Old Quebec City Tourism

The eats in Old Quebec City are fittingly French. Be sure to sample the local crepes and cheeses.

Old Quebec is the only fortified city in North America. Walk along the wall to view the city and the St. Lawrence Seaway, or take a tour at the Fortifications of Quebec National Historic Site.

Certainly the strangest hotel in Quebec, and possibly in all the world, is the Hotel de Glace, or Ice Hotel, open from early January through early April; it is composed nearly entirely of ice. Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac is possibly as interesting--an over-the-top luxury hotel, constructed in 1893 with later additions, whose imposing outline symbolizes Old Quebec City.

Even in the tiny space that constitutes Old Quebec several museums are worth seeing: Musee National des Beaux-Arts du Quebec, specializing in Canadian and Inuit art; Musee de la Civilisation, designed by architect Moshe Safdie, focusing on the social and political history of Quebec; and the Musee de l'Amerique Francaise, exploring the history of the French in North America.

Part of the charm of Old Quebec City lies in its distinctive churches, from the Notre Dame de Quebec Basilica and Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral to the oldest church, Notre Dame des Victoires, built in 1688. Also in the city are the Ursuline Convent and museum, the Augustine Monastery and the Quebec Seminary.

Tour the Citadel, a 25-building fortress completed in 1852. Also visit the small regimental museum in the powder magazine, dating to 1750; the Royal 22nd Regiment, based in the Citadel since 1920, performs a changing of the guard during the summer.