Greater Québec City

The only walled city in North America, where the Château Frontenac overlooks the St. Lawrence River, the French-style lanes of Petit Champlain look like a fairy tale, and waterfalls, islands and an ice hotel lie nearby.

Quebec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec. It stands on the cliffs of Cap Diamant at the narrowest point of the St. Lawrence River, was founded by Champlain in 1608, and is one of the oldest cities in North America. The Historic District of Old Québec was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985, and it has the only fully preserved city walls north of Mexico. The city can be divided into these areas: the Upper Town inside the walls (the Château Frontenac, Dufferin Terrace, the Citadelle, Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral); the Lower Town below the cliff (the Petit Champlain district, Place Royale, the Musée de la civilisation, the ferry terminal); and outside the walls, the Parliament Building, Grande Allée, the Plains of Abraham and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, as well as the trendy Saint-Roch district. Day trips from the city include Montmorency Falls, Île d'Orléans, the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and Sainte-Anne Canyon, the Huron-Wendat community of Wendake, Jacques-Cartier National Park and, in winter, the Ice Hotel. As for climate, June–August is warm and pleasant, with festivals one after another; from late September to mid-October the maple leaves are at their best; December–March is bitterly cold and snowy, but the Winter Carnival, the Ice Hotel and the old town in the snow have a charm of their own. Getting there: Jean Lesage International Airport is about a 20-minute drive from downtown, and from Montreal it is about 3 hours by train or bus. The old town is best explored on foot, but there is a big height difference between the Upper and Lower Town, so you can use the funicular; for sights outside the city, driving or joining a day tour is recommended. We suggest staying 3–4 days. French is the main language locally, and English is widely spoken in tourist areas.

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