World City Guide

Getting Around

Public Transport
Public buses in the Quebec City region are run by the Réseau de transport de la Capitale – RTC (tel: (418) 627 2511; website: www.stcuq.qc.ca). The buses run from 0600 to 0100 and are supplemented by a limited system of night buses (Friday and Saturday until 0300). Express Métrobus services run more frequently and link the university area of Ste-Foy with northern suburbs, stopping near Place D’Youville en route. Each stop has an Info-Bus number; telephoning 621 followed by this four-digit number gives schedule information for that particular bus stop.

One-way fares for STCUQ services are C$2.25 for adults and are available for purchase upon boarding the bus (exact change is required); tickets purchased in advance from newsagents and other outlets are available singly and cost only C$1.90 (concessions are available). It is possible for commuters to transfer from one bus to another at no extra cost, provided a transfer slip is obtained upon boarding the first bus. A one-day pass is available for C$5.10 and is valid for two people at the weekend.

The upper part of Old Quebec is linked to Basse-Ville by a funicular (website: www.funiculaire-quebec.com), which runs 0730–2300 (until 2400 in summer). The fare is C$1.50.

During ski season, the HiverExpress winter shuttle is a shared-taxi service that links the city with the main ski centres. Departures are from central hotels (which also handle bookings) and the cost is C$23 return. There is also a shuttle bus run by Intercar (see Coach Services in Getting There By Car); the cost is C$9 to Stoneham and C$12 to Mont Ste-Anne.

Taxis
Taxis are available from taxi ranks at major hotels and at the airport, or they can be hailed on the street in Old Quebec and in areas where bars and restaurants are clustered. Taxis can also be ordered by telephone; Taxi Québec (tel: (418) 525 8123 or 522 2001) and Taxi Co-op Québec (tel: (418) 525 5191) are the main firms in the city. Fares start at C$2.50 and increase by C$1.25 per kilometre. A tip of 15% is customary.

Limousines
Service de limousine Guy Samson (tel: (418) 652 7316; fax: (418) 652 7250; website: www.limousinesamson.com) offers sedans and stretch limos for C$50 and C$100 per hour, respectively. Groupe Limousine A-1 Inc (tel: (418) 523 5059; fax: (418) 524 5608; website: www.limousinequebec.com) has sedans for C$55 per hour and vans and stretch limos for C$100–125.

Driving in the City
Walking is the way most visitors prefer to see the sights in Quebec City – most likely because it creates the right romantic ambience, although the difficulties of driving and parking in Old Quebec no doubt have their effect. Motorists not only have to contend with narrow, twisting streets filled with pedestrians but also have to wait while horse-drawn calèches amble along. To try and preserve the quiet atmosphere, motorcycles are not permitted in Old Quebec. Although the Autoroute Dufferin-Montmorency (Highway 440) passes within a couple of blocks of the city walls and so provides a direct link to the attractions east of the city, the other highways crossing the city to the north and west can be confusing, as not enough information about exits and routes is given.

There are parking lots scattered around the periphery of the Old Town, the most convenient being the ones near the tourist office on avenue Wilfrid-Laurier, near the Grande Allée and Porte St-Louis. Within the Old Town itself, there is parking below the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) at the end of rue St-Jean. Longer term, unattended parking is available across from the coach station off rue Abraham-Martin. There are a number of lots in the Old Port area, along Quai St-Andre and rue Dalhousie – a convenient option in that they are a walk downhill after seeing the sights. Parking costs around C$12 per day.

Car Hire
In general, drivers must be over 21 years and possess a national driving licence and credit card. An International Driving Permit is not legally required but is recommended. Third party liability insurance is required.

One of the major car hire firms in Quebec City is Budget, 29 Côte du Palais (tel: (418) 692 3660; website: www.budgetmtl.com), which generally charges C$45–50 per day (C$30–35 per day at the weekend) for a small car, not including insurance (C$23 per day) or taxes. Other firms are Avis, in the Hilton hotel, 1100 boulevard René-Lévesque East (tel: (418) 523 1075; website: www.avis.com), Discount, 12 rue Ste-Anne (tel: (418) 692 1244; website: www.discountcar.com), and Kangouroute, at the Gare du Palais train station (tel: (418) 694 1727; website: www.kangouroute.com).

Bicycle & Scooter Hire
As part of the province-wide Route Verte (Green Route) of cycling paths (website: www.routeverte.com), there are two long-distance cycling paths passing through Quebec City, in addition to shorter paths and bike lanes for regular commuters. The long distance-paths are useful for visitors, since one links the Old Port with the Montmorency Falls, while the other branches off to the west, eventually linking up with a longer trail to one of the provincial parks. Promo-Vélo (tel: (418) 522 0087; website: www.promo-velo.org) has information on local cycle paths, while Vélo Québec (tel: (800) 567 8356; e-mail: velo_quebec@velo.qc.ca; website: www.velo.qc.ca) has a wealth of information on cycling in the province. Cyclists are required to follow all the laws of the highway code, as well as bike-specific signs.

There are two main companies that hire out bikes. Vélo Passe-Sport Plein Air, 22 Côte du Palais (tel: (418) 692 3643; website: www.velopasse-sport.com), an Upper Town-based company, is open from mid April until the end of October and hires out scooters (C$40 for one and a half hours or C$90 for eight hours) in addition to bicycles (C$14 for two hours or C$30 for eight hours). Cyclo Services, in the Marché du Vieux-Port, 160 rue du Quai St-André (tel: (418) 692 4052; website: www.microtec.net/cyclo), is located in the Old Port and offers bikes for C$10 an hour, C$18 for four hours and C$25 for 24 hours. Both companies sell maps of the cycle path.