city. Across the river from Quebec City is the town of Lévis. Frequent ferry service connects the two sides of the river.

Climate

AusKat
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       90     −8 −18       71     −6 −16       90     0 −9       81     8 −1       106     17 5       114     22 11       128     25 13       117     23 12       126     18 7       102     11 2       102     3 −4       104     −5 −13 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm See the Quebec City 7 day forecast at Environment Canada
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       3.5     18 0       2.8     21 3       3.5     32 16       3.2     46 30       4.2     63 41       4.5     72 52       5     77 55       4.6     73 54       5     64 45       4     52 36       4     37 25       4.1     23 9 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches

Visitor information

• Centre Infotouriste de Québec, 12 rue Ste-Anne (across from the Château Frontenac), ☏ +1 514 873-2015, toll-free: +1-877-266-5687. 21 Jun-31 Aug: 8:30AM-7PM daily. 1 Sep-20 Jun: 9AM-5PM daily. 

Get in

By plane

Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB ^IATA). About 20 min from downtown Quebec, it offers regular flights with Air Canada, Air Inuit, Air Transat, American, Canjet, Delta, Porter, Sunwing, United, and WestJet (http://www.aeroportdequebec.com/en/flights/destinations-from-quebec-city/)

Please note that there is no public transit or hotel shuttles to the airport, except an RTC public bus 78 Printed schedule that goes to and from the airport only a few times a day ($3). The taxi fare from Old Quebec to the airport is a flat fee of $34.25 to downtown.

By train

A passenger train station is found at the port of Quebec, 450 rue de la Gare du Palais. The Quebec VIA Rail station is a picturesque building, emulating the architectural style of the famed Chateau-Frontenac overlooking the station. The Quebec-Windsor corridor trains run regularly (3-5/day), with stopovers at Montreal ($34-102 w tax, +3h15) and Toronto.

Get around

On foot

The Funiculaire, Quebec City's diagonal, counterweight railway

Walking is a great way to get around the Old Town, as the compact layout makes distances short. You will see beautiful old buildings and little vistas around every corner. You will get exercise. Do be careful of uneven cobblestones and narrow streets, though.

Côte de la Montagne is a steep, winding street that connects Upper Town and Lower Town. If you get tired, use the Funiculaire to go between the upper and lower parts of the Old Town. $2 per person will get you from near the base of the Breakneck Stairs (l'Escalier Casse-Cou) back up to the front of the Chateau Frontenac. It is well worth it if you have small children or large packages.

Many intersections are set up with separate traffic signals and cycles for cars and for pedestrians. At one point in the cycle, all traffic lights turn red and all pedestrian signals turn white, meaning that you can cross the intersection in any direction. Yet when the traffic light is green and the pedestrian signal is red, you may find cars turning in front of you. Some intersections have a pedestrian button to activate the signals, and you will never get a pedestrian cycle unless you push that button.

By public transit

The RTC (Réseau de transport de la Capitale), Quebec's public transportation system, is a system of buses and express shuttles that cover the whole city. Tickets cost $3.25 each, which will earn you the right to ride one direction with a transfer valid for two hours.You can get a pre-paid card loaded with up to 12 trips (in bunches of 2) from licensed stores. Daily passes (2 for 1 on weekends) and monthly passes are also sold the same stores. Free for children below the age of 6. Drivers do not carry money and cannot change bills so do carry exact change - to buy your ticket you place the money in a cash drop box at the entry of the bus. Google Transit can be used to find the best itinerary.

Four of the bus lines are frequent-service lines called Metrobus. They are served by recognizable green and grey articulated buses. 800 and 801 both start in Ste-Foy, head toward the Old Town, and end in Beauport and Charlesbourg respectively. 802 starts at Beauport to Belvedere, through Limoilou and Saint-Sauveur. 803 runs along Lebourgneuf blvd and connects with the Galeries de la Capitale terminus. They can run as often as one every three minutes during rush hour.

The Ecolobus, a short electric bus, was deemed inefficient and removed from service in January 2015.

The STLévis, Lévis's public transit, operates within the south shore of Quebec. There is also a shuttle from St-Augustin to Quebec. These different transit companies all pass through Quebec City, which explains the different colours of buses around town.

By boat

From Quebec to Lévis, the ferry costs $7 for a car (including driver) and $3 for pedestrians and cyclists, and takes approx 15 minutes, all year round. There are departures every 20 minutes at peak hours, 30 minutes off peak. It gives the best view in town.

See

Winter in the lower town

Quebec City's main sight is the Old Town, the upper part of which is surrounded by a stone wall built by both French and British armies. It is now a tourist district with many small boutiques and hundreds of historical and photographic points of interest. Some of the buildings are original structures, while others are built in the same style and architecture as former buildings.

Haute-Ville

• 1 Chateau Frontenac. Quebec City icon. Claimed to be the most photographed hotel in North America. Stay the night if you can (see Sleep) and pop in for a martini if you can't (see Drink). 
• 2 Dufferin Terrace (Terrasse Dufferin). Boardwalk situated alongside (east of) the Chateau Frontenac, and offers a grand view of the St. Lawrence River. 
• 3 Musée national des Beaux-arts du Québec. Located on the Battlefields park, the mission of this art museum is to promote and preserve Québec art of all periods and to ensure a place for international art through temporary exhibitions. You can also visit the old prison of Quebec City, which is now one of the two main pavilions of the Museum. An annex designed by renowned architectural firm OMA is currently being built. Permanent exhibits are free of charge while admission to the temporary exhibits is $15 for adults. 
• 4 Musée de l'Amérique française. $8. 
• 5 The Citadel (La Citadelle). This fortification at the juncture of the Old City wall and Grande Allée holds a changing of the guard ceremony mornings at 10AM complete with traditional bearskin hats, weather permitting. 
• Plains of Abraham Battlefield Park (Outside the Old City walls), ☏ +1 418 649-6157. Site of the 1759 battle that saw the British conquer Quebec, now used for public events, sports, and leisure activities. 
• 6 Observatoire de la Capitale (Outside the Old City walls). One of the tallest buildings in Quebec, offering a panoramic view of the whole city. Admission is $10. 

Basse-Ville

Place-Royale

• 7 Place-Royale. The spot where Samuel de Champlain landed in 1608 and founded the first French settlement in North America, now converted into a postcard-pretty public square. Do not miss the huge mural covering the entire side of a nearby building; the figure with a hat standing at the base of the 'street' is Champlain. 
• 8 Musée de la civilisation (Museum of Civilization), 85 rue Dalhousie, ☏ +1 418 643-2158. Tu-Su 10AM-5PM. Museum devoted to the world's peoples, with a well-done if still somewhat dull permanent exhibit on the history of Quebec. $13. 

Other

• Parc du Bois-de-Coulonge, 1215 Grande Allée, ☏ +1 418-528-0773, fax: +1 418-528-0833. Residence of past lieutenant-governors from 1870-1966 and spread over 24 hectares, this garden features heritage buildings, wooded areas and gardens. 

Do

• Horse-drawn carriages. A one-hour tour of the Old City. 

• Ferry to Lévis. Beautiful views of the Chateau Frontenac and the Lower Old Town, and the other side of the river. Quite cheap and only one ticket is required for round trip if you stay aboard. (However, don't tell that to the ticket agent; some will insist on charging you the round trip fare.) $3 one-way fare. 

• AML Cruises. Offers short three-hour cruises on the St-Lawrence river leaving from the docks nearby the ferry. One of the cruises leaves as the sun is setting and comes back when the sun is down for a stunning view of Quebec city by night. 

• Choco-musee Erico. A small museum of chocolate, talks about the history and making of chocolate. Free admission. 

• Ice Hotel (Thirty minutes west of Quebec at Station Touristique Duchesnay on Lac St-Joseph, MetroBus 801). One of only two ice hotels in the world, from January to early April the Ice Hotel is a must-see. $17.50 will get you full tour during the day, after 8PM access to the guest rooms is restricted to guests only. The best time to go here is just before dark so you can see the hotel in natural lighting and then artificially lit. Each room is themed and decorated with exquisite ice sculptures. Rooms start at $299/night. Includes an ice bar where you can get a drink served in an ice glass. For the romantics, there is a wedding chapel complete with snow pews. 

• Governeur's Walk. Scenic walk starting at the top of the Funiculare, continuing along the wall over looking the old city. The many staircases lead to overlooks offering scenic views of the St. Lawrence. The walk ends at the gazebo on the Plains of Abraham. 

Buy

Shopping in Basse-Ville

Quebec City's Old Town, especially Basse-Ville, is riddled with shops for tourists. Watch for leather goods and various handmade crafts made by Canada's First Nations Peoples.

• Marché du Vieux-Port, 160 Quai Saint-André. Open daily 8AM-8PM. Farmers' market just north of Basse-Ville, offering cheap and tasty local produce. 

• Place Laurier, Place de la Cité, Place Ste-Foy, 2700 boulevard Laurier (located in the Ste-Foy district, to the west of the downtown). Three large shopping malls right next to each other. Place Laurier boasts being the largest shopping mall in eastern Canada. 

• Galeries de la Capitale, 5401, boulevard des Galeries (Located in the Lebourgneuf neighborhood of Les Rivieres borough). Large shopping mall towards the north of the city which boasts 280 stores and 35 restaurants. Also contains an IMAX theater and an indoor amusement park which includes a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster and a skating rink for hockey games. 
• La Vie Sportive, 600 rue Bouvier, ☏ +1 418-623-8368, toll-free: +1-888-347-7678, contact@viesportive.com. 09:30-17:30. Technical clothing and sport equipment store since 35 years. (updated Aug 2015)

Eat

All restaurants in the Old City will post menus out front in French and in English. Look for the table d'hote specials for a full course fixed price meal. On the cheaper (but very satisfying) side, have a traditional tourtière québecoise (meat pie), or a poutine (fries, gravy, and cheese curds).

The café culture is very much a part of Quebec City as in most of Europe. It should be very easy to find a quaint cafe around Marche Champlain, and around the Chateau. Food is fairly expensive in Quebec, and even a simpler café or bar may be costly.

Most Quebec City delicatessens and markets offer a large variety of Quebec cheese from farms in the surrounding countryside. Specialty of the region include brie or camembert style cheeses made with raw milk (lait cru), which endows the cheese with superior flavors and textures not usually found in North American cheeses of the same type.

• Le Patriarche, 17, Saint-Stanislas, Québec ‪G1R 4G7‬, ☏ +1 418 692-5488. Set in a decor inspired by its old stone walls. Imbued with a unique architectural cachet, this 1827 heritage home-turned-restaurant has been serving discerning gourmets since 1965. 

Haute-Ville

• Aux Anciens Canadiens, 34 rue Saint-Louis, ☏ +1 418-692-1627. Specializes in Quebecois cooking, including dishes that feature caribou, buffalo, or wapiti. The table d'hote (the local term for prix-fixe), served until 17h45, is quite a good deal at $19.95. Reservations recommended. 

• Casse-Crepe Breton, 1136 rue Saint-Jean, ☏ +1 418-692-0438. 8AM-6PM. Inexpensive crepes, starting at about $5. Usually a long line to enter, due to the fact that the restaurant is rather small. Come early. 

• Cafe-Boulangerie Paillard, 1097 rue Saint-Jean, ☏ +1 418-692-1221. 7:30AM-7PM. Good selection of Viennese pastries and gelato. Locals line up to buy inexpensive soups, sandwiches, and pizza. 

• Le Continental, 26 rue Saint-Louis (one block west of the Chateau Frontenac), ☏ +1 418-694-9995. Warm, cozy environment. Fantastic food--shrimp scampi that melts in your mouth, filet mignon cooked at table side, and other delectable dishes. Expensive but well worth it. 

• Le Petit Coin Latin, 8 1/2 rue Sainte-Ursule, ☏ +1 418-692-2022. Quiet but pleasant atmosphere, nice made-in-quebec music, friendly staff. Serves good quality breakfast for $6.25 starting at 8AM. Serves good Raclette dish. 

• Le Saint-Amour, 48 rue Sainte-Ursule, ☏ +1 418-694-0667. Expensive. The environment is a mish-mash of styles that do not seem to work together. The wait staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The French food is well-prepared but probably the most expensive restaurant in Quebec City and you should be aware of this fact. On the other hand, this restaurant is a must for stars visiting Quebec City, Paul McCartney had dinner at the St-Amour in 2008 the night before his concert. 

• Les Frères de la Côte, 1190 rue Saint-Jean, ☏ +1-418-692-5445. Filled with more locals than tourists, this small eatery serves up a good selection of European dishes including their trademark moules (mussels). $30. 

• Moine Échanson, 585 rue Saint-Jean (Outside the Old City walls, about 4 blocks west of the St-Jean Gate), ☏ +1-418-524-7832. Outside the purlieu of the mechanized tourist cafeterias of the Old Town, this warm restaurant produces high-quality food and drink in small, manageable doses. They have a short but provocative nightly menu, and the food is produced by hand with the loving attention of chefs who care about their craft. Great cellar of organic wines that will surprise you with their depth. $15. 

• Pizzeria La Primavera, 73 rue Saint-Louis, ☏ +1 418-694-0030. Pizzas baked in a wood-fired oven. Expensive and small portions. Surcharge of $3.25 per pizza to cut them into two. 10% service charge added to the bill. 

• Samurai Restaurant Japonais, 780 rue Saint-Jean (Outside the Old City walls, about 2 blocks west of the St-Jean Gate and one block north of the Convention Centre), ☏ +1 418-522-3989. Good Japanese food in a small comfortable setting. Midi-Express (lunch) starting at $9.95 is a good deal and includes soup or salad, main course, and coffee or dessert. NOW CLOSED :( 

• L'Astral, 1225 Cours du General-De Montcalm (Sitated just outside of the city walls on Grande Allée Est, which runs alongside the Parliament Building.), ☏ +1 418-780-3602, fax: +1 418-647-4710. Located at the top of the Concorde Hotel this revolving restaurant offers unrivaled 360° views over the city and French style cuisine. Also known for its Sunday brunch. 

Basse-Ville

• Cochon Dingue, 46 blvd Champlain (Basse-Ville). Touristy, but in a good way — the "Crazy Pig" is cavernous but usually packed, with hefty portions from a frequently-changing menu. Lunch specials are good value at $10-15, including starter and coffee.