World City Guide

Key Attractions

Vieux-Québec/Haute-Ville (Old Quebec’s Upper Town)
The first thing most visitors head for when they visit Quebec City is the Old Town’s Haute-Ville (Upper Town), where the towering Chateau Frontenac is located. This hotel was built in 1893, although the tower that gives it its distinctive appearance was added in the 1920s. Tours are available by reservation (tel: (418) 691 2166) and cost C$7. It sits between Place d’Armes – a central square with the narrow lanes leading off it filled with street artists and an artist’s market – and the Terrasse Dufferin – a wide wooden boardwalk offering a terrific view of Lévis, on the opposite shore. The Dufferin Terrace is filled with street entertainers and visitors milling around or promenading past the cannons and kiosks that predate the Château Frontenac.

Nearby, the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville contains the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) but is dominated by the Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Québec, the city’s main Catholic cathedral. This imposing edifice has suffered numerous disasters over three-and-a-half centuries, much of which is documented in the Heavenly Lights show, a son et lumière spectacle that also relates the history of the city and lights up the cathedral’s architecture to sublime effect.

Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Québec
20 rue De Buade
Tel: (418) 694 0665 or 4000 (Heavenly Lights only). Fax: (418) 692 5860.
Website: www.patrimoine-religieux.com
Transport: Bus 3, 7, 11, 800 or 801 to Place D’Youville.
Opening hours: Daily 0800–2100, although access is limited after 1300 to half-hour intervals between Heavenly Lights shows (May–mid Oct); daily 0800–1600 (mid Oct–Apr).
Admission: Free (cathedral); C$7.50 (Heavenly Lights); concessions available.

Vieux-Québec/Basse-Ville (Old Quebec’s Lower Town)
The oldest part of Old Quebec, Lower Town is clustered on the narrow streets between the ramparts of Haute-Ville and the Old Port, linked to the Upper Town by the funicular, the escaliers casse-cou (breakneck stairs) and the steep Côte de la Montagne. At its centre, Place Royale has been faithfully restored to its former glory, the 17th- and 18th-century houses surrounding the one-time market square now in pristine condition. The Centre d’interprétation Place-Royale, a modern interpretation centre within one of these historic buildings, displays period artefacts and panels that illustrate the area’s history. The historic Maison Chevalier captures the times, with displays of domestic scenes in the 17th century. Between the two, the Quartier Petit Champlain is a lively and crowded area of shops and restaurants along a romantic cobblestone street.

Centre d’interprétation de Place-Royale
27 rue Notre-Dame
Tel: (418) 646 3167.
Website: www.mcq.org
Transport: Bus 1 or funicular.
Opening hours: Daily 1000–1700 (summer); Tues–Sun 1000–1700 (winter).
Admission: C$3; free on Tues (Sep–Jun) and Wed–Sun (Nov–Mar); concessions available.

Maison Chevalier
66 rue du Marché-Champlain
Tel: (418) 643 2158.
Website: www.mcq.org
Transport: Bus 1 or funicular.
Opening hours: Daily 0930–1700 (Jul–Aug); Tues–Sun 1000–1700 (May–Jun and Sep–Oct); Sat and Sun 1000–1700 (Oct–Apr).
Admission: Free.

Fortifications de Québec (Quebec Fortifications)
One of the city’s most unique features is the 4.6km (2.9 mile) rampart encircling the Old Town, making it the only walled city north of Mexico. It is possible for one to walk along the top of the fortifications, which offer sweeping views of the city and the St Lawrence River. Near the Citadel at Porte St-Louis – one of the four surviving city gates – is the Centre d’interprétation des Fortifications-de-Québec, which includes displays on the city’s history and a restored powder magazine. It is the departure point for 90-minute guided tours (from June to mid-October) by costumed Parks Canada staff and is also the best place for self-guided walkers to set off from.

Continuing clockwise, the walls adjoin the Parc de l’Artillerie (Artillery Park), which was built by the French to defend the city from attack, before becoming the garrison for British officers until 1871, when it was turned into a munitions factory. Now an interpretation centre features the 1808 model of Quebec City inside the foundry, the 1712 Dauphine Redoubt, which housed French soldiers and now replicates the 19th-century British officers’ mess, and the 1818 British Officers’ Quarters. Further along, cannons are ranged along the wall, overlooking the St Lawrence River and the opposite shore. Beyond where it joins the Terrasse-Dufferin, it is possible for walkers to continue along a boardwalk on the cliff below the walls, which surround the Citadel.

Centre d’interprétation des Fortifications-de-Québec
100 rue St-Louis
Tel: (418) 648 7016 or (800) 463 6769. Fax: (418) 648 4825.
E-mail: parcscanada-que@pch.gc.ca
Website: www.parkscanada.gc.ca
Transport: Bus 3 or 11.
Opening hours: Daily 1000–1700 (early May–mid Oct); open other days upon reservation.
Admission: C$3; C$10 (guided tours of the walls); concessions available.

Parc de l’Artillerie
2 rue D’Auteuil
Tel: (418) 648 4205 or (800) 463 6769. Fax: (418) 648 4825.
E-mail: parcscanada-que@pch.gc.ca
Website: www.parkscanada.gc.ca
Transport: Bus 3, 7, 11, 800 or 801.
Opening hours: Daily 1000–1700 (early May–mid Oct); Wed–Sun 1000–1700 (Apr–early May); open other days upon reservation.
Admission: C$4 (guided tours); C$4 (Apr–Aug); concessions available.

La Citadelle de Québec (Quebec Citadel)
The Citadel, dating from 1820, is one of Quebec City’s most distinctive features and a legacy of the British occupation. On the heights of Cap Diamant, the star-shaped fortress was built to withstand a repeat attack on the city from across the Plains of Abraham to the southwest. Today, visitors are given a compulsory one-hour guided tour of the site, which includes the Governor General’s residence, the powder magazine and a former prison that now houses a small museum. In the summer, two ceremonies are held. The daily Changing of the Guard takes place at 1000, with the Regimental Band and the Citadel’s mascot – ‘Batisse’, the regimental goat – joining the garrison personnel. The pomp continues on selected evenings, when the Royal 22nd Regiment performs The Retreat as part of the flag-lowering ceremonies.

Cap Diamant
Tel: (418) 694 2815. Fax: (418) 694 2853.
Website: www.lacitadelle.qc.ca
Transport: Bus 3 or 11.
Opening hours: Daily 1000–1600 (Apr); daily 0900–1700 (May–Jun); daily 0900–1800 (Jul–Aug); daily 0900–1600 (Sep); daily 1000–1500 (Oct).
Admission: C$6 (concessions available).

Parc des Champs-de-Bataille nationaux (National Battlefields Park)
The National Battlefields Park – occupying the 108-hectare (267-acre) Plains of Abraham, situated to the southwest of the Citadel – is the site of the decisive battle of 1759, which saw the British, under General Wolfe, defeat Montcalm’s French forces. Today, it is a wide green space popular for summer concerts and as a place to stroll. For those with a taste for history, the Discovery Pavilion in the same building as the tourist office has a large diorama of the site and information on the battles as well as the historical multimedia exhibition, Canada Odyssey. Midway through the park, Martello Tower No 1 has costumed guides who explain the role of these defensive structures (during summer only). A part of the Musée du Québec is occupied by the Centre d’interprétation des Champs-de-Bataille, which has a multi-media show explaining the history of the park and the battle between the French and British in particular. Abraham’s Bus connects the sites, with the driver providing commentary as it winds through the park during summer days and autumn weekends.

Discovery Pavilion of the Plains of Abraham
835 avenue Wilfrid-Laurier
Tel: (418) 648 4071. Fax: (418) 648 3809.
E-mail: ccbn.mdld.pa@videotron.ca
Website: www.ccbn-nbc.gc.ca or www.canadaodyssey.com
Transport: Bus 3 or 11.
Opening hours: Daily 0900–1730 (May–mid Oct), daily 0900–1700 (mid Oct–Apr).
Admission: C$3.50 (Discovery Pavilion); C$6.50 (Canada Odyssey)

Centre d’interprétation
1 rue Wolfe-Montcalm
Tel: (418) 648 5941 or 5371. Fax: (418) 648 3809.
Transport: Bus 3 or 11.
Opening hours: Daily 1000–1730 (late May–mid Oct), Tues–Sun 1000–1700 (mid Oct–late May).
Admission: C$3.50; C$9 for Centre d’interprétation, Martello Tower No 1 and Abraham’s Bus combined; concessions available.

Musée du Québec (Quebec Museum)
The most important collection of paintings and sculpture by Québécois artists is held by the Musée du Québec. A selection of works are displayed in three chronological exhibitions – the earliest dates from the beginnings of Québécois art and is largely influenced by religion, the second covers the European-influenced modernist period up to 1945, and the third showcases figurative and abstract art from the mid-20th century. These are supplemented by travelling shows and permanent exhibitions that focus on painter Jean-Paul Lemieux and abstract painter and sculptor Jean-Paul Riopelle. The museum’s site at the southwest end of the Plains of Abraham is dotted with sculptures.

Parc des Champs-de-Bataille
Tel: (418) 643 2150 or (866) 220 2150. Fax: (418) 646 3330.
Website: www.mdq.org
Transport: Bus 11 to rue Wolfe-Montcalm or bus 800 or 801 to rue de Bourlamaque.
Opening hours: Thurs–Mon 1000–1800, Wed 1000–2100 (1 Jun–31 Aug); Tues, Thurs –Sun 1000–1700, Wed 1000–2100 (1 Sep–31 May).
Admission: Free (permanent collection); C$10, free on Wed in winter (temporary exhibitions); concessions available.

Musée de la Civilisation (Museum of Civilisation)
One of the city’s strongest museums, the Museum of Civilisation, situated in Lower Town, hosts excellent temporary shows in addition to its two permanent exhibitions. One of these focuses on life in the province of Quebec throughout the centuries of European inhabitation, with displays of artefacts, photos and recreations of historic and domestic scenes. The other is a tribute to the First Nations peoples who live in the province, with videotaped oral histories, birchbark canoes, teepees and many smaller artefacts.

85 rue Dalhousie
Tel: (418) 643 2158 or (866) 710 8031. Fax: (418) 646 9705.
Website: www.mcq.org
Transport: Bus 1.
Opening hours: Daily 0930–1830 (summer); Tues–Sun 1000–1700 (winter).
Admission: C$7; concessions available; free on Tues in winter.