2021
Quebec City
Quebec City moves at a different pace — stone walls, steep stairs between upper and lower town, a river wide enough to lose the other side of. Two days navigating mostly on foot, mostly by pointing at things.
Old Quebec is one of the few walled cities in North America still intact. The walls run around the upper town for about 4.6 kilometers, and walking the circuit gives you the city from above: the rooftops, the Saint-Laurent wide and cold below, the Château Frontenac dominating from its promontory. The walls are accessible and free. Walk in the morning before the afternoon heat.
The Château Frontenac is the most photographed hotel in the world — or so the claim goes. Built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1893 and extended several times after, its position on Cap Diamant above the river was chosen for impact. The adjacent Dufferin Terrace runs along the cliff edge and offers the Saint-Laurent in its full width.
Rue Saint-Jean runs through the gates in the old wall and into the Saint-Jean-Baptiste neighborhood — independent restaurants, bars, bookshops, grocers. It's where Québécois life runs at its normal pace rather than its tourist pace.
The Basse-Ville connects to the Haute-Ville by funicular or by the Breakneck Stairs, which drop sharply from the Dufferin Terrace to Rue Petit-Champlain below. Rue Petit-Champlain is the oldest commercial street in North America — narrow, pedestrianized, lined with galleries and craft shops. Place-Royale sits at its northern end, the site where Champlain established his trading post in 1608.
Montmorency Falls sits at the eastern edge of the city. The falls are 83 meters high — 30 meters taller than Niagara. The suspension bridge at the top gives the most direct view.
Practical notes: Quebec City is deeply French — French is the primary language and English is less reliable in some neighborhoods. The old city is compact and walkable. Best visited late spring to early fall; winter requires planning for the cold.
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Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
The city is compact and readable: Montmorency Falls at the eastern edge, the Citadelle at its highest point with the Saint-Laurent spread out below, the MNBAQ for both the art and the quiet. Mornings along the park beside the Citadelle catch the river before the city wakes up. The Imagine Picasso exhibition was running during this visit — the same immersive projection format as the Van Gogh experience, Cubism scaled up and cycling across the walls.
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La Citadelle de Quebec
Quebec City Old Port
Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac
Place Royale
Plains of Abraham
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Montmorency Falls
Imagine Picasso: The Immersive Experience
Musée National des Beaux-arts du Québec
