Where to stay in Quebec City for first trip?
Apr 29th, 2014, 11:31 AM
#1
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Where to stay in Quebec City for first trip?
Hello,
I will be travelling with my boyfriend for his 40th birthday this Christmas.
I found a hotel I like and a good price about a 10 minute walk from the fortified walls ( on Grande Allee just outside "upper town" I believe).
The reviews of the hotel and the neighborhood are great - but I am wondering if we will be disappointed if we don't stay within the walls. Normally walking is no big deal but since it will be December......
I keep flip flopping back and forth - the hotels within the walls are all more money for less room but I want it to be special for my boyfriends birthday. He loves Christmas and all the trappings of Christmas and that was a big reason why he chose Quebec in winter!
Thank you!
I will be travelling with my boyfriend for his 40th birthday this Christmas.
I found a hotel I like and a good price about a 10 minute walk from the fortified walls ( on Grande Allee just outside "upper town" I believe).
The reviews of the hotel and the neighborhood are great - but I am wondering if we will be disappointed if we don't stay within the walls. Normally walking is no big deal but since it will be December......
I keep flip flopping back and forth - the hotels within the walls are all more money for less room but I want it to be special for my boyfriends birthday. He loves Christmas and all the trappings of Christmas and that was a big reason why he chose Quebec in winter!
Thank you!
Apr 30th, 2014, 06:18 AM
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Grande Allee is one of the nicer streets leading to the old city. It's lined with restaurants and upscale apartments. Even so, it doesn't have the charm of staying in the old city. A 10 minute walk when it's bitterly cold and icy can be a challenge. Have you looked at the numerous b&b's on Ste Ursule? Some are quite comfortable and they are in the heart of the old city.
Apr 30th, 2014, 11:33 AM
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The place you are looking at is at the far western end of the allee hospitality strip (according to Google Maps) and a stiff hike to almost everywhere (except the very worhwhile Beaux Arts museum in the Plains of Abraham park.) It's a great walking city, but maybe not in snowdrifts.
Upper, lower and old town are relative terms for this hilly city. The area inside the walls is certainly old, looking down the cliffs on the even older area along the river. The allee does lead up past the Plains of Abraham and so is upper. But lower town, which has become chic in the last decade, is to the north of the allee area, roughly between Boul. Langelier and Rue Couronne and, yes, somewhat downhill. Carry on to the northeast along the edge of the hill and you eventually turn into the Old Port area leading to the river, which has bistros, boutiques and a nice farmer's market but is also the freight port. These areas smudge over into each other.
If you want a bigger, tower hotel, there is a Loew's at 1225 Place Montcalm, a half-dozen blocks closer to the walls along the allee. Several other chain brands are sprinkled in different areas. However, within the walls and in contrast to the tiny auberges, the Clarendon is large and well-aged, just off the central commercial area. It's a few blocks from the Chateau Frontenac, one of Canada's most famous buildings, which has been having some room sales the last six months during renovations to parts of the massive building.
It is also safe to say that you will find places of interest in any of these areas.
Upper, lower and old town are relative terms for this hilly city. The area inside the walls is certainly old, looking down the cliffs on the even older area along the river. The allee does lead up past the Plains of Abraham and so is upper. But lower town, which has become chic in the last decade, is to the north of the allee area, roughly between Boul. Langelier and Rue Couronne and, yes, somewhat downhill. Carry on to the northeast along the edge of the hill and you eventually turn into the Old Port area leading to the river, which has bistros, boutiques and a nice farmer's market but is also the freight port. These areas smudge over into each other.
If you want a bigger, tower hotel, there is a Loew's at 1225 Place Montcalm, a half-dozen blocks closer to the walls along the allee. Several other chain brands are sprinkled in different areas. However, within the walls and in contrast to the tiny auberges, the Clarendon is large and well-aged, just off the central commercial area. It's a few blocks from the Chateau Frontenac, one of Canada's most famous buildings, which has been having some room sales the last six months during renovations to parts of the massive building.
It is also safe to say that you will find places of interest in any of these areas.
