3 days in Quebec City: walls, gates & the Château Frontenac

North America's only walled city, read through its buildings: French colonial stone in the Lower Town, British neoclassical churches, Romantic gates and the Château Frontenac, Art Deco on Rue Sainte-Anne, plus Montmorency Falls and the great pilgrimage basilica east of town.

1. Day 19 am – 4:45 pm · 6 stops
2. 9 am 1

   Porte Saint-Louis: enter through the Romantic gateQuebec City

   Start at the gate built in 1878 in neo-medieval style at Governor General Lord Dufferin's urging, the Romantic movement's answer to preserving the only fortified city north of Mexico. The walls run about 4.6 km around the Upper Town; from here you can join the rampart walk.

   3 min walk · 100 m
3. 10 am 2

   Citadelle of Québec: the star-shaped fortressQuebec City

   The active military fortress built after the War of 1812, on the edge of the cliff above the St. Lawrence. Take the guided tour for the military architecture and the views; in summer the Changing of the Guard runs mid-morning. Allow about two hours.

   7 min walk · 550 m
4. 12:15 pm 3

   Château Frontenac & Terrasse DufferinQuebec City

   The castle-like hotel begun in 1892, mixing Gothic Revival and French Renaissance forms under its green copper roofs; guided tours run through the lobby and historic rooms. Walk the Terrasse Dufferin boardwalk beside it for the classic river view, and grab lunch in the Upper Town.

   11 min walk · 850 m
5. 2 pm 4

   Parliament Building (Hôtel du Parlement)Quebec City

   Finished in 1886, the Second Empire parliament building just outside the walls, its facade lined with statues of the province's historic figures. Guided tours run on most days; check tour times on arrival, as the building is a working legislature.

   10 min walk · 750 m
6. 3:15 pm 5

   Cathedral of the Holy Trinity: British neoclassicalQuebec City

   Built 1800-1804 for the new Anglican diocese, one of the first public buildings the British erected in the city and the introduction of the English neoclassical style to the colonial capital. A quiet, light interior a short walk from the Château.

   3 min walk · 50 m
7. 4:15 pm 6

   Édifice Price: Art Deco on Rue Sainte-AnneQuebec City

   The 1929-1931 Price Building is the Art Deco counterpoint to the old stone around it: clean lines, stylized ornament and bas relief, 18 storeys over the Upper Town. View it from the street; it is offices, not a public interior.

8. Day 29 am – 5:15 pm · 6 stops
9. 9 am 7

   Place Royale & Notre-Dame-des-VictoiresQuebec City

   The square where Québec was founded in 1608, ringed by stone houses in the New France manner. The church on the square, begun in 1687, is the oldest stone church in North America; its interior was rebuilt after the 1759 siege.

   3 min walk · 150 m
10. 10:30 am 8

    Rue du Petit-Champlain: the prettiest street in CanadaQuebec City

    The narrow pedestrian street of stone houses, artisan boutiques and cafés below the cliff, routinely called one of the prettiest streets in Canada. Good for a slow browse and a pastry stop before the climb back up.

    3 min walk · 150 m
11. 12 pm 9

    Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Stairs) & the funicularQuebec City

    The steep stairway linking Lower and Upper Town, the oldest stairway in North America. Climb it for the view, or ride the funicular beside it, running since 1879, if you prefer the easy way up.

    3 min walk · 250 m
12. 1:30 pm 10

    Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-CathedralQuebec City

    The primatial church of Canada, on the site of the first parish church of 1647, rebuilt in neoclassical form after fires. Step inside for the gilded interior and the crypt, and note the Holy Door, one of only a handful outside Rome.

    4 min walk · 300 m
13. 2:45 pm 11

    Morrin Centre: prison, college, libraryQuebec City

    A single building that has been a prison, a college and now the city's English-language library, with Victorian library interiors and original cells on the guided tour. The tour is the way to see it; check times on the day.

    9 min walk · 650 m
14. 4:15 pm 12

    Porte Saint-Jean & Rue Saint-Jean walkQuebec City

    Close the day at the second great gate, rebuilt in its present form in 1939, then walk Rue Saint-Jean back inside the walls past shops and bistros. In late November the street is dressed for the German Christmas Market season.

15. Day 39 am – 4:30 pm · 3 stops
16. 9 am 13

    Montmorency Falls: higher than NiagaraQuebec City

    The 83-metre falls just east of the city, about 15 minutes' drive from Old Québec. Cross the suspension bridge over the crest, or ride the cable car to the clifftop for the St. Lawrence panorama. Park access carries a fee.

    23 min by train or taxi · 23 km
17. 12 pm 14

    Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-BeaupréSainte-Anne-de-Beaupré

    One of North America's great pilgrimage churches, in Romanesque Revival form with twin spires and a mosaic-rich interior, on a shrine site dating to 1658. A short drive east from the falls along the Beaupré coast.

    25 min by train or taxi · 25 km
18. 2:30 pm 15

    Île d'Orléans: Sainte-Pétronille church & villageSte-Pétronille

    End on the island at its western tip village, where the 1870 church overlooks the river back toward the city skyline. The island's stone farmhouses and village churches are the rural counterpart to Old Québec's urban stone, and the village has cafés and a chocolatier for a final stop.