Quebec City Oct 2016

Quebec City is the capital of the province of Quebec in Canada.  It is a little piece of Continental Europe being the oldest European settlement in North America.  Its 400-year-old Old Town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.  Some of the attractions here are the Citadel, Chateau Frontenac (now a Fairmont hotel), and the cobblestone historic streets and period architecture of Quartier Petit Champlain and Place Royale.  We stayed at the beautiful Auberge Saint-Antoine in the historic part of town.

The Old Town of Quebec City is made up of the Old Upper Town up on the Cap Diamant Cliffs, and the Old Lower Town at the bottom.  The Upper Town was founded as the site for the Fort Saint-Louis in 1608.  This is where you will find the Citadel of Quebec which is the only fortified city in North America with cannons, gates, and fortresses.  Also found here is the picturesque Chateau Frontenac with great views of the St. Lawrence River.  While the Upper Town is mostly inhabited by government officials and clergymen, the Lower Town is where the merchants and artisans used to live.  The Lower Town is where Samuel de Champlain built the first French foothold with Place Royale as its centre.

For a great view of Quebec from the St. Lawrence River, the ferry ride to Levis and back is unbeatable.  The roundtrip will take you about an hour and the ferry terminal is very close to the funicular linking the Upper and Lower Old Town.

dscf0097View of Chateau Frontenac and the funicular from the Levis ferry.

dscf0091Upper deck of the Levis ferry

dscf0100

dscf0114

Chateau Frontenac has been more or less the symbol of the city of Quebec.  It was built in 1893 by the Canadian Pacific Railway as a luxury hotel.  A bit of trivia here: this is where Alfred Hitchcock chose for the opening scene of his mystery “I Confess”.  Wrapped around the Chateau is the boardwalk, Terrasse Dufferin, offering sweeping views of the St Lawrence River.  After a leisurely stroll, one can take the funicular down to the Lower Town.

dscf0143Chateau Frontenac

dscf0146Beautiful bar 1608 at Chateau Frontenac

dscf0154Lunch at Le Sam in Fairmont Chateau Frontenac

dscf0150View of Terrasse Dufferin from Le Sam

dscf0065

dscf0124Terrasse Dufferin

dscf0127Sweeping views of St Lawrence River from Terrasse Dufferin

dscf0131Terrasse Dufferin

Another highlight in the Upper Old Town is the Citadel.  It was build in anticipation of an American invasion that never happened.  The architecture here is that of an uneven star shape with 4 bastions and 24 buildings within its walls.

dscf0171The Citadel of Quebec

dscf0168

dscf0158St Lawrence River

dscf0174View of the Upper Old Town from the Citadel

dscf0178

dscf0181Former seminary of Quebec, now the Laval University of Architecture

dscf0183

dscf0058Beautiful fall leaves everywhere

dscf0060

dscf0068Heading down the Escaliers Casse-Cou which translates to “Break Neck Stairs” to the Petit Champlain area of old town Quebec.

dscf0084Alternatively, you can take the funicular linking the upper and lower Old Town

dscf0080The historic cobblestone Rue du Petit Champlain

dscf0051Fresque des Quebecois mural at historic Place Royal recounting the story of Quebec city.

From Quebec City, we continue to Montreal.  Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by!

Click the “Follow” button to signup for email subscription or keep checking back for more blog posts to come.

Alternatively, get connected through my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/beatricetravelsblog or follow me on Instagram @beatricetravels.

Cairo Dec 2018

Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is one of those buzzing and chaotic cities that you love and hate at the same time.  The noise, pollution,

Read More »

Abu Dhabi, Dec 2022

I have been to Dubai quite a few times but this is my first time visiting Abu Dhabi.  I came here mainly to visit the

Read More »

Lalibela Part 1 Oct 2018

Lalibela is a town in northern Ethiopia famous for its monolithic rock-cut churches sunk into the ground and built between the 7th and 13th centuries. 

Read More »

One Response

Leave a Reply

© Copyright 2022 Beatrice Wong | All rights reserved. All photographs and text included herein are the property of Beatrice Wong

You cannot copy content of this page