Iwan2go

Hello all. My husband and I are hoping to go to Quebec province later this year and would really appreciate your help. We’re in our 60s and walk a lot, love architecture, history, gardens, walking but not strenuous mountain hiking, and good food. I am of French Canadian background and remember my Dad’s stories of visiting family in the Province. We love the mountains and forests and are not particularly into laying on the beach, golfing, or boating. I’d say that we are not New York City kinds of people (it’s too fast paced for us), but we do love Paris, and our favorite place to go close to home is Santa Barbara - just to give you an idea of what we enjoy.

The plan at this point is as follows:
LAX-Montreal, 3-4 nights
http://aubergeduvieuxport.com
train to Quebec City, 3 nights
http://hotelsduvieuxquebec.com/en/au...place-d-armes/
Rent a car and perhaps stay one night on the Ile D’Orleans
http://www.danslesbrasdemorphee.com
Drive to the Eastern Townships, 3 nights
http://www.manoirhovey.com/en

From there we’ll either return the car and fly home from Montreal, or arrange to get to the Portsmouth NH area to visit my brother and fly home from Boston.

I think we’d take at least one walking tour to learn more about the history of both cities. In Montreal, we'd like to see the Botanical Gardens, Basilica and Oratory, etc and just wander around the city. In Quebec, a day trip to St Anne de Beaupre, the falls, the Musee des Beaux Arts, and again, just walking around. And eating

Based on the kinds of things we like, would you suggest three or four nights in Montreal, or switching and adding those nights to Quebec City? It looks like there are more “places” in Montreal, but I’m not sure.

For the second part in the countryside, I was attracted to the Ile D’Orleans as well - it sounds lovely, In the ET we’d maybe stay in North Hatley at the Manoir Hovey - I think I bookmarked that several years ago. I’ve read all of Louise Penny’s novels, and the picture she paints of the area sounds so relaxing!

We don’t want to have a car in Quebec City, and it’s my understanding that there’s no public transportation ON the island, so we would need to see it after departing our QC hotel. Do you think that a day on the island will be different enough from the Eastern Townships?

We’re unfortunately limited to the last two weeks in August because of work considerations. Originally we were looking into Switzerland, but the cost is a lot (and it went up last week), we loved coastal Maine a few years ago, and we love Canada. We were a little concerned about the humidity, but figured that maybe going to the countryside and forests will help out a little…?

Thanks you in advance for your help!

zootsi

4 nights in Montreal & 3 in QC is a good balance. Montreal is much bigger, with lots to explore. A few more Montreal to do's might include Jean Talon market (go in the AM), strolling up St Denis to the Plateau area where there are scores of fun eateries and cafes, and doing a boat ride from the old port.
As for the Eastern Townships, it's a quiet, rural area with some charming little towns and a mix of flat farmland and mountains (it's more mountainous on the eastern side). You will be near the lakeside resort town of Magog, which is worth a visit. Also nearby is Mt Orford park which has some nice hikes. The Abbey St. Beniot is another very scenic spot. Further east near the little town of Dunham is Quebec's wine country. There are about 20 wineries in this area where you can sample the wines and picnic. Some are quite picturesque.
If you enjoy bicycling, both Montreal and the Eastern Townships offer some of the best road biking in North America with miles of dedicated bike trails criss-crossing the entire area.
As for the humidity, Montreal can get into the high 80's in the summer, but usually cools down in the evening. The countryside is usually very pleasant in the summer months with moderate humidity.

Iwan2go

Thanks zootsie! I had looked at your earlier posts and saw your comments about wine tasting and biking. I'll make notes about the places in Montreal. I especially appreciate the weather info. We're hoping we don't swelter.

Southam

www.restomontreal.com is one of several good restaurant sites, graded by cuisine and location. Note the possibility of bringing your own wine to some of the smaller places (AVV, for apportez votre vin.) That website has a branch for Quebec City. The beaux-arts museum in Montreal is certainly worthwhile and there are several history museums too. Both cities maintain big websites with information about concerts, theatre, museums etc. St. Anne de Beaupre and the falls are easily done in a couple of hours. The Citadel on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City is a prime Canadian historical location and still a working fortress for Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment, "les Van-Doos" with a colourful flag-raising ceremony daily in the summer (in good weather.)

Iwan2go

Thanks Southam! I read about the Plains of Abraham in a novel and will make a point to go there.

mat54

We live near Toronto and take vacations or briefer getaways in Quebec fairly often. Late August is our favourite time to travel in Canada, summer crowds are starting to thin a bit but all the attractions are on full summer schedule and the heat and humidity are also usually starting to wane. I thought I'd just list some of the experiences I've enjoyed, some of which you already have planned, and some not, maybe some food for thought:

Montreal: Wandering Old Montreal, dining, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal Botanical Gardens.

Outside of Montreal including Eastern Townships: The town of Magog (a number of shops and restaurants) set on a large lake straddling the Vermont border, boat tours. Nearby the Abbey Saint Benoit is one of Quebec's more renowned Cheeseries. Hatley is quaint, we had lunch there once. The Mont Tremblant area north of Montreal has some nice scenery and interesting towns (as well as a very commercially developed resort area).

Quebec: Wandering Old Quebec Historic District (more extensive than Montreal's), both the Upper and Lower Towns, sipping wine/beer on the many patios, enjoying the shops, history and architecture, a day-trip up the St. Lawrence through the rugged and very scenic Charlevoix Region as far as charming Baie-Saint-Paul (you'd need a car for this).

With extra time you could consider the scenic Gaspe Peninsula or the Saguenay/Tadoussac region famed for whale-watching but these would require a car and several additional days.

Iwan2go

Thank you so much, mat! We will look into your suggestions.

Dyer

My daughter and I are beginning our plans for our trip to Quebec City from the States. Any recommendations as to where to fly in to?