190 Best Sights in Quebec, Canada

This stately graystone heritage site has led a fascinating life since its construction in 1813, shifting from an execution site to a repository for national archives and Canada's first modern prison. A major transformation occurred in 1868, as it became Morrin College, one of the city's earliest private schools, and simultaneously welcomed the Literary and Historical Society of Québec—a direct forerunner to Canada's National Archives. Today, the building comes alive with historical and cultural talks presented in English, heavily focusing on Québec City's often-forgotten British heritage. Guided tours offer a compelling journey through its past, revealing two blocks of original prison cells, the grand Victorian-era library, and College Hall. This unique space proves particularly captivating for children and families alike.

If you have a taste for pastoral landscapes and formal portraits, you might want to stick with the Musée des Beaux-Arts, but for a walk on the wild side of art, head to the Musée d'art contemporain (MAC) and see what you can make of the jagged splashes of color that cover the canvases of the "Automatistes," as Québec's rebellious artists of the 1930s styled themselves. The works of the Automatistes form the core of this museum's collection of 5,000 pieces. The museum often has weekend programs and art workshops, some of which are geared toward children, and almost all are free. And for a little romance and music with your art, try the Vendredis Nocturnes (Nocturnal Fridays) with live music, bar service, and guided tours of the exhibits ( macm.org/en/activities/les-nocturnes-du-mac).  At the moment, MAC is housed in Place Ville-Marie (Métro McGill or Bonaventure) while a new building is under construction. The museum expects to unveil its new home in 2028.

This museum highlights modern and contemporary art created by Charlevoix artists from 1920 to 1970. It also has a robust collection from the province in general, with works from Georges D. Pepper, Kathleen Daly, René Richard, the Bolduc sisters, and others. For more than 30 years, the museum has been organizing a yearly modern art symposium, held in late July and early August.

The museum traces the region's history through a major permanent exhibit. Folk art, paintings, and artifacts help reveal the past, starting with the French, then the Scottish settlers, and the area's evolution into a vacation spot and artists' haven. Temporary exhibits change every season.

Fun and educational for the whole family, this natural history museum utilizes imaginative multisensory displays with state-of-the-art light and sound effects—the buzzing of mosquitoes may be too lifelike—and hands-on displays to enhance the experience. Long-running exhibits include Terra Mutantes, a geological experience portraying the birth of the Appalachian Mountains, and AlterAnima, a mythical forest featuring hundreds of animals and providing viewers a unique perspective on the world as these animals see and experience it, showing us that it's not always what you see, but what you don't.

This fine-arts museum has a permanent exhibit on the history of art in the region from 1800 to the present. More than 10 exhibits per year are staged in its three galleries, with an emphasis on artists from the Eastern Townships.

The nuns of the Religieuses Hospitalières de St-Joseph ran Montréal's Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu for more than 300 years, until the province and the Université de Montréal took it over in the 1970s. The first sisters—girls of good families caught up in the religious fervor of the age—came to New France with Jeanne Mance in the mid-1600s to look after the poor, the sick, and the dying. The order's museum—tucked away in a corner of the hospital the nuns built but no longer run—captures the spirit of that age with a series of meticulously bilingual exhibits. Just reading the excerpts from the letters and diaries of those young women helps you to understand the zeal that drove them to abandon the comforts of home for the hardships of the colonies. The museum also traces the history of medicine and nursing in Montréal.   From May to October, tours of the "secret" monastery gardens are available for C$17. Most tours are in French, but some are offered in English on select dates. 

Claude de Ramezay, the city's 11th governor, was probably daydreaming of home when he built his Montréal residence, now one of the UNESCO-listed "1001 Historic Sites You Must See Before You Die." Its thick stone walls, dormer windows, and steeply pitched roof make it look like a little bit of 18th-century Normandy dropped into the middle of North America—although the round, squat tower is a 19th-century addition. The extravagant mahogany paneling in the Salon de Nantes was installed when Louis XV was still king of France. The British used the château as headquarters after their conquest in 1760, and so did the American commanders Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold. Benjamin Franklin, who came north in a failed attempt to persuade the locals to join the American Revolution, stayed here during that winter adventure.

Most of the château's exhibits are a little staid—guns, uniforms, and documents on the main floor and tableaux depicting colonial life in the cellars—but they include some unexpected little eccentricities that make it worth the visit. Head outside, through the back door, and you'll enter gardens of 18th-century tranquility.

The Laurentians are one of the oldest ski regions in North America, and ski buffs will enjoy this little museum tracing the long history of this area with great photos, artifacts, and some interesting models of early ski lifts. It also houses the Temple de la Renomée du Ski (the Ski Hall of Fame).

This museum, housed in an old shipyard, commemorates the days of the St. Lawrence goélettes, the feisty little wooden freighters that were the chief means of transporting goods along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River well into the 1960s. Very large families lived in cramped conditions aboard the boats, some of which are part of the exhibits. To modern eyes, it doesn't look like a comfortable existence, but the folklore of the goélettes, celebrated in poetry, paintings, and song, is part of the region's strong cultural identity.

More than 40,000 objects represent fine arts, archaeology, ethnology, natural sciences, and photography, all highlighting the native Innu and European populations of the region. See prehistoric tools and arms, and photographs depicting the area’s iron ore mining operations. Taxidermy exhibits include birds, fish, and mammals, the black bear and Canadian lynx among them. Lots of local artists display their work here, too, in a collection made up of 85 prints, 375 sculptures, and 121 paintings from 98 Canadian artists.

Québec City's Bassin Louise swimming pool is a bold urban marvel, a vibrant example of European-style city planning brought to life right here in the Old Port. Open from late June to early September, this free public swimming area offers an unforgettable, fun way to cool off on hot summer days. Dive into Olympic-sized lanes or relax in tranquil zones, or have your kids enjoy a wealth of supervised activities in the water, all with breathtaking marina views directly on the St. Lawrence River. On-site changing rooms, a restaurant, and an ice cream counter complete this perfect, accessible day by the water.

This 60-foot-high wooden tower within a picnic area is well sited for viewing the majestic St. Lawrence and the many small islands in the estuary. In spring and fall, wild Canada geese can be seen here. The area is about 2 km (1 mile) north of Église St-François on chemin Royal.

If you're driving or cycling across Mont-Royal, be sure to stop for a few moments at its eastern lookout for a view of the Stade Olympique and the east end of the city. Tourists enjoy the location as it's a great photo spot.

Montréal's favorite waterfront park is your ideal gateway to the St. Lawrence River. Rent a pedal boat, take a ferry to Île Ste-Hélène, sign up for a dinner cruise, or, if you're really adventurous, ride a raft or a jet boat through the turbulent Lachine Rapids. If you're determined to stay ashore, however, there's still plenty to do, including riding the Grande Roue, the tallest Ferris wheel in Canada; soaking in the rays at the Clock Tower Beach (you can't swim, though); and enjoying street performances, sound-and-light shows, or art displays and exhibitions.

Visiting warships from the Canadian navy and other countries often dock here and open their decks to the public. You can rent a bicycle or a pair of in-line skates at one of the shops along rue de la Commune and explore the waterfront at your leisure. In winter, rent a pair of skates and glide around the outdoor rink. You can also, quite literally, lose the kids in Shed 16's Labyrinthe, a maze of alleys, surprises, and obstacles built inside an old waterfront warehouse. With the rope and aerial courses aboard life-size replicas of pirate and royal ships, kids will also go crazy for the Voiles en Voiles adventure park.

Beautifully surrounded by low hills, this park has a lake fringed by a sandy beach and plenty of opportunities for outdoor sports, including hiking and biking trails, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and, in winter, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Locals also consider it to be one of the top camping destinations. Administered by the province along environmentally conscious lines—they implemented the Ecological Integrity Monitoring Program (EIMO) in 2004—it has nearly 900 campsites, and you can rent bicycles, cross-country skis, snowshoes, canoes, and kayaks from the office. Note that the strip at the far eastern end of the beach is "clothing optional," or, in effect, "clothing nonexistent."

The strategic importance of Artillery Park, part of the Fortifications of Quebec, lies in its prime location overlooking both the plateau to the west of the city, from which an army could lay siege to it, and St. Charles River, where boats could land soldiers. Under French rule, all the lines of defense that were proposed or built passed through this territory. By the end of the 17th century, the park was already recognized as a strategic site and both French and English military engineers erected various fortifications here over the years. The lavish Quartier des Officiers, built in 1712, was used as officers' quarters of the Royal Artillery until the late 19th century, when the Canadian government converted the barracks into a cartridge factory following the departure of the troops. It would go on to play a predominant effort in both of Canada's world-war efforts; several thousand men and women of Quebec worked there.

If you're short on time or don't feel like a hike you can take a shuttle bus to the top of Mont-Mégantic for spectacular views of Québec, Maine, New Hampshire, and on really clear days, Vermont. But if you want the full experience, make the trek by foot. The park has 50 km (31 miles) of hiking trails that are also open in winter to snowshoers and cross-country skiers. For a real adventure, you can stay overnight in one of the park's rustic shelters.

The amount of activities seems almost endless at this 58-square-km (22-square-mile) park. Summertime sees hikers, campers, beach lovers, and canoers enjoying the grounds, and in winter, showshoers and cross-country skiers take over. White-tailed deer and blue herons share the park with tourists. The scenery in the fall is spectacular, with vibrant orange, yellow, and red hues spreading across the landscape.

If you love horses and competitions, the Bromont Equestrian Center is the place to visit. Once an Olympic site, it hosts show jumping, dressage, and pony club events, and, in late July, the annual International Bromont Equestrian competition.

You could say that Parc Lafontaine is a microcosm of Montréal: the eastern half is French, with paths, gardens, and lawns laid out in geometric shapes; the western half is English, with meandering paths and irregularly shaped ponds that follow the natural contours of the land. In summer, you can take advantage of bowling greens, tennis courts, an open-air theater, (Théâtre de Verdure), and two artificial lakes with paddle boats. The Théâtre de Verdure puts on free musical, dance, theater, and circus arts performances, as well as films. In winter, one lake becomes a large skating rink. The park is named for Sir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine (1807–64), a pioneer of responsible government in Canada.

This 32-km (20-mile) stretch of trails and walkways follows the St. Charles River from its source at Lake St. Charles, to the northwest (which supplies a large part of Québec City's drinking water), all the way to the Bassin Louise Marina, in Vieux-Port. Many sections are in quiet stretches of forests, or run along wetlands and meadows. The trails immediately west of the harbor offer a green oasis at the heart of the city. The recently-reimagined Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site in Limoilou is particularly lovely and explains the various ways Jacques Cartier helped shape the city as we see it today. It's also possible to rent kayaks and paddle over 11 km (6.5 miles) of the northernmost part of the river.

The 800-square-km (309-square-mile) marine park, at the confluence of the Saguenay and St. Lawrence Rivers, has been created to protect this marine area's three fragile ecosystems.

This former boatyard includes the Chalouperie Godbout (Godbout Longboat), which holds a collection of tools used by specialist craftsmen during the golden era of boat-building. You can picnic here and watch fishermen at work, trapping eels in tall nets at low tide.

Blue water meets white cliffs on the edge of this study in contrasts, where diverse wildlife and rich waters attract hundreds of hunters and anglers each year. The island, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 35 km (22 miles) offshore from Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, hosts so many animals that seeing deer and other creatures is common. Fossils, rare plants, and a major bald eagle breeding site are protected. But, there’s oil here, too, and profit seekers covet the riches in the island’s reserves. Hike to the tremendous Vaureal Falls, crawl through a tight cave, and visit an abandoned turn-of-the-century settlement complete with a lighthouse, all of them developed by a French chocolate mogul. Access to Anticosti Island is by boat or plane from Havre St. Pierre. Accommodations and restaurants are available on the island, but may be limited outside the main season (late June–mid-August).

A 40-minute drive from La Malbaie will bring you to a stunning stretch of the Malbaie River, surrounded by impressive steep slopes and rocky peaks. There are plenty of beautiful views to take in—whether it's from a kayak on the river or while hiking a network of trails—and lots of fresh air, in this central part of the Charlevoix Biosphere Preserve.

Where raw cliffs and lush wilderness meet the vast Gulf of St. Lawrence and Bay of Gaspé, the mountains and boreal forest host bears and moose, among many other species. Along the shore, see harbor seals and thousands of water fowl. Camp, swim, hike, bike, wildlife watch, or soak in the park’s history, which begins with ancient native peoples and continues through traders, whalers, and wartime. All manner of outdoor activities await, as well as a recreation center with a heated outdoor pool, tennis courts, and team sport courts.

In the 1,800 acres of hills, valleys, rivers, and streams that make up the park, visitors drive along designated trails to view wild animals roaming free in their beautiful natural environment. These include bear, Alpine ibexes, buffalo, wolves, elk, and more. There are also walking trails among nonaggressive species like white-tailed deer, with caged golf-cart rental available in summer to save the legwork. Also in summer, you can visit farm animals in the restored 19th-century Léopold's Farm and see a birds of prey show.

For centuries, this wide square was used for parades and military events; today, it's mostly strollers, buskers, and visitors enjoying restaurant terraces. On its west side stands the majestic Ancien Palais de Justice (Old Courthouse), a Renaissance-style building from 1887. The plaza is on land that was occupied by a church and convent of the Récollet missionaries (Franciscan monks), who in 1615 were the first order of priests to arrive in New France. The Gothic-style fountain in the center pays tribute to their arrival.

If you're looking for peace and quiet, the narrow strip of grass and trees on Place d'Youville (the former name) just east of Place Royale is an appropriate place to find it. It was here, after all, that the French signed a major peace treaty with dozens of Indigenous nations in 1702. It was also here that the first French colonists to settle in Montréal landed their four boats on May 17, 1642. An obelisk records the settlers' names.