"Quebec City - One of the oldest towns in NAmerica" Quebec by Tom_In_Madison

Quebec Travel Guide: 1,531 reviews and 3,292 photos

Quebec City - One of the oldest towns in NAmerica - Quebec

Quebec City is a nice town, the touristy part is built around the old part of town, and it’s old. Buildings from 1690’s at the Citadel and others from the 1700’s and 1800’s beautifully maintained. Very French, more than Montreal, but English is found in the touristy spots by most people, but not all.

The old town has a lot of shopping possibilities; bakeries, art places, clothing, trinkets stuff. Brick and stone roads complement the old buildings. A funicular will take you up the steep hillside to the old part near the Citadel and government buildings. A steep staircase is nearby if you don’t want to shell out the $1.50 for the ride up, or can’t take looking out that window as you rise up above the street level—I had to turn my back myself.

Canon in the citadel - Quebec

Canon in the citadel

The Citadel, looking over the river is the highest point. Tours here in English and French are included in the entry fee. It’s still a working location, so don’t stray too far away when taking pics or you will get escorted back, trust me.

Montmorency Falls, just north of the city is superb. Don’t miss it. 1 ½ times taller than Niagara Falls. You can view it from both sides, just walk across a bridge over the top of it if you can. It’s about 40 yards wide. You can take a tour with a group from Quebec City for about $20 or take a city bus out there like I did. Takes a longer, but you make it, and you can go at your own pace.

Montmorency Falls - awesome sight - Quebec

Montmorency Falls - awesome sight

This is a 3 hour trip by train/bus from Montreal. One option if staying in Montreal is to take the Gray Line bus tour for a day. I know this is sacrilege on a site like this, but it is the same price as a bus/advance train ticket, will get you to all the sites including the Falls, and get you back to Montreal with less hassle and cheaper than doing it by yourself. I’m not a shopper, so if you’re not a shopper, this might be a good suggestion. But you will miss one of the best Brewpubs I’ve been to, La Barberie, tucked away in the lower town though—highly suggested.

Tips to come, still ‘working on my pages’ as they say.

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Falls are amazing, real old town, great brewpub, small enough to wander easily
  • In a nutshell:Clean, pretty town--must be beautiful in winter & Christmastime.
  • Last visit to Quebec: May 2006
  • Intro Updated May 21, 2006
  • Add to Trip Planner (?)
  • Report Abuse

Reviews (11)

Front door on saint-Roche - Quebec I found this excellent Brewpub for you Nightlife (1)

This is a brewpub off the beaten track, but real close to the train station. Took me a while to find it, but was well... more travel advice

From the front.... - Quebec Notre Dame Cathedral Things to Do (3)

It must be a requirement that all decent sized French speaking cities have to have a Notre Dame Cathedral in it. Quebec... more travel advice

The front yard of the bus station...not bad. - Quebec Gar Palais Transportation (2)

Big old bus station, but it’s real clean, has outdoor seating, nice places to do some shopping, buying food, etc inside.... more travel advice

La Citadelle - Quebec La Citadelle Things to Do (3)

This is an old Fortification, some buildings from the late 1600’s. It’s still in working condition. The guide gives you... more travel advice

Comments (9)

Tom_In_Madison's Related Pages

Quebec Travel Guide

 
Explore the World
Travel Destinations
Tom_In_Madison's Profile Photo

Tom_In_Madison

“From near to far, from here to there, funny things are everywhere. -- Dr Seuss.”

Online Now

Male

Top 1,000 Travel Writer
Member Rank:
0 0 6 0 1
Forum Rank:
0 1 9 6 1

Badges & Stats in Quebec

  • 11 Reviews
  • 28 Photos
  • 3 Forum posts
  • 11 Comments
  • 1,564PageViews
  • See All Stats
  • See All Badges (9)

Have you been to Quebec?

  Share Your Travels  

Latest Activity in Quebec

Photos in Quebec

See All Photos (28)

Top 10 Pages

See All Travel Pages (86)

Friends

See All Friends (37)

Travel Interests

See All Travel Interests (5)

Latest Quebec hotel reviews

Dominion 1912, Hotel
401 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 18, 2013
Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac
1257 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 18, 2013
Hovey Manor
197 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 17, 2013
Delta Quebec
317 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 7, 2013
Courtyard by Marriott Quebec City
463 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 17, 2013
Loews Le Concorde
410 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 13, 2013
Econo Lodge - St. Liboire
6 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Oct 3, 2012
Hotel Royal William
71 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 27, 2013
Chez Hubert, B&B
57 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jan 1, 2013
Chateau Laurier Hotel
269 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 10, 2013
Hilton Quebec
534 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 14, 2013
Hotel Le Priori
211 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 12, 2013
Gite du Mont-Albert
28 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Mar 2, 2013
Holiday Inn Express Quebec City (Sainte-Foy)
165 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 18, 2013
Ambassadeur Hotel
70 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Feb 27, 2013