Going to Quebec, capital city of the province of Quebec? Follow me to learn how to explore the city and its surroundings.
ITINERARY - CANADA: here is the full itinerary for a tour of Canada.
Quebec City is the capital of the province of Quebec! The city is very easy to explore on foot since all the sightseeing places are located around the Château Frontenac. However, if you want to go to see the Montmorency Falls, you will need to drive the car.
With that being said, let’s go to see the details of the schedule:
Day 1: Château Frontenac and the Parliament of Quebec
Tip: you can also click on the link down below from your smartphone, to open the itinerary to follow on google maps: « Quebec » walking tour
If like me you had left Montreal early morning by car, you should arrive in Quebec at around midday. You can have lunch before starting the visits, or just after the visit of the Château Frontenac and the Terrasse Dufferin.
The Château Frontenac is actually a hotel but it can be visited (the visit is quite expensive). Just below the Château, you can walk on the Terrasse Dufferin which is located along the Saint Lawrence River. You will also be able to see many cannons there!
Once you’re done walking along the terrace, just return to the Château Frontenac and take the rue du Fort. After passing the fountain and the UNESCO monument, turn left, and you’ll arrive in a small neighborhood that looks a lot like Montmartre district in Paris. For a few moments I even forgot that I was in Canada! Around this district, you will also find the City Hall and the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec.
Then, head to rue St-Louis which leads to the Parliament of Quebec and to the Tourny Fountain. Access to the Parliament Building is free and allows you to observe the architecture of the building and to understand how Quebec parliamentary institutions are working. You can do a self-guided tour, take a free guided tour or attend parliamentary proceedings, but for the two last options, you need to make a booking in advance on the website.
For the end of the day, you can go for a walk on the old fortifications of the city. Many gates provide access to the fortifications, and there is one on rue St-Louis, just next to the Tourny Fountain. If you are not in a hurry, you can also go toward the Citadelle of Quebec, to visit this active military base.
Day 2: Montmorency Falls!
To reach Montmorency Falls Park, you need to go by car because it is located about 15 minutes away from Quebec City. Once there, you can have a look on the falls but you can also climb to the top of the falls. To do so, there are two options available, you can either go up on foot via a large wooden staircase (it’s quite dangerous when it rains), or take the cable car. I went up and down on foot because the cable car is pretty expensive. However, you can go up on foot and come back down by cable car or vice versa.
Note: Montmorency Falls are 30 meters higher than Niagara Falls.
Once back in Quebec, go to have lunch.
For the afternoon, back then I’d visited the Old Port market , but it’s now closed. So, you can go strolling on the Old Port instead, it’s still a very pleasant and charming place.
Then, head towards Rue du Petit Champlain and to Place Royale, it is a picturesque neighborhood that marks the founding of Quebec.
Tip: if you follow the route I took, after dinner you should start your journey to Ottawa. And don’t forget to book a hotel located halfway between Quebec and Ottawa.
Tips
Money
Canadian dollars
To get Canadian dollars, there are, to me, 2 excellent ways:
- Global Alliance: if your bank is a member of this alliance, then you can withdraw cash at any of the cash withdrawal machines of the Scotiabank in Canada with your credit card. They don’t take commission and have one of the best rates.
Tip: for example, the members are:
- Bank of America or Bank of the West in the USA
- Barclays in the UK
- Westpac in Australia and New-Zealand
- BNP Paribas or Hello Bank in France
- Currency exchange offices: you can also carry some cash and go to change it over there (or even change it before going). And if you need money at the airport, just change what you need there, you’ll change the rest in town.
Note: while in Canada, take a good look at the banknotes, you will notice that they are all made of plastic!
Taxes
Purchases
In Canada, like in the U.S., all stores display prices without tax. The tax is approximately 15% in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia (7% to 10% provincial tax and 5% federal tax). So you just need to know that the price will be higher at checkout. However there is an exception on all unprocessed food because the tax doesn’t apply.
Restaurants
If you are planning on going to the restaurant, be aware that the bill can quickly become very expensive because on top of the price of the meal is added the 15% tax and you also have to add 15% tip. Basically, when paying the bill, you have to add twice the amount of the tax!
Hotels
Because the visit to Quebec City also includes a stop to Montmorency Falls Park, I recommend booking a hotel located halfway between those two places.
During my trip, in Quebec, I stayed at the N Hotel Quebec. It’s a comfortable, clean, and welcoming place. It’s good value for money.
Description: comfortable and functional rooms. The bathroom is provided with a bathtub.
Price: about €70 per night for 2 people, in September.
Location: the hotel is located halfway between Quebec City and Montmorency Falls Park.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| comfortable and decent sized rooms | - |
| good value for money | - |
| convenient location | - |
The drive between Quebec and Ottawa being quite long, to avoid spending half a day driving, it’s worth booking a hotel located halfway between those 2 cities, to make a break during the drive.
Back then, I stayed at Motel St-Thomas. It’s a basic motel but it’s comfortable and clean, totally OK for one night.
Description: comfortable and functional rooms. The bathroom is provided with a bathtub.
Price: about €60 per night for 2 people, in September.
Location: the hotel is located halfway between Quebec City and Ottawa.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| comfortable and decent sized rooms | - |
| good price | - |
Transportation
Car
Renting a car to visit Canada is definitely the best solution. It gives you a lot of freedom, you can go anywhere you want to go at any time! You won’t need an international drivers licence for a trip up to 3 months, it can be up to 6 months in some provinces. Just remember to take out CDW (included into Gold Mastercards and Visa Premier cards) and LIS insurance when renting a car. And I highly recommend considering renting a car in one city and returning it in another, that way you won’t have to drive all the way back. Last thing to know, renting a car from the airport is not more expensive than renting it in the inner city!
Tip: to park in the city, it’s better to go to underground car parks rather than parking on the street because the price is often the same. The advantage of car parks is that they allow you to park for an indefinite period, you pay for the number of hours parked, while street parking is usually limited to a few hours.
Please note: during rush hour, street parking spaces are removed to allow the opening of an additional lane for cars. So if it is written $2 per hour from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. then $1 per hour from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., parking is often prohibited from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.!
Very often in Canada, the parking meter ticket should be kept with you and not displayed on the dashboard. Sometimes street parking is free for 3 hours, but there is nothing to do. You just have to park and remember to leave within 3 hours.
GPS
To be able to find your way when driving the car, there are several options available:
- Google MAPS: it works even without any connection, it’s just that there won’t be traffic information. All you have to do is to save the maps before going or even once there, as long as you have an internet connection. To do so, on your smartphone, in the application, click on your profile picture at the top right of the screen, then click on « offline maps ». And then click on « select your own map » and zoom out the map until you see the area you want to save. You have to repeat the operation several times if the area to be saved is too large.
- GPS rental from the rental car company: you can rent an optional GPS from the rental car company, but it’s pretty expensive and you won’t have traffic information either. In my opinion, this is not an option to consider. However, if you are renting a high-end car, there is frequently a GPS already available in the car, so without extra charge. But you won’t know it until you get on board, because no one will tell you, either at booking or when getting the keys. For example, when I arrived at Montreal airport, as I had requested to return the car to Toronto and that they only had 2 cars registered from Ontario that had to return to Toronto, I got a « free upgrade » for an Audi A4 which had a GPS on board!
Thanks for reading :)
