wendyb59

I would like to take my 15 year old boy to quebec for a long weekend in august. I am a single mother. Do you think this is a good idea? What should we do?

joe19

Well, If you mean Quebec City, there is of course lots to do. The Fodor's guides and online info will provide ideas as a lot will depend on the young man's likes and dislikes.
There are a plethora of great places to eat at very resonable prices. I think he will like Le Cochon Dingue which is a very French bistro type place with great food that will appeal to almost anyone.
The harbor cruises are very enjoyable and he will probably be interested in the funicular which goes from the upper to lower town and back.
There is an interesting diorama with narration about the Battle of Quebec and many museums which are of interest.
A very inexpensive and fun trip is the ferry which runs back and forth to Lévis on the south shore.
We stayed, on fact, in Lévis at a B&B which was great with a full breakfast for far less than a comparable place would be in Quebec. It was Au gré du Vent on Rue Fraser. You do have to walk down a long staircase to the docks, where it is a ten minute ferry ride to Quebec.
I think it is a great idea. I loved Quebec and Montreal when I went there as a youngster.

Michel_Paris

If I had to choose, I'd pick Montreal over Quebec City. Once you've seen the Old Town, that's pretty well it. Montreal being a larger and more dynamic city will offer much more to do. What are your interests?

CAPH52

With all due respect, I disagree. Yes, Montreal is a larger city. But the OP only has a long weekend. And when we went with our kids (14 and 10 at the time), they were much more impressed with Quebec City than Montreal.

We stayed at a small hotel right near the Hotel Frontenac. It's just such a wonderful, beautiful place!

One of the things we did that the kids really enjoyed was taking a horse and carriage tour. They also really enjoyed the tour of the Citadel.

I'm assuming you'll have a car. If so, you might enjoy driving the island (it's been several years and the name escapes me, Ille d Orleans maybe?)

zootsi

You will have a ball in either Quebec City or Montreal, but for a long weekend with a 15 year old I would choose Quebec City - much more of a WOW factor with it's fortress like city walls and spectacular views across the St. Laurence. There is a changing of the guard at at the Citadel which is just outside the walls. You can take a feery ride across the river. The Museum of Civilization, which is an ecclectic, hands on science and history museum is lots of fun for any age. Montmorency Falls which is just outside the city, is higher than Niagra. You won't run out of things to do.

Michel_Paris

You've convinced me! Not having any teneagers might have been the flaw in my argument Stay in/near the Old Town, add a trip to the Montmorency Falls, go to a festival...

One good web site:

http://www.quebecregion.com/e/