Bonjour! My husband and I spent a few days in Quebec City last month and we had a blast. It wasn’t the first time we’ve been there. Take a peak of our 2019 and 2016 vacations to see what we did, where we ate, and where we stayed. Most of that information is still accurate, with exception to a hotel or some eateries that may have closed, moved or changed owners. On the other hand, you will see a few repeats with this year’s vacation. 🙂
Old Quebec is a slice of European charm. Immerse yourself in the beautiful architecture that’s all around the city. Enjoy roaming the popular streets like Rue Saint Jean one of the oldest streets in Quebec City (which is close to traffic), Rue Saint-Louis, and Rue Saint Anne, where you’ll find lots of restaurants, shops, cafes, and art galleries. Or take a random side street, where you never know what you’ll find, like seeing local artists sell their works on the street of Rue Tresor or a quiet residential street.
There is so much history in the city, like the Plains of Abraham (where the French and English armies fought) and the beautiful Notre-Dame de Quebec Basilica-Cathedral.
If you’re a foodie like us then there are plenty of options. I recommend grabbing a latte at Cafe La Maison Smith (Des Jardins location). While you sip the delicious coffee or hot chocolate you can walk around munching on macarons or find one of the many benches around the city to take in the views. We stopped for a little bit at the park by City Hall, which happens to be across the street from the Cafe La Maison Smith I’m referring to. I love slowing down and enjoying the moment with my love.
You can’t miss the fountain at the Place d’Armes with the monument de la Foi in front of the Chateau Frontenac. It’s a major meeting spot for tourists. If you smell burgers and fries, then you’d be right because there are a lot of pubs in the area. I recommend the burger, fries, and a milk shake at Le Chic Shack. Yum.
You must, must see the spectacular Chateau Frontenac. Walk inside to see its beauty and hit some of the little shops inside the hotel.
Walking on the Dufferin Terrace is one of my favorite things to do. The views of the Chateau Frontenac on one side and the St. Lawrence River on the other side are breathtaking. Plus, I feel like I’m on a Hallmark Channel movie, which is fun for me because I love those movies.
Walk by the Samuel de Champlain monument, grab some popcorn at Mary’s Popcorn shop and enjoy Montmorency Park and its spectacular views of the area and historical cannons.
One of my favorite spots in the world is Petit-Champlain and Place-Royale. This area is one of the oldest districts of Old Quebec. The streets are lined with restaurants and shops and are (mostly) blocked off to cars. It rained on our first day in Quebec City and I thought it was going to dampen the mood (no pun intended). As it turns out, it was the complete opposite and it ended up being the most romantic and lovely day of the trip. It wasn’t as crowded and it was cozy walking around arm and arm under an umbrella. I love the architecture around Quebec City, especially in this area. The Place Royal Notre Dame des Victoires Church is located in this area and it’s the oldest stone church in North America.
We enjoyed eating at Sapristi Bistro-Bar, Q-De-Sac Resto Pub, and La Pizz Tratorria (and I recommend all of them). We tend to hit Sapristi for their delightful pizza once per trip up to Quebec City and it did not disappoint. This was our first time at Q-De-Sac and La Pizz Tratorria. Q-De-Sac was amazing and in fact we went there two days in a row. The first time we shared a pepperoni pizza and the second time my husband got a burger and I got a Cesar salad. La Pizz Tratorria was where I had my favorite meal of the whole vacation. Sitting outside on the patio with the best view of Place-Royale, eating a delicious pasta Bolognese with a glass of wine is as good as it gets.
If you want to feel like you’re in a Hallmark Channel movie, then you must stop at Cafe La Maison Smith (Notre Dame/Place-Royale location) and sit outside. I highly recommend their hot chocolate and assorted macarons because it’s some of the best we’ve ever had. We did this almost every night to wrap up the evening. It was that good. We shared a hot chocolate and ranked which was our favorite macaron of the night. Enjoy the treats, the company, the views. You can’t beat it for an excellent sugar rush and a bit of romantic ambience.
This view of the Chateau Frontenac never gets old. Whether it’s day, night, rain or shine, it’s always one of my favorite shots of the trip. It also towers beautifully over the lower part of Old Quebec City and gives you something to use as a point of reference in case you’ve gotten a little lost.
Parc de la Chute-Montmorency. This park is gorgeous and definitely a must see.  The Montmorency Falls are beautiful, measuring in at over 272 feet tall (higher than Niagara Falls which is about 167 feet tall). You can climb a stairway of 487 steps to capture multiple angles of the falls. This year we opted to start our hike at the top of the park by Manoir Montmorency, walk across the bridge (over the waterfall), climb down the steps, and make our way to the bottom of the park by Le Sandwicherie.  You can ride a cable car to get back up or you can take the stairs back up if you have a croissant to burn off. With all the recent rain, the waterfall’s mist was epic. We were prepared and wore waterproof jackets, but only my husband made his way close to the bottom of the waterfalls. The picture below is his and he came back soaked. We ate at the Restaurant – The Manor Terrace, which is outside. I recommend that you make reservations and get there when it opens so that you can have a table with the best views of the falls and park.
Ile d’Orleans. This little island is where you’ll experience a rural part of Quebec City. The drive around the island is very scenic.
You can stop by a variety of local farms (depending on the season), restaurants, and boutiques. We stopped by Cafe La Maison Smith (yes, another one) to enjoy some croissants and shop at boutique next door. Make sure to make your way to the back, outside area for the gorgeous gardens where you can sit outside. Can you see a theme here? We like to relax and savor the moment.
We stopped at the Chocolaterie de I’lle d’Orleans which is the cutest chocolate shop. I was tempted to buy… everything. In true Tina style I got overwhelmed and didn’t leave with anything. Don’t make that same mistake. We ate lunch at Microbrasserie de I’lle d’Orleans Pub Le Mitan. Their beers are brewed on site. We sat outside on their terrace with a great view of the St. Lawrence River. My husband had a chicken sandwich and I had fish and chips. The beer I had was… interesting. It was sort of fruity or floral or both, it was an interesting sour flavor, and it was pink. It wasn’t my taste but it’s good to try new things. The food was delicious and I would definitely recommend it.
Aquarium du Quebec. In all our visits to Quebec City, this is the first time visiting this aquarium. They have about 10,000 specimens of fish, marine mammals, and even some birds. We walked around for about an hour and a half. Our hotel was right down the street from it on this trip, and that turned out to be very important because it was surprisingly difficult to figure out when they would be open. We drove by it every time we came or went to the highway and it was almost always seemed like it was closed.
Saint-Roch. We ventured to the Saint-Roch area for the first time on this visit. We drove around exploring and it reminds me of a much smaller version of a borough in New York City. We stopped in Cafe Saint-Henri for a latte and doughnuts. They roast their coffee beans in Montreal, Canada. I had the Boston cream doughnut and my husband had a sugar coated doughnut. My doughnut was literally the best one I’ve had in my life. That was worth the stop.
There is so much more to do in Quebec City, depending on your interests and time. I highly recommend checking out Quebec City’s official tourism website because they are a fantastic source of information to plan your trip. It’s also a good idea to hit up the display of random brochures in your hotel as you walk by it. (Well, most hotels have one of these displays anyway.) There will be maps and guides for everything you can imagine.
We stayed at the Premier Best Western Aristocrate, which is about 10-15 minutes drive from Old Quebec down an adorable road that flanks a park that is right up against the river. It provided a straight shot into town for us and was pleasant to drive on too. Our hotel was just a couple of minutes from the aquarium as mentioned above. We ate at the La Fenouilliere right in the hotel and the food was amazing. It’s a little pricey, but we found it to be worth every penny. The Sillery-Avenue Maguire area is a few minutes away from the hotel. It’s a cute neighborhood where you’ll find restaurants, shops, and cafes, like yet another Cafe La Maison Smith. Yes, we did stop in and I did have a latte and croissant. I’m not getting paid by them, but I may be slightly obsessed with them. Okay, I would have stopped at every one of their locations if I had a couple more days in town.
Until next time Quebec City, Canada!
