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My husband and I spent three days in Quebec City in early June. Yesterday I was going over some restaurant and attractions recommendations with a friend who is going there with her family next week and realized I had not posted a trip report here.
We go to Montreal quite often, but our last trip to Quebec City was in 1977. We certainly don't plan to stay away so long before our next visit. It is a charming city.
Before going I read Louise Penny's latest mystery, Bury Your Dead, set in Quebec City with quite a lot of history. I also started Champlain's Dream by David Hackett Fischer but have set it aside since we got back.
We stayed three nights at the Hotel Marie-Rollet on Rue Ste-Anne, in the center of the walled city. I looked at lots of B & B and small hotel options and think there are many good choices. This one is in a Victorian house built in 1876 by Usruline Sisters to host the "High Nobility" of Quebec. We had a room on the third floor which was fine for us but would not be good for anyone with mobility problems. My biggest complaint was that the web site claimed there would be "free coffee every morning" and this was not true.
We ate good dinners at Le Lapin Sauté, Le Pain Béni, and Le Mistral Gagnant, spending about $100 for two at each of these.
We ate lunch at Aux Anciens Canadiens the day we left. The lunches and early dinner prices are very reasonable there.
We got very good sandwiches for a picnic lunch from Paillard bakery one day and bought food at the market in the port area another day.
We did a LOT of walking, exploring mostly the walled upper city and the Lower City/port area. We were there for one evening and 2 1/2 days which was enough time to enjoy the city but meant that there is a lot to explore when we go back. We walked back and forth (up and downhill) between the old walled city and the lower city several times each day, and it is really not a difficult walk. There is also an ecolobus that runs between the two and would be a good alternative for anyone with mobility problems or in bad weather.
We visited Centre d'interprétation de Place-Royale and Le Musée de l'Amérique française and recommend both. We left the Musée de la civilisation and the Museum of Fine Arts for the next trip. We tried to visit the interpretive center at the Plains of Abraham but the electricity was off , so we explored outside by ourselves. We also visited the Morrin Centre which I reviewed separately due to a promise to our enthusiastic tour guide, Maxime
http://www.fodors.com/community/canada/morrin-centre-quebec-city.cfm
On our way up from Vermont we drove for a short stretch of the southern bank of the St. Lawrence, and on our way home we took in a few towns along the old Chemin du Roy route on the northern bank. Both areas were interesting and scenic and worth more time than we were able to give them.
All in all a great short trip. We are lucky to live within easy driving distance of this beautiful city and plan to go back for a longer trip including the Charlevoix region soon.
Quebec City--three day visit
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Thanks for this report. I've always enjoyed my trips to la Vieille Capitale.
Thanks a million for the report. You have been most helpful to me in my trip planning and this is the icing on the cake.
I'm glad I have been able to offer useful information. I recommend stopping at the tourist office on Rue St-Anne to get the tourist guide to the city and region. It is quite good and suggests walking tours. There are also guides to other areas of Quebec.
If you have any specific questions about the places we went I would be glad to offer more detail.
Merci!
Thank you very much for posting. This morning we just booked our nights in Quebec for later this month. We are looking forward to going!
What kinds of sandwiches did you find at Paillard's bakery? We love taking along a picnic lunch and finding a spot at a park or green to sit and relax.
http://www.paillard.ca/public/files/PDF_accueilSection/Menuintsimple_an09.pdf
now you owe me a trip report, stw. Have fun!
Ah, a menu! Thanks, cmcfong.
We had the smoked salmon and Thai chicken sandwiches. We picked them up then walked out to the Battlefield park)Plains of Abraham)to enjoy them. The bakery also has good pastries and gelato.
I hope you have a great trip. Summer activities should be in full swing. One thing we enjoyed on our trip was hearing different musicians playing on the streets of the old city, and I am sure there are more street performers at this time of year and there are many festivals.
Thanks, Vttraveler! Quebec City will be our second stop, after Montreal -- we are really looking forward to this trip...and gelato.
Please....gelato recos a must!!!!!
I like your Paillard and market in the port area ideas for economical meals. We'll be there only 24 hours and I don't plan to spend them inside restaurants, even if it's raining that day! Is the port area market open Saturdays? All day?
The Old Port Farmer's Market is open 5 days/week, 9 to 5 on weekends
http://www.marchevieuxport.com/horaire.php
We got lobster salad from a fish counter and bread for our lunch. We needed to have our own utensils for this, though- There were some places that served food inside but I don't think there were any general tables. We took our food with us and ate outside
Can you offer any opinions on visiting Quebec with girls ages 12 & 15? If we are spending several days in Monreal, is it worth adding a couple of days in Quebec if they are not so interested in history/art?
Also I would love hotel recommendations for either place, not too expensive but charming? (pool a plus)
Annie
Thanks for the report Vttraveler. We hope to spend a few days in QC in Sept.
I was wondering if "Bury Your Dead" would be okay as a stand alone novel? I have never read any of this series and wouldn't have time to get through all of them.
Thanks!
soogies--You could read Bury Your Dead alone I think, but it would be much better to read at least the Brutal Telling first. One of the plot lines in Bury Your Dead continues the story in Brutal Telling. The others in the series are not as closely tied but all of them build on the same set of characters who live in a small town in the Eastern Townships and on the character of Chief Inspector Gamache.
annie928--hard to tell whether your daughters would like to sample both cities. Quebec City is definitely interesting/charming mostly because of the history and architecture. If that is not of interest I am not sure your kids would be terribly enthusiastic about the city. We did not do any shopping so I can't compare that to Montreal. I think you would want to stay in one of the bigger hotels along the Grand Allée outside the city walls but I don't have specific recommendations since we concentrated on the B & B options
You should check out festivals/events in both cities for the dates you want to visit. I think your daughters would enjoy Cirque du Soleil and the Image Mill in Quebec City, tam tams (drums) in Montreal on Sundays, for example.
Thanks Vttraveler!
if you do read Bury Your Dead, the Morrin Centre is the setting for the murder so might be especially interesting to visit for that reason.
Yes, that would be on our list. I haven't investigated QC much yet as it would only be a 3-4 day trip. DH has read a little bit about it and is very interested as well.
I am just deciding now an apt now for Montreal and hope I can firm it up this weekend.
Another thing that teenagers might enjoy in Quebec City are the ghost tours. There seem to be lots of options for these -- we saw many groups out and about in the evenings we were there.
Thanks for posting, vt