4 Best Sights in Quebec, Canada

Perched atop Cap Diamant, the city's highest point, the Citadelle stands as North America's largest fortified base still actively occupied by troops. This 25-building fortress is, quite literally, the star of the Fortifications of Québec National Historic Site. Its strategic purpose was clear: protect the port, prevent enemy advancements on the Plains of Abraham, and offer refuge during an attack. Since 1920, the Citadelle has been home to Canada's most storied French-speaking military formation, the Royal 22nd Regiment. Their history is proudly displayed in the museum, located in a former powder magazine built in 1750, showcasing firearms, uniforms, and decorations dating back to the 17th century. Every summer morning, visitors can catch the troops' impressive 30-minute concert, with soldiers clad in military crimson coats and black fur hats, all under the watchful eye of the regiment's well-behaved goat mascot. Due to its status as an operational military base, all visits to the Citadelle are exclusively guided.  Its prime location, perched high above the St. Lawrence River with stunning city views, makes it worth a visit even if you opt not to take a tour.

Thick stone walls stretch along 5 km (3 miles), connected by four gates—St-Jean, St-Louis, Kent, and the more modern Prescott—and adjoined by forts, bastions, and even a citadel. With such a special and unique landmark, it's not difficult to understand why the Historic District of Old Québec is a UNESCO World Heritage site. These nearly intact ramparts, virtually the only ones of their kind in North America, recall the complex history of the French and British regimes in Québec City. French colonists began building ramparts along the city's cliffs as early as 1690 to protect themselves from the British, but they had trouble convincing the French government to take the threat of invasion seriously. And when the British did invade in 1759, the walls were unsurprisingly still incomplete. The British, despite attacks by the Americans during the American Revolution and the War of 1812, took over a century to finish them—and they never saw armed conflict.

From June to September, Parks Canada offers two distinct guided tours of Québec City's fortifications, each led by a knowledgeable history guide. The first is a two-hour tour, departing from the Frontenac Kiosk on Dufferin Terrace. This experience leads participants along the fortification walls and into a soldier's casemate—an area exclusively accessible on this tour—while sharing fascinating historical tidbits about the city. The second tour is entirely within Artillery Park, one of the oldest military compounds in the Americas, dating back to 1712. This experience focuses on the social and architectural heritage of the ramparts building, which has housed French, British, and Canadian soldiers throughout history.

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.

Of the 16 Martello towers in Canada, four were built in Québec City because the British government feared an invasion after the American Revolution. In summer, visitors can tour Martello Tower No. 1, and watch a presentation on the history of the four structures. A haunted maze is held for youngsters on Halloween at Martello Tower No. 2, at avenues Taché and Laurier, and a mystery dinner show is available by reservation. Martello Tower No. 4, on rue Lavigueur overlooking the St. Charles River, houses an escape room game, The Tormentor, in the summer months.