Québec City
Québec City sits on the Saint Lawrence River in Canada's mostly French-speaking Québec province. Dating to 1608, it has a fortified colonial core, Vieux-Québec and Place Royale, with stone buildings and narrow streets. This area is the site of the towering Château Frontenac Hotel and imposing Citadelle of Québec. The Petit Champlain district’s cobblestone streets are lined with bistros and boutiques. Here is our travel guide to Quebec City, Canada.
STAY
FAIRMONT LE CHÂTEAU FRONTENAC Perched high above the St. Lawrence River, the château is a Quebec landmark. Built in the 1900s for the Canadian Pacific Railway, the hotel retains many of its original features (crown moldings, wooden paneling, and stenciled ceilings). 1 Rue des Carrières; fairmont.com/frontenac-quebec
AUBERGE SAINT ANTOINE Once a wharf and artillery battery, the hotel is actually a trio of stone-and-brick buildings. The hotel’s bar is known for its signature gin and tonic, made with herbs, juniper berries, grapefruit, and cucumber. 8 Rue Saint-Antoine; saint-antoine.com
HOTEL 71 Once the headquarters for the National Bank of Canada, this nineteenth-century Neoclassical building is primely located near the Old Port with views of the St. Lawrence River and Cap Diamant. 71 Rue Saint-Pierre; hotel71.ca
LE MONASTÈRE DES AUGUSTINES A boutique hotel in a restored cloister, operated by the Augustinian nuns. Accented with Hudson Bay blankets and antiques such as racks for nuns’ habits, the sixty-four rooms are a tribute to the order’s legacy, offering placid views of an herbal garden. Meditation, concerts, and yoga and qigong classes make up the programming, and an intriguing museum exhibits medical tools and artifacts. 77 Rue des Remparts; monastere.ca
HÔTEL MANOIR VICTORIA Built in 1830, this grand, Victorian hotel in historic Old Québec also has a bistro restaurant and breakfast room, as well as an indoor pool, a sauna, and an exercise room. 44 Côte du Palais; manoir-victoria.com
HÔTEL LE GERMAIN Le Germain Hotel Quebec makes its home in the old office building of Dominion Fish & Fruit Limited, built in 1912. The lobby has a lounge area with a fireplace. There's also a 24-hour gym, an espresso bar with free cappuccinos and a seasonal terrace. 126 Rue Saint-Pierre; germainhotels.com
DINE
RESTAURANT LA TRAITE The kitchen adopts the Huron-Wendat Nation’s ancestral mottos, serving dishes deeply rooted in tradition with respect for the land, using native ingredients. Try the seal loin with pistachio crumble and apple butter. 5 Pl. de la Rencontre; restaurantlatraite.ca
CASSIS MONNA & FILLES A twenty-minute drive north from the center of Quebec City, Île d'Orléans is a small, rural island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River. Visit this currant farm that produces bottles of cassis, and also serves lunch, including delicious versions of duck poutine, vegetable quiches, gelato and sorbet. 1225 Chem. Royal, Saint-Pierre; cassismonna.com
CHAMPLAIN Regional products enhanced by local touches showcase the province’s terroir. Order the snow crab with pickled scallions, flaxseed crackers, and nori and Highland beef with elderberry syrup and glazed carrots. 1 Rue des Carrières; fairmont.com/frontenac-quebec/dining/champlain
CHEZ BOULAY Traditionally Nordic ingredients like elderberry flowers, juniper berries, sea buckthorn, elk, and trout are served at this Scandinavian restaurant. Order the smoked seafood platter with herring fritters and the fir-tree-cured salmon with a fiddlehead-and-garlic-flower spread. 1110 Rue Saint-Jean; chezboulay.com
CHEZ MUFFY An 1822 maritime warehouse along the St. Lawrence River, serving classic French and Quebecois cuisine with a modern twist. Order the baby turnips with fried bread crumbs, whitefish roe, and purple basil, or the eggplant cannelloni with goat cheese ricotta and smoked tomato foam. 10 Rue Saint-Antoine; saint-antoine.com/chez-muffy
LE CLOCHER PENCHÉ Located in downtown Quebec City, this restaurant works with local farmers to serve vegetable dishes like the colorful vegetarian plate, which consists of delicata squash stuffed with Le d'Eschambault cheese, along with a wildflower salad and squash pickles. Order the sustainably-sourced tuna, with soy, ginger, horseradish, lightly pickled beets, cucumbers, radishes, and crispy bread. 203 Rue Saint-Joseph E
PAILLARD The croissants, sandwiches, wraps, and coffee are always freshly made. Standouts include the mushroom soup and the daily quiche selection. 1097 Rue Saint-Jean; paillard.ca
LÉGENDE One of Quebec City’s more formal restaurants. Try the chef’s six-course tasting menu. Dishes are seasonal, but may include smoked Arctic char, lobster ravioli, and seared venison. 255 Rue Saint-Paul; restaurantlegende.com/home
NINA PIZZA Neapolitan-style pizza served from a wood-fired oven imported from Italy. The restaurant’s two owners are certified by the APN (Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani) whose certification is bestowed on pizza makers who follow a strict set of guidelines. There are eighteen varieties, but our favorite is the classic margherita, made with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil. 410 Rue Saint-Anselme; ninapizzanapolitaine.ca
BISTRO LE SAM Within the historic hotel Château Frontenac, named after Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec City in 1608. Serving St. Lawrence river views and seafood-focused dishes like the Atlantic halibut fish and chips or the lobster salad, served with crunchy veggies and a blackcurrant vinaigrette.1 Rue des Carrières; fairmont.com/frontenac-quebec/dining/bistro-le-sam
CONFITURERIE TIGIDOU Husband-and-wife team Catherine Trudel and Vincent Paris specialize in small-batch jams, which allow the pure, natural flavors of the harvests to shine, unspoiled by preservatives or added sugar. The season’s offerings are scrawled on a chalkboard; pick up the jars to go or served with scones in the centuries-old barn with antiques and stacks of firewood. 7007 Chem. Royal, Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans; tigidou.ca
ÉPICERIE J.A. MOISAN An old-fashioned grocery store with wooden counters, wicker baskets, and glass cases that hold an eclectic selection of artisanal products, including hand-milled soaps, exotic spices, coffee beans, wedges of regional cheeses, dried and cured charcuterie, and house-made sandwiches. 685 Rue Saint-Jean; jamoisan.com
DRINK
MAELSTRØM A gourmet coffee house serving some of the best cold brew in Quebec City. Come evening, it becomes a bar. Exposed-brick walls and mismatched vintage furnishings are reminiscent of Brooklyn. 181 Rue Saint-Vallier E; maelstromcafe.com
PETIT CREUX & GRAND CRUS A Corsican bar and restaurantr run by a husband-and-wife team originally from the French island. The bar offers a large selection of imported Corsican wines and small dishes including fish croquettes and lobster risotto. 1125 Av. Cartier; petitscreux.corsica
BLEU MARINE A curated natural wine list, hearty comfort food, and vintage wooden tables are found at this cozy wine bar. Try the oysters, charcuterie, terrines, and ratatouille. 50 Rue Saint-Louis; restaurantbleumarine.com
GRIENDEL BRASSERIE ARTISANALE A vast, industrial beer hall style restaurant. Try local brews like Jakob and Prospero and pair with burgers or fish and chips. 195 Rue Saint-Vallier O; griendel.com
ART | CULTURE | ACTIVITIES
MUSÉE NATIOAL DES BEAUX-ARTS An art museum dedicated to work created in Quebec. Sread across four separate buildings built in collaboration with Rem Koolhaas’s OMA and Provencher Roy of Montreal. There are Inuit artifacts, eighteenth-century paintings, and avant-garde sculptures, as well as rotating exhibits from around the world. 179 Grande Allée O; mnbaq.org
PARC NATIONAL DE LA JACQUES-CARTIER Thirty miles north of Quebec City with dramatic natural landscapes, and 170,000 acres of wilderness, with a glacial valley filled with a hundred miles of hiking trails, and crystal-clear rivers for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. You might glimpse moose, beavers, white-tailed deer, foxes, porcupines, and more. 103 Chem. du Parc-National, Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury; sepaq.com
PASSAGES INSOLITES From June to October every year, self guided pathways are flanked by art and design installations. sepaq.com
MUSÉE DE LA CIVILISATION An anthropology museum with permanent and rotating exhibits that offer insight deep into the history of Quebec. mcq.org
MONTMORENCY FALLS Right outside the city lies the Quebec version of Niagara. Take a cable car along the side of a cliff to reach the top. From here, a walking path winds its way to a suspension bridge that overlooks the entire area, but for a really close view, take the stairs at the end of the bridge. sepaq.com/destinations/parc-chute-montmorency
SHOP
QUARTIER PETIT CHAMPLAIN A charming quater in Vieux-Québec at the foot of Cap Diamant, claimed to be the oldest commercial district in North America. It is named after Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec City in 1608. quartierpetitchamplain.com
SPA
SIBÉRIA STATION Twenty minutes north of the city center, near the recreational area of Lake Beauport. The concept is inspired by Scandinavian thermotherapy spas, where guests alternate between hot and cold baths, reducing stress, relaxing muscles, improving blood circulation, and helping improve the quality of sleep. 339 Rue de Genève; siberiaspa.com
Text: Veronica H. Speck Photo: Slim Aarons © Getty Images