I just booked a spur-of-the-moment long weekend March 2-6, to Quebec. Las Vegas to Burlington, VT via Jet Blue then to Quebec via AVIS rental car. I've gotten some good ideas for meals reviewing the posts on this board. I have a couple of questions I have not found answers for.

For the nicer restaurants, can I get away with slacks, a sport coat, and open necked white shirt or will local custom require a suit and tie?

I am an avid photographer and would like suggestions for great places to get good shots, especially those available at sunrise and sunset.

Any other suggestions will also be appreciated.

You don't need a suit and tie.

That said, I'm in Toronto and this afternoon I saw a very well turned out woman in a Starbucks, with high heels. And when she spoke on her phone, it was with a French accent.

Quebec is a very fashionable place. Anyway, a nice jacket and good shirt and you'll be fine.

Photography: QC is built on a cliff, so get up early and head for the board walk (Dufferin Terrace) behind the Chateau Frontenace Hotel, and you can probably capture the sunrise over the St. Lawrence River.

Depending on where youposition yoursel;f at sunset, you may get the river again, or the castle-like hotel, or the empty fields of the Plains of Abraham, covered in snow, with the sunsetting. Or it just may be grey and cloudy.

Take your rental car across the river and you can shoot back across the water to capture the city.

And QC itself is full of narrow alleys, steep street, cobblestones, etc., and you can easily spend lots of time shooting.

Bring a tripod, and shoot with thestore and restaurant lights after dark.

BAK

One of the best spots for photos is the overlook from the upper city,in the park just to the right of the Frontenac - very beautiful in the early morning. The entire old city is one big photo op. There is also an observatory in one of the office buildings a few blocks outside the walls. Bundle up - Quebec is a very cold place to be in early March!

Speaking of Starbucks, do they even HAVE Starbucks in Quebec yet??

I know they didn't have them in Quebec City just a few years ago.

Hi! Quebec City is quite used to tourists, so as long as you avoid velour track suits and sloppy jeans (unless they are D&G DESIGNER sloppy jeans) you should be fine.
As for photos, it will be obvious to you once you get there. The Plains have been mentioned (go to Parc des Champs de Bataille), and try to get a shot going down to Quartier Petit-Champlain - very historic and picturesque...Lower Town is also very nice.
Have fun!

I did not have a suit or a coat and tie when I ate dinner at Louis Hebert.

For pictures, add in Chutes Montmorency.
There is a pedestrian bridge that goes high over the brink of the falls and you can sight downward from the brink to the plunge basin. The falls drop about 272 feet and make a big splash.

Then there are belvederes on either side of the gorge for a more horizontal view of the falls.

Now, about that bridge. It is NO place for a person with acrophobia or one who is subject to vertigo. Looking down on the falls from directly above is quite a sight. I found it fascinating.
One other person fled the scene.

Thanks for all the replies so far. Anyone else?

Get up early, it's best in the morning, including Montmorency falls. Bring a long lens and take the ferry to Lévis.

Île d'Orléans is nice too. There are a couple of big churches on the way to Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré.

Thanks for all the replies. I'm leaving Thursday morning. Any last minute suggestions?

Le Saint - Amour is the best restaurant in the city IMO.

http://www.saint-amour.com/

Lauri Raphael is nice but does not compare to SA............

Take a day trip north on # 138 to La Malbaie and have lunch at Fairmont's La Manoir Richelieu. It's a beautiful drive along the St. Lawrence. LMR is an impressive hotel and has a casino if you are interested.

http://www.fairmont.com/richelieu/

La Pinsonniere is a nice Relais and Chateaux property near by. Check it out for lunch/dinner. Good luck.

http://www.lapinsonniere.com/

I'm interested in knowing how the drive from Burlington to Canada turns out. I would like to fly from MS to Burlington and drive to Canada myself for a trip in the country outside Montreal. Flying into QC is not easy from here. We flew to NYC then to QC with a long layover in Newark. Driving sounds easier.

I did not take a coat and tie to QC but I had a mock turtle and sport coat and did fine.

I am an avid Photographer also. I took over 2200 shots in 16 days, lots of tempting material. Most stuff you will probably Identify with your eye for photos. The 3 sites I think worth mentioning in Quebec City is
1) Take the Ferry from Levi to enter the city. The view and photo ops are worth the $10.00 or so.
2) Take the Chateau tour. The head Chefs roof top gardens and other interior subject matter.
3) The Neighborhoods out side the Jean gate. Wander and then head off toward Battlefields Park for more shots. There is also the oldest Grocery Store in North America that yielded a couple shots for my souvenirs. Youville Square has a very neat couple buildings just outside the gate as you head out on this walk.

Watch the weather on Thursday....we're supposed to get a moderate snowstorm here in Burlington on Thursday. Are you planning on heading to Quebec as soon as you land? If not, you may want to stay in Burlington for the night.
The airport does not close that often, so you'll most likely get in OK.
Have a great trip!!!!

I'm due to arrive in Burlington just before midnight Thursday evening on Jet Blue and have reservations at the Wyndham Burlington. Good place?

Yup...the Wyndham is right downtown overlooking the lake. In the morning walk to Penny Cluse for breakfast. The snow is supposed to come during the day, so it looks like Thursday night will be OK.
Have a great trip!!

Thnaks everyone for all your suggestions. I was able to make use of many of them.

I came home to a serious family problem so it will probably take me a few days to get a trip report and some photos together but I will get that done as soon as I can.

I have now posted a trip report on a separate thread. The photos are going to take awhile longer to get prepared.

Thnaks again to everyone who shared information and advice with me.

Here's hoping your serious family problem was resolved...
cheers!