A Walk Through Québec City's History

Exploring Québec City’s history can be an all-consuming pastime—and a rewarding one. The walk outlined here takes you through much of it, but feel free to pursue the Old City’s inviting little detours.

Outside the Old City

The best place to begin a journey through the history of New France is at the end. Start your tour at the Wolfe Monument, on the far west side of the Plains of Abraham. It was here in 1759 that British General James Wolfe extinguished France’s dreams of a North American empire and set off the English-French divergence that has both enriched and plagued Canada’s history.

The Plains of Abraham was where the famous battle took place. Today it’s a pleasant and expansive city park with trees, lawns, and meandering paths with sweeping views of the St. Lawrence River.

Make your way over to the Fortifications and the Old City via the northern side of the Plains of Abraham, along the Grande Allée, through the residential neighborhood of Montcalm, home to gorgeous 19th-century neo-Gothic and Queen Anne–style mansions and Hôtel du Parlement.

The Fortifications

The end of the Grand Allée is Porte St-Louis. Turn right down the Côte de la Citadelle, which leads to La Citadelle. Something of a microcosm of Canada’s sometimes contrarian cultural character, the fortress is home to the Royal 22e Régiment, a crack military unit that speaks French but dresses in the bearskin hats and red tunics of a British guards unit for ceremonial parades. Don’t miss the daily Changing of the Guard ceremony.

Upper Town

Beyond Porte St-Louis, you can imagine yourself in 17th- and 18th-century France. Steep-roofed houses with small windows crowd a tangle of narrow, curving streets and the rattle of horse-drawn carriages on ancient cobblestones adds to the illusion.

The Maison Jacquet on rue St-Louis looks exactly as it did when it was built in 1677 and the Maison Kent was once the home of Queen Victoria’s father, the Duke of Kent. Le Couvent des Ursulines at 12 rue Donnacona has a museum featuring an exhibit of magnificent lace embroidery created by Ursuline nuns in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Québec City’s most famous building, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, is at the beginning of Terrasse Dufferin, which is worth a stroll for sweeping views of the St. Lawrence River before you get on the funicular to reach Lower Town.

Lower Town

Once at the base of this cable-connected elevator, you end up in the 17th-century Maison Louis-Jolliet, built before he paddled off to explore the Mississippi River. From here, it’s a short walk to Place Royale, a square graced by a statue of the Sun King Louis XIV, and considered to be the birthplace of New France. The last jaunt is along rue du Petit-Champlain, the oldest street in the city, lined with shops and cafés.