Québec City is one of my favourite cities, if not, my most favourite city in Canada. The city is filled with history, vibrant cultures, arts, warm energy, and so much more. In this Blog I will share with you some of my favourite hotels, restaurants, as well as places that I personally love and recommend.
WHERE TO STAY IN QUÉBEC CITY
A newly opened Five Star Hotel located right at the entrance to Old Québec. The Hotel has 7 floors, a restaurant on site, and a stylish bar. The hotel lobby is located on the 7th floor which consists of 108 rooms, suites, and penthouses, offers a panoramic view of Old Québec and the hotel bar is located just a few steps down from the hotel lobby.
There is valet parking at the hotel, and you can enjoy the comfort of leaving the car to the valet staff. This option is available upon request.
The most iconic and a famous landmark in Québec City, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is located right by the St. Lawrence River, offers a breathtaking view, and a wonderful and convenient location for guests to explore Old Québec. Here, you can reach most places in Old Québecin 5-10 minutes walk as the hotel is located in the heart of Old Québec.
There are 610 rooms and suites, three restaurants and a world-class spa. Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is where you can experience luxury at its finest.
A Four-Star Hotel which is located directly on Lac-Beauport, with 375 feet of shoreline. Entourage sur-le-Lac offers the most spectacular views of Lac-Beauport, and guests who stay at the hotel get direct access to the lake as well as many activities that promote stylish living and well-being.
The hotel consists of 5 floors, of which the lowest floor serves as the onsite-restaurant, and the PH floor (5th floor) features the penthouses. We stayed at Penthouse 18 and it was very spacious, with a large bedroom, double-sink bathroom, a large kitchen, living area and a spacious balcony, looking out to Lac-Beauport. The hotel service was incredible and we felt very taken care of here.
WHERE TO EAT
Chez Muffy is located inside of Auberge Saint-Antoine Relais & Châteaux, a Four-Star Hotel which is situated by the Old Port, next to St. Lawrence River. This French-Canadian restaurant offers a beautiful view, cozy atmosphere and delicious farm-to-table dishes.
We came to Chez Muffy for dinner and were blown away by the food and presentation here. The food was presented almost like an art piece and it tasted as amazing as it looked. Chez Muffy is definitely one of our top dining experiences up to date.
Fine dining restaurant which is located inside of Fairmont Le Château Frontenac and the menu features some of the top trending dishes, such as lamb rack, beef tartare, and crème brûlée. It's a perfect place for a date night with your loved ones and they also have an amazing wine selection and some of the best cocktails in the city.
Restaurant La Traite is located inside of Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations and it's such a unique dining experience as the dishes are inspired by First Nations cuisine. The food was incredibly tasty and well presented. For a full experience, don't forget to visit their museum which is located right next to the restaurant.
A mixture of casual and fine dining, with beautiful and well covered outdoor patios. II Teatro is located inside of Le Capitole Hôtel, This is the perfect spot for brunch, or lunch, especially when the weather is warm and sunny. My personal favourites are squash soup, beef carpaccio and hanger steak.
Located inside of Entourage sur-le-Lac, L'îlot Repère Gourmand offers an incredible view of Lac-Beauport and is a mix between casual and fine dining. The portion of the dishes were quite large and will keep you filled through the night. Our favourite dishes here were the bison tartare and crispy lamb kromesky. Simon, our server was excellent and took a wonderful care of us and made us feel super special.
MY TOP THINGS TO DO IN QUEBEC CITY
1. Take the Helicopter over Québec City with GoHelico
Taking Helicopter to see the Fall colours in Québec City was such a treat. Our flight was around 30 minutes and we began the journey by watching the safety video (available in French and English). After taking off in the sky, we got the most amazing views of the city and got to see some famous landmarks from above such as the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac and Montmorency Falls. Seeing these from above was an unmatchable experience and we were constantly in awe of the whole scenery.
2. Spend a day at Strøm Spa Nordique
Strøm Spa Nordique/Vieux-Québec is a short 8-10 minute drive from Old Quebec. The spa is located right in front of the St. Lawrence River, and is the perfect place to relax, unwind and immerse yourself in nature. The spa offers thermal experiences, massotherapy, massages, beauty treatments, and many more.
There is a restaurant onsite, Nord Restaurant, where you can dine in with your bathrobes on. We loved the experience as we felt very pampered and comfortable. The food at Nord Restaurant was spectacular and we highly recommend the carrots, squash soup, and duck tataki.
Don't forget to bring your swimsuit and sandals as you'll need them!
3. Take the famous Funiculaire du Vieux-Québec
One of the most unique activities in Québec City is taking the funicular up and down the streets of Old Québec. The funicular is located right in the heart of Quartier Petit Champlain, and it costs 4$ for a one way trip (cash only). To make the most out of your trip, I highly recommend walking down to Quartier Petit Champlain and taking the funicular up, you will thank yourself later for saving your legs!
4. Explore Old Quebec
Here are some of my favourite and most picturesque places in Old Quebec:
Quartier Petit Champlain is incredibly charming and I couldn't have enough of this place. We wandered around Quartier Petit Champlain almost everyday during our Québec trip. Here you will find many cute shops, restaurants, live music and many picturesque photo spots.
Don't forget to have a coffee stop at La Maison Smith - Place Royale! The cafe, in my opinion, is the most picturesque and is the perfect spot to enjoy a cup of coffee and people watch. The coffee and bakeries are amazing as well!
One of the most charming streets in Old Québec, in my opinion. The street features amazing artists that make and sell their own arts here. You can come to learn more and shop local arts in Rue du Trésor, but avoid taking pictures of the arts as the artists here prefer to keep it something for visitors to discover in person.
Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is not only a hotel, but an amazing landmark of itself. In front of the hotel is a pier, which many people walk, or sit to enjoy the views throughout the day.
You can take the stairs at the end of the hotel pier to have a panoramic view of St. Lawrence River, Old Port, Fairmont Hotel and also Old Québec. You can sometimes spot some cruise ships entering and leaving as well. This is also one of the best sunset viewing spots in the city. I love seeing everyone gathering here to enjoy the scenery and capture some beautiful pictures. The energy here always has its own spark and always warms up my heart any day.
5. Take a self-guided tour in many of Quebec famous Museums
We took a self-guided tour at Museum Huron-Wendat and loved the experience here. We learned so much about how First Nations used to live and even had the opportunity to visit the traditional Long House, which was re-created to match the same living space of the Huron-Wendat people.
6. Visit Montmorency Falls
Montmorency Falls is located only 15 minutes away from Old Québec, and you can easily spend half to a full day wandering around the area as there are so many trails and so many things to do. The Falls are at 83m (272.3') high, a full 30 m (98.4') taller than Niagara Falls and it's an impressive scenery that you can't miss while visiting Québec City. You can take a ziplining tour, enjoy the waterfall view from the cable cars, take many scenic hiking trails and walk through the suspension bridge.
7. Admire the nature scenery at Lac Beauport
If you feel like you need a getaway to nature, Lac-Beauport is the perfect place! It is located around 30 minutes away from Old Québec, and offers the most surreal natural scenery. My favourite season to visit Lac-Beauport is during the Fall as the colours and scenery at Lac-Beauport during the Fall is just so unreal!
The best way to visit Lac-Beauport is to spend a night or two at Entourage sur-le-Lac as you will get full access to the lake. The hotel also offers many equipment such as canoes and paddle boards for you to fully enjoy the scenery here. They also have an on-site restaurant L'îlot Repère Gourmand which was mentioned previously, which is so convenient for guests to enjoy the most of the resort without having to leave the property.
8. On foot shopping in Old Québec
One of the most favourite activities in Québec City is to shop at many amazing stores. We went to shop on foot at many stores across Old Québec, and the nicest thing about these shops is that they are all unique and different from each other, so that there's no competition between any shops, and also bring the best shopping experiences to travellers as you most likely won't see any repetitive stores or products. Our favourite store is the all-year Christmas Store, La Boutique de Noël de Québec.
9. Enjoy live street music
Québec City is so unique in a way that you can find artists performing on the street everywhere (especially in Old Québec). As we walked around, the live music here began as early as 9am and continued throughout the day. There are so many instruments being played on the street, from piano, saxophone, jazz band to opera singing. It brings such a vibrant energy to the city and you will feel as if you were in a movie scene.
If you do see any of the artists around, don't forget to support them by leaving some tips. This will help them continue following their passion and also keep the city filled with lovely music.
10. Take a Historical Tour with Cicérone Tours
A visit to Québec City wouldn't be fully completed without learning about the history behind the city. We took a 2-hour walking tour with Cicérone Tours and learned so much about Québec City. I love the fact that our tour guide came in a full traditional outfit, making us feel beyond excited to start the tour.
Each tour guide is fully certified and formally educated. They're so informative and they will also guide you through some of the most picturesque spots in the city. The tour is at your own pace so you can request to stop at any time to take some pictures or to learn more about the place that you are visiting.
In conclusion, Québec City is like a mini Europe, without making a trip to Europe. The city is so vibrant with charming vintage architecture and a rich history behind each building. We absolutely loved Québec City, not only the place but also the people, and we're already planning to return in the future. I can't express how much I love this city, and I invite you to visit Québec City to experience and fall in love with it the way we did!
Much love,
Annie Pham
@anniepwanderlust
In partnership with Destination Québec Cité