World City Guide

Tours of the City

Walking Tours
Dozens of companies and attractions provide tours of Quebec City. One of the classic routes is to walk the 4.6km (2.9 miles) along the top of the fortification walls, with the option of continuing around the Citadel and along the Plains of Abraham; a partial tour is available from the Centre d’interprétation des Fortifications-de-Québec (see Key Attractions).

The most flexible tours are offered by CD Tour (tel: (418) 990 8687) and are available for booking at either tourist office (see Tourist Information). These are audio tours that allow the visitor to take their time and see the sights in whatever order they please. The cost is C$10 or C$15 per couple.

Thematic walking tours are offered by the Quebec Historical Society (tel: (418) 692 0556; fax: (418) 692 0614; website: www.societehistoriquedequebec.qc.ca) and the Corporation du patrimoine et du tourisme religieux de Québec (tel: (418) 694 0665; website: www.patrimoine-religieux.com), which covers the city’s religious heritage. Private companies, Maple Leaf Guide Service (tel: (418) 622 3677 or (877) 622 3677) and Les Tours Adlard (tel: (418) 692 2358; website: www.adlardtours.com), offer walking tours as well as bus tours.

Bus Tours
Nearly a dozen companies offer bus tours, with the basic city tour starting at around C$25 for approximately two hours, including the Upper and Lower Towns, the fortifications and the Citadel, the Plains of Abraham and the National Assembly buildings. Most companies offer optional excursions, entry to attractions and/or combined tours (bus/walk or bus/boat), at increased duration and cost. Autocars Dupont/Gray Line de Québec (tel: (418) 649 9226 or (888) 558 7668; website: www.orleansexpress.com/grayline) offers a year round, daily ‘Once Upon A Time Our City&’ tour, which takes in the main sights, including the Plains of Abraham, Parliament Buildings and the St Lawrence River. The two-hour bus tour costs C$25 and is also available as a walking tour for C$15. Free hotel pick up is available. Old Quebec Tours (tel: (418) 664 0460 or (800) 267 8687; website: www.toursvieuxquebec.com) offers a similar tour costing C$22.

Boat Tours
Boat cruises, which allow a magnificent view of the city, travel downstream to the Ile d’Orléans and beyond; departures are from the Bassin Louise, in the Old Port north of Upper Town. Les Croisières Le Coudrier (tel: (418) 692 0107 or (888) 600 5554; website: www.croisierescoudrier.qc.ca) offers 90-minute cruises for C$22, as well as dinner and cruise packages and longer excursions. Croisières AML (tel: (418) 692 1159 or (800) 563 4643; website: www.croisieresaml.com) offers similar packages starting at C$19, as well as whale-watching trips (see Excursions).

Other Tours
The most romantic way to tour the city is in a horse-drawn calèche. These can be hired just inside the city walls near Porte St-Louis from Calèches du Vieux-Québec (tel: (418) 683 9222 or 520 1555). Tours costs C$60 for 45 minutes for up to four people.

Héli Express Tours (tel: (418) 877 5890; website: www.heliexpres.com) has helicopter flights over the St Lawrence River allowing views of the city and the Montmorency Falls. Departures are between 0900 and 2000 from the heliport on rue Abraham-Martin, located across the Bassin Louise from the Old Port. A 15-minute flight costs around C$65 per person, with a minimum of four passengers.